The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-10-08
County and Telephone
Men Reach Agreement
(From Thursdays Advertiser.J

The Mutual Telephone Company will
not be harassed in its efforts to pro-
vide Honolulu with modern, complete
system. The end of the squabble be-
tween the county and the company, in
regard to the enforcement of the post.
hole ordinance, which is not yet law,
is in sight; unless the unexpected hap
pens, the road committee of the board
of supervisors will today place the seal
of its approval upon a compromise
which is eminently satisfactory to the
telephone people, and the board of
will doubtless ratify the
agreement.
The telephone company will lay con.
duit for the county's police and fire
alarm lines in all of the trenches
through which the telephone conduit
passes. This work will be done at cost
price, and no pro rata will be charged
for the excavating work. The price
quoted is 10 cents foot. The county
on it's part, will exempt the telephone
company, during the time that it's fran
chise yet has to run, from the payment
of all inspection fees in connection with
permits for excavations, postholes, and
so forth. At any future time when the
telephone company may extend its con
duit system, it will lay conduit for the
county in the trenches with its OWL
duet at cost price.
These are the terms on which the
company and the county will probably
reach an agreement. Two members OF
the road committee of the board Of
supervisors expressed their approval OF
the suggestion, and there are enough
other members of the board who viii
give the matter their support when tn,
recommendation of the road committe,
is brought to vote.
The committee yesterday afternoon
would have embodied the above term
in report favoring compromise bu
for the fact that Aylett felt longinl
to indulge in a little more oratory ant
asked that action be deferred for t.;
day.
Business Threshed Out.
The whole matter was threshed ou
at a special conference held in the Cit,
Hall yesterday, and, on the whole, tn,
result of the conference was decidedly
satisfactory. The county was repre-
scented by Mayor Fern, Supervisor
Quinn, Kane, and Aylett, members o
the road committee; the county attor
ney and first deputy county attorney
the county engineer and the superin
tendent of the electric lighting system
On behalf of the telephone company
there were present the Hon. George r
Carter, Attorney A. Lewis, j. A. Balct
John Waterhouse, and A. N. Campbell
Deputy County Attorney MilvertOi
started the conference on its way b,
giving a brief review of what he con
sidered the county rights in the ease
George r. Carter, on behalf of tn
telephone people, then took the floor
He told of the forming of the new
telephone company and the plan t,
float the stock elsewhere, a plan whicl
did not meet with the approval of loca
business men and resulted in the buy
ing out of both the Mutual Telephon
| Company and the new concern. A
proof that the deal has not been
money-making transaction, he state,
that the stock in the Mutual Telephone
Company has dropped ten points sine
the new people took hold.
81 understand that a contract wa
executed between the Territory an
the old company whereby the count,
is entitled to string its police and fir
alarm wires on the poles of the tele
phone company" continued Garter
"but ! do not believe that that con
tract obligates the company to main
tain the poles"
Carter Suggests Compromise.
Mr.. Carter then suggested that
compromise might be effected whereof,
the disputing parties would meet eac
other half way. He stated that tn
telephone people stand willing to in
stall conduit for the county at fiftee
cents per foot, just what it costs tn
company to do the work, making n
pro rata charge for excavation. Tha
would mean a saving to the county o
between $4,000 and $4,000 over wha
it would cost were the county to under
take the work on its own account, oW
ing to the fact that the company ha
purchased in such large quantitie!
said he.
The fact that the company has t
open trenches in order to lay its line
also means added advantage to tn
county, said he. in that the cost o
excavation, no small item, is eliminat
ed Another advantage accruing t
the city from the proposition offere
by the telephone poole, said he, is tn
fact that the company will install mar
holes at frequent intervals. Many o
these manholes will not be required b
the telephone people for some time I
come, but will be of vast Importance I
the county, owing TO the fact that tn
police and fire alarm lines will not a
ways follow along the present routes O
the telephone lines These manholC
/ mi