The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-12-30
AUTO RATE WAR
IS THREATENED
Some PriCe-Cutters in Evidence,
but the Big Machine Men
Refuse to Slash.


Some auto men say there is a rate
cutting war among the auto rent stands,
and others declare there is nothing in
it at all.
One chauffeur from the Independent
stand is advertising the Ground the
island tour for $50. Lewis of the
Auto Livery Stand advertises $3.50 per
passenger for the island trip, practical
II a $40 charge.
The stands where the big machines
are Bcated, the Young, Royal Hawai-
ian and Beckleys, stand 10y their guns
and maintain the $50 rate. The insur-
reetion started in peculiar way.
When the japanese prince and suite
were here seven machines were hired
to take his highness about town. Six
were large machines and one was a
small one. When the time came for
settling up the six big machines were
paid the usual rate but the small ma
chine was considered as e small ma
chine and a lower amount paid over
to its chauffeur.
Jerry Rooney, owner of the small
machine, now advertises $50 rate for
the island trip. Then Lewis came down
and put up a big sign over his garage.
The big stands with big automobiles,
each representing several thousand dol
lars, some of them costing over $4,000,
stood pat
One of the men operating $4,000
machine stated last night that few or
Al. oh hn iGf1 Fri
anyway The big machines on the
other hand can not afford to cut the
price and flash an array of figures that
tell the story of why they don t. Tires,
for instance, cost about $72 each, and
inner tubes from $12 to $1E. Every
time a big machine, a seven scatter of
the real sea-going class, makes the is
land trip there is big lot of wear
and tear on the four tires and very
often there is puncture. A tire used
up and the chauffeur has to dig up
$72 for new one. The owner of a big
machine, he says, takes chances when
he takes a party around the island, for
one tire used up. not only eats up the
amount charged for the trip-$50-but
is about $22 to the bad, as well.
The big machines carry seven pas
sengers. The small machines carry
four, and the advantage is with the small
machine in the long run for from two
to three more passengers are carried
on the large machine than on the small
err. The amount of gasoline, oil, etc,
used in the big machines costs much
more than for the small ones.
But the big fellows are paying no
attention to the cut rates made by the
chaufs with the smaller machines. The
big fellows, as a general rule, have
their regular patrons, and when a tele-
| phone call goes to a garage 1t IS gen.
orally specific for a certain chauffeur.
| Jim Quinn, owner of big machine,
states that there are really very few
"lead'' calls on his stand. He states
that the books of the stand show that
out of all the phone calls during a
certain month, only ten were for
machine. - The majority of calls are
| for this or that man s machine
Dooney Hartman of the Royal Ha.
wahan says that the majority of calls
there are for specific chauffeurs and
machines.
''Just take look over the big ma
chlneS anu you Will see why they
charge the prices they do, said Hart
man. "They represent a whole lot OF
money. They cost from $4,000 to $500
apiece. Then they have to be kept III
in classy style. Strangers here say
that they get no such machines on the
mainland for public service. The big
machines are like those kept for pri
vate use. Strangers tell us that oul
prices are lower even than they pay
on the mainland We're at a big ex
pense all the way through. A chauffeur
If he has bought his car on time, ha!
j to take in whole lot of money every
month to pay to the sellers of autos
his garage and upkeep expenses, phone
service, oil, lights, tires Well, whel
some Of US have taken in about $500
we We cleared the expenses and then
we We got to take in some more tt
live on. Take it from me, the bi.
machines are not cutting rates, are no
: going to, and I don t believe their pa
irons are making any kick for lowe
rates.
Jim Quinn, Tom Quinn, Manuel Rel
and George Beckley talk along tn,
same line