The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-05-02
Up THE
WIRELESS
Trouble With Telephone
People on the Big
Island.

The Wireless Telegraph Company has
| been held up on the Island of Hawaii
! by the Hilo and Hawaii Telephone and
Telegraph Company owing to an in
crease in the rental of the poles and
for Office service in receiving and trans
mitting messages.
When the wireless people began oper-
ations the question of a private wire
was agitated because of the publicity
given messages on the regular line. On
all long distance wires in the country
subscribers and when one rings up, the
'frubber necks' start business and the
more instruments taken from the hooks
the more difficult it is to hear what is
being told you by the person on the
other end of the wire.
When it was decided to grant a sub
sidy to the company there was clause
in the grant to the effect that all gov
ernment messages were to be trans
mitted free, which was something of
an imposition, and an overland Morse
system be maintained between the
tower on one end of the island of Ha-
waii and Hilo. After many months
the wire was strung on the poles of
the telephone companies but little was
done toward instructing the operators
into the mysteries of the dots and
dashes in telegraphy so that part Of
the system soon became obsolete but
the wires remained on the poles. The
charge made by the Hilo company was
fifty dollars a month for telephone
service, and this has been regularly
paid according to Manager Cross. Last
month he was notified that after May
1st, the rate would be Increased to
seventy-five dollars a month or no ser
vice.
When President Scott of the tele-
phone company was in the city the
other day he saw Mr.. Cross and notified
him that the higher amount would be
insisted upon. But in the meantime
the Wireless people had opened a reg
llar office for the receipt of messages
for transmission and had a telephone
installed. Mr.. Cross claims that as a
subscriber to the Hilo service the COM /
Dany operators there must receive and |
any message offered. Yes |
erday some one, supposedly a person !
With influence, got message through |
rom Hawaii 20 Honolulu but later |
when a message was sent from Homo
ulu to Hilo word came back that the |
wire was down and nothing could be |
tent through.
Since the service was esta blished it |
1as been of great benefit to the COM
nunity, barring the fact that messages
nave been at times disclosed when
hey have been sent with the expecta-
ion that they would be kept private.
The plan has been in the past, or was
ONE years ago, to repeat all messages
It a station midway between I1ilo and
oukoo. In doing this there was more
r less delay as the operators in the
elephone office would be unable to
atch the words on their ear drums
wing to the rubbernecks. Sometimes
he voice of the operator would be
aised so high in receiving and repeat
1g that the social guests on the veran-
a of the office could hear what was
eing said without half trying. There
we're defects in the Hilo office which
ould have been remedied by the use
the Morse system that was never
thoroughly put in use and which
hould be used If the company is to
ontinue the service.
The result of the refusal Of the Ha-
ali company to take the messages
nd the attempt to force payment will s
e watched with interest. Sugar fac I
ors are interested for they are kept
lformed by that means of the move
lents Of vessels and the conditions at
he mills and on the plantations.