The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-10-02
HILO GUT OFF
FROM WORLD
Wireless Company Win Take No
Message to or From---Row
Over Telephoning.

The town of Hilo was abruptly GU
OF from communication with the out
side world yesterday owing to the &C.
ton of the Hilo Telephone company il
Irefusing TO allow wireless messages &
go over its line without an extra
Icharge of twenty-five cents per mes.
sage The trouble all came about In
this way:
For some weeks past the Hilo Tele.
phone company has insisted on an ex.
brilliant charge for maintaining the
private wire owned by the Wireless
| Telegraph company, which Is strung
along the Hilo Telephone conpany's
poles throughout the HiIo district Pre-
viously the telephone company receiv-
ed the sum of $50 per month for at
tending to all business of the wireless
originating in the town and district
of Hilo, as well as maintaining It's
private wire. This was considered a
very fair compensation, and it was not
lslntiI few weeks ago that the tele-
phone company arbitrarily raised this
price to SO. informing the Wireless
people that unless the sum was paid
40 messages would be permitted to go
over their lines.
Upon this intin1ation the Wireless es-
tablished its own Office in the heart of
the town of Hilo and became a regular
subscriber of the telephone company. at
the same time informing the telephone
company that they would be willing TO
pay whatever was a reasonable COM
pensation for the maintenance of Its
wire on their poles throughout the dis
trict of Hilo basing it on the charges
made by the three other telephone
companies Of Hawaii. At the same
time it was requested that the wire be
devoted exclusively to wireless mes
sages so that the greatest secrecy
might be obtained for them.
Matters have been running along in
this manner until yesterday when the
operator at Puako sent a double rush
message to the wireless Office stating
that E. E. Richards. manager of the
Hilo Telephone company, refused to-
allow any messages to leave Hilo or
be filed there without an extra tele-
phone charge of Is cents for each. This
request the Wireless company refused
to accede TO, believing that it was not
fair to put the public to this extra
expense. Consequently yesterday all
messages filed in the Hilo office for
Honolulu, were rejected until the mat
ter could be Strengthened out.
j. A. Balch, manager of the Wireless |
left for Hilo on the Kinau |
yesterday to take the matter up per-
sonally with the Hilo company. Mr.. |
Balcf1 left for Hilo before the Advert
tiser learned of the trouble and no 4
statement could be secured from him.
However. 1t was stated by Robert w.
Single OF the waterhouse Trust COM
pany, local agents for the Wireless,
that Mr.. Balch went to Hilo prepared
to make every reasonable effort TO
straighten the matter out, but until
word had been received from Mr..
Balch over the wireless that the mat
-er had been adjusted. no messages
would be accepted in Honolulu fer Hi
o. Mr.. Single further stated that the
'equest from the Hiio Telephone Co.
vas, in his opinion, unjust. and that
he toll asked by the telephone COM
,any of % per cent. message would
work a hardship on the public; that
he average number of messages sent
O and from Hilo averaged about 400
nd upwards per month, which would
make a net revenue to the Hilo Tele-
hone company of over 800 which the
ublic would have to pay.
1t was further stated that a letter
ad been sent to the telephone people
y Manager Balch, under date Of Sep
efnber ~. in which that company was
ffered the same compensation for the
of this wire through the
istrict of HiIo proportionate with the
ate paid TO the other three companies
n the Island for maintaining the
-ireless business on Hawaii
As a result of the decision Of the Hilo
telephone company. the Daily Herald
{ that city was obliged yesterday TO
lspend publication, not being in q
osition to receive the morning news
ON Honolulu. Several very impor-
INT messages were also unable TO be
mt
Unless Mr.. Balch can make some set
ement with the HIlo Telephone COM
any If is just possible that the Wire
IS will apply to the court for an in
motion restraining them from placing I
] embargo on wireless messages.
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