The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-01-03

of long series OF efforts to secure
cable communication both between the
Islands and with the Pacific Coast
which have engaged the time and
thought of many of Hawaii's leading
citizens.
The subject has repeatedly been be-
fore both the Hawaiian Legislature
and Congress; subsidies have several
times been offered by the Hawaiian
Legislature and voted by the several
houses of Congress; corporations have
Trans-Pacific Cable has been agitated
and discussed in almost all the CAPT
tails of the world.
without attempting to be exhaustive
in the enumeration of these efforts or
exactly chronological in their order,
the following are among the principal
of these attempts to secure cable COM
munication in Hawaii;
THE MORENO ACT.
On August 18th, 1876, an act was
passed by Congress entitled can Act
to encourage the promotion of tele-
graphic communication between
America and Asia"
BY the terms Of this act franchise
was granted to G. G. Moreno, AlVinza
Hayward, Leland Stanford, Mark
Hopkins, James G. Flood and twenty
one others, to lay and operate a cable
between the United States and the
90 ha
to begin within three years.
This appears to have been purely
speculative enterprise, initiated by Mr..
Moreno, who later played sky
rocket act in Hawaiian politics. A
number of the person named in the
act good naturedly allowed Mr.. Moreno
the use of their names, while several
stated that it was done without .their
authority. Moreno Immediately at
tempted to dispose Of the franchise to
some cable company; but beyond CIV
ing him the opportunity to ever after
ward refer to his business connection
with the capitalists named with him,
nothing was ever done. 1t is an odd
fact however, that, in spite OF the
many and repeated efforts thereafter
made by powerful men and companies
to secure a legislative franchise the
above is the only act ever passed on
the subject by Congress.
LEGISLATION IN 1874.
The Hawaiian Legislature passed an
act in 1874 allowing any company to
construct Geographic lines along the
public roads and across public lands
and waters, and allowing the Minister
of the Interior to provide land for sta
lions and other purposes of such COM
pany and to exempt their property
from duties; also confirming the right
to condemn private property for the
purposes of the company.
THE HAWAIIAN CABLE COMPANY.
In 1882 the subject of Inter-Island
cable communication was agitated, and
on February Is, 1882, a petition was
filed with the Minister of the Interior
by Chas. R. Bishop, John H. Patty, c.
o. Berger and H A. Widemann, for
the Incorporation of the Hawaiian |
Cable Company"
The petition stated that the purpose |
of the company was the laying of |
ocean cables between the various ISL
ands of the group and erecting tele
graphic lines thereon; to connect the
various islands by Geographic and
telephone communication and to do
general telegraph and telephone bust
ness throughout the entire kingdom"
The capital stock of the company
vas plut at $3.50, 000 with the privilege
If extension to 100000.
Special provision was made that five
7ears after completion of the system
he Government might, at its option,
purchase the entire system at a price
o be fixed by three disinterested per-
sons, one to be chosen by each of the
parties and one by the persons so
.hosen. Matters moved slowly in those
lays and the charter was not granted
until January 1, 1884. The subscribers
O the stock were Chas. R. Bishop, 500
4. A. Widemann and w. w. Hall, each
100 shares.
This company employed Captain
a retired English naval Off
er, to make soundings between the
stands, which he did in considerable
letail, the deepest water found being
n the Hawaii channel, which he found
o be approximately 900 fathoms deep.
The Legislature of 1884 reimbursed
he company for this expense which
mounted to s7,4S0.
The expense of constructing and
aging cable was found to be much
more than the company had figured
lpon and nothing ever came of the
fort.
A SUBSIDY AUTHORIZED
In 1884 an act supplementary to ,
hat of 1874 was passed, authorizing :
he Minister of the Interior to con- |
ract for establishing and maintaining :
able communication with San Fran
isco and to pay subsidy Of $4,000
'er year for fifteen years. :
In 1886 the act of 1884 was further {
mended by adding that the subsidy s
ould be paid not only for the cable /
o San Francisco but for one to be laid
o ANY other port or place on the :
Jorth American continent, in connec- :
ion with the American telegraph sys-
en-" .
This amendment was for the pur- :
ose Of trying to secure Canadian as ,
sf RI hJo from Homo