The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-03-07
THE SENATE.

From the Special Railway Committee,
Dickey hit the McCandless railway bill
between wind and water yesterday. but
neither the bill nor the intro
Queer was Knocked out by the blow,
although both were considerably Jared
The McCandless Belt Line measure,
which is known as Senate Bill No. u,
came up on the report of special COM
mittees and Dickey submitted the re-
port of the Special Railway Committee,
as follows:
The bill is for the purpose OF grant
ing to John Lucas and his associates
the right to build belt railroad around
the southeastern end of Oahu and a
cross line from Kahuku through Kalihi
valley to a point near Kamehameha
School. The road may use any power
except that it may not use steam In
the Districts of Waialua and Eva. It
passes through Honolulu on the line
of Queen street, the Beach road and
Kapiolani Park There is no restriction
on the size of rail. gauge of track or
grade of road. The maximum rate of
speed on streets or roads is eight miles
and the maximum rate of fare is six
cents a mile.
Your committee feels that it would
incommode the public very much to
allow another railroad to pass through
the congested part of Queen street from
the river to Fort street, where the r.
T. & L. Company now have track
and where a large part of the heavy
drayage of the city is carried on. 1t
would be sorry to see Kapiolani Park
defaced by running a railroad through
it,
1.-The r. T. & L. co. has given the
city one of the best services in the
world, and it would be very unfair to
allow another company to parallel its
tracks from Kalihi to Waikiki just
when it has got its system into work
ing order. begun to get out of debt and
in a condition to repay its stockholders
for their long wait for dividends.
PIONEER RAILWAY.
The Oahu Railway and Land Com
pany was the pioneer in railroad build
ing on Oahu. and in the face of proph-
ecy on all sides that it would never
pay, built its road under the greatest
financial difficulties, raised the receipts
of the government from $4,000 to ST., 900
has given the public a first-class ser
vice. Would it be fair now that it is
at last on a paying basis to allow q
rival company to put in a parallel line
from Kahuku to WaiaIua and from Eva
to Honolulu, thus making their road
profitless? That road plans whenever
it can see its way to do it without Sc
rious loss, to extend its line from Ka-
loa and to build a branch road through
Leilehua. A survey for the last named
line has been made. 1t seems to your
committee that the O. r. & L. Co. Is
entitled to protection, even though tech
niChally another franchise can be le-
gally granted.
1T would, doubtlessly. be to the ad-
vantage of the people OF Waialae. Koo-
lauloa and Koolaupoko if a railroad
We're built connecting them with Homo
lulu, but such a road could not probably
be made TO pay unless the company
could have the local traffic of Honolulu.
There is no doubt that if such a road
We're built the taxes of the Territory
would be greatly increased in d few
years, but of course not to the extent
that the taxes in Eva and Waialua
Districts have been, as the available
land is much less.
1T is true that the r. T e. L. Co.
was allowed to parallel the tracks of
the Tramways Co, but there was good
reason. in that the Tramways Co was
not giving a satisfactory service. Should
the r. T &. L. Co. cease to give a
satisfactory service it would doubtless
be a good reason for allowing a rival
company to come into the field.
| There is no provision in this bin for
paying percentage of the gross income
/ into the treasury which is provision
| which should be insisted upon in all
cases of public franchises. a mista Ike
1 was made when the r. T. & L. Co. was
only compelled to pay a percentage on
a portion of its net income.
| SUBSIDY Is WRONG.
The bill provides for a subsidy OF
$500 a mile for each mile constructed
/ This was allowed in the case of the .
/ r. & L. Co, but that was the pioneer
company when the question whether a
| railroad could be made to pay was not
| settled. In the present condition of af-