The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-05-03
HELD UP THE
WIRELESS

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.
hitting messages.
When the wireless people began oper.
ations the question of private wire
was agitated because of the publicity
given messages on the regular line. On
all long distance wires in the country
districts there are from one to four
subscribers and when one rings up, the
"rubber necks" start business and the
more instruments taken from the hooks
the more difficult 1t is to hear what is
being told you by the person on the
other end of the wire.
When It was decided to grant sub
sidy to the company there was a clause
in the grant to the effect that all gov
eminent 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
service. and this has been regularly
paid according to Manager Cross. Last
month he was notified that after May
LIST. 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
ular Office for the receipt of messages
for transmission and had a telephone |
installed. Mr.. Cross claims that as q
subscriber to the Hilo service the COM
pany operators there must receive and
transmit any message offered. Yes
terday some one, supposedly person
with influence, got message through |
from Hawaii to Honolulu but later
when a message was sent from Homo |
lulu to Hilo word came back that the |
wire was down and nothing could be
sent through.
Since the service was established 1t
has been of great benefit to the COM
munity, barring the fact that messages
have been at times disclosed when
they have been sent with the expecta-
ton that they would be kept private.
The plan has been in the past, or was
some years ago, to repeat all messages
at station midway between Hilo and
Pukoo. In doing this there was more
or less delay as the operators in the
telephone office would be unable to
catch the words on their ear drums
owing to the rubbernecks. Sometimes
the voice of the operator would be
raised so high in receiving and repeat
ing that the social guests on the veran-
da of the office could hear what was
being said without half trying. There
were defects in the Hilo office which
could have been remedied by the use
OF the Morse system that was never
thoroughly put in use and which
should be used IL the company is to
continue the service.
The result of the refusal of the Ha-
waii company to take the messages
and the attempt to force payment will |
be watched with interest. Sugar fac
tors are interested for they are kept |
informed by that means of the move-
ments of vessels and the conditions at
the mills and on the plantations.