The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-03-30

tfon of the company has been 80 per
cent. AT the present time the COM
pany is paying a dividend of one-half
of 1 per cent per month.
From a statement returned to the
Superintendent of Public Works on
June 1, 1902, the gross receipts from
June 1, 1901, to June 1, 1902, were $131,-
5S1.16; the royalty paid to the Terri
toriaI government through the Superin-
tendent of Public Works was SS,2S9-59.
Other taxes paid by the company for
the year amounted to s6.594.3s, or a total
of s9,SS3.97, being substantial reali-
zation to the government. The COM
pany pays a royalty of 212 per cent on
| the gross receipts to the government.
! The act does not prevent or exclude
any other corporation, association, or
| individual from acquiring like rights
| and pursuing the same course as is now
| being adopted by the Hawaiian Electric
| Company Gimited), and of applying
| for and the legislature granting rights
and privileges similar to those obtain
ed by said company by. virtue of the
aforesaid act. The act grants no ex-
elusive franchise, this fact being par
| ticularly so expressed in the act.
The Territorial government operates
an electric light and power system for
the purpose of lighting the Territorial
buildings and all public streets, except
| 40 arc lights in the outlying districts
which, by contract with the Territorial
, government, are furnished by the COM
pany to the government. The govern
nnent of the Territory does no CONNER
cial lighting. The presence Of the gov
eminent system in the community
| would prevent an arbitrary or unfair
treatment by the above-named COM
pany if, through a change of manage
ment or otherwise, such a policy should
be attempted.
ION November 1, 1903, the company
furnished lights to 1859 consumers,
with a total connected load OF 1851
16-candlepower lamps. At the same
time it was supplying power to 81 mo-
tors, of a total capacity of 47919 horse
power, to different industries in Homo
lulu, as elevators electric fans, to dem
lists, and to a conveyor of goods on the
wharf.
THE territory in which the Hawaiian
Electric Company operates comprises
the district of Honolulu, the population
of which is SO, BOG. No accurate infor-
nation is obtainable showing the per-
centage or what number of the popu-
lation consists of orientals, natives, or
whites. 1t is estimated that from 5000
to 5000 of the population are whites, ex-
elusive of Portuguese. Eighty-five per
cent of the business of this company
is done with these 5000 to 5000 whites.
The business done should be compared
with a like business in a city or town
in the United States of not more than
Is, 200 inhabitants. The committee COM
pared the rates and the operations of
this company with twenty companies
in the State of Massachusetts,, the fig
ures for comparison being taken from
the annual report Of the Board of Gas
and Electric Light Commissioners of
the State of Massachusetts,, Public
Document, No. 80, published in Boston
in 1903.
'All of these companies show a maxi
mum rate Of 20 cents per kilowatt hour
except one, 25 cents; one, "a cents; two,
Is cents, and one, Is cents. Various
discounts are given for prompt pay
ment.~~ The act of the Hawaiian Iegis-
lature provided a rate of 20 cents. The
committee proposes that the rate shall
be reasonable and not exceed II cents
per kilowatt hour, with provision pro-
viding for readjustment OF the rate in
the courts. The conditions in Homo
lulu are peculiar. The city lies within
the tropics and there is a great amount
of natural light and no dark days. The
sun sets late and therefore the opera
lions of the company are restricted to
a very short period of the day, the
heavy lighting period covering only
about three hours. Honolulu is not
manufacturing town, nor is it probable
that it will ever be. The demand for
power will therefore be very limited
The street lighting is\ supplied by the
Territorial government from a plant of
their own.
This imposes upon the company the
necessity of having a large plant op-
Grating but few hours per day.
THE cost Of labor is much in excess
of the cost Of labor in electric light
plants in the United States, as the fol-
lowing comparison will show.
Average wages paid employees in cleo
trio plants in the United States. COM
pared with Honolulu. Taken from
Census Bulletin No. s.
Salaried officers and clerks:
First column of figures gives average
wages in electric plants in the Uni
ted States per year.
Second column, the percentage of ex-
cess in Honolulu per year
Third. average wages in Honolulu per
year.
Salaried officers and Clerks.
General officers ...s1,0346 $500.
Other officers, man
ayers, sup'ts, etc. 1,11S.74 153 $2.s25.o 90
Clerks .......... $3.50 63 $3.50
Grand average S79.4S IS $4,000