The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-03-21
A MONopOLIsTlC MOVE.

has so far shown its cloven hoof in the
Legislature is an attempt to juggle the
kerosene and fuel oil law in the interest
of certain sellers of oil and against the
interests of the consumer and the pub
lie.
/ There are two branches TO the scheme.
| One has appeared in the House in the
| shape of a bill to regulate the sale and
storage of kerosene, gasolene, benzine
and naphtha. The real object of the bin
| is to put the government out of the
| business OF storing this material from
| which it is now deriving a revenue of
several thousand dollars a year, and to
| hand it over to the Standard Oil Com
pany. who are to pay the government
ten dollars a year for the privilege of
taking over this lucrative monopoly.
There are various other provisions
in the bill. but essentially they are but
padding to conceal this main object,
which the Standard Oil Company has
for several years been trying to secure,
so far unsuccessfully. The third read
ing of this bill is set for today in the
House of Representatives. 1t remains
to be seen whether the House is ready
to do the bidding of a foreign monop-
oily or not.
The other branch is q, second bill
which is being held back until bill num-
Der one has safely landed in port.
The second bill purports to regulate
the quality of fuel oil. The interested
parties tried to get the Board of Fire
Insurance Underwriters to introduce
a law requiring flash test of $50 de-
grees. This failed and a second at
tempt was made to secure support for
140 degrees. The Underwriters finally
agreed upon 120 degrees and the bill is
TO come in at that figure.
Having failed in coercing the Under
writers, the promoters of the bill are
making the most strenuous efforts to
bring pressure to bear upon members
of the Legislature to support a 150-de-
gree test when the yet unintroduced
law comes TO the surface. The cam
paign is being conducted on the still
hunt principle. Orders have gone out
from Honolulu to the country districts
to bring all possible pulls to bear on
members, who are being bombarded
with letters urging them to support
the high-ffash test. In many cases the
writer's know no more about fuel oil
and flash tests than a cat does about
the tariff, but they all join in the re-
is necessary to the peace and safety
of the writer and the public.
What is the meaning of all this sud-
den anxiety about the flash test of fuel
oil?
The meaning. is simply this: About
one-third of the fuel oil produced in
California is high-grade oil having a
low flash test. If it can be barred from
use the low grade and high flash test
oils Will have a monopoly of the mar
ket to the detriment of the low flash
test oil producer and the consumer
The attempt to create this unjust
discrimination has been made over and
over again in California and other
Western States, and has invariably
failed. The California flash test for fuel
oil is 10 degrees and most of the
States prescribe a lower test.
Every consumer of fuel oil in Hawaii
will be injuriously affected by this I'M
just and unnecessary discrimination,
concocted solely for the benefit of a few
would-be monopolists.
The whole oil proposition now before
the Legislature has an unhealthy smell
The most careful investigation should
be made before there is any change in
the present law, and when changes are
made the Legislature should be very
certain that they are in the interest of
the public in Hawaii and not in the
interest of foreign monopolists.