The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-12-31
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 "round-the-
islandn tour for $50. Lewis of the
Auto Livery Stand advertises $3.50 per
passenger for the island trip, practical
ly $40 charge.
The stands where the big machines
are located, the Young, Royal Hawai-
ian AID Beckleys, stand by their guns
and maintain the $50 rate. The insur-
rection 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 a small ma
chine and lower amount paid over
to its chauffeur.
Jerry Rooney, owner of the small
|
the island trip. Then Lewis came down
and put up 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 a $4,000
machine stated last night that few OF
the small machines make the island trip
/ ba
other hand can not afford to cut the
price and flash an array of figures that
| tell the story of why they don Il. Tires,
for instance, cost about $72 each, and
inner tubes from $12 to $14. Every
time a big machine, seven.seater 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 a new one. The owner of big
machine, he says, takes chances when
he takes 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
machine in the long run for from two
TO three more passengers are carried
on the large machine than on the small
er. 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 nc
attention to the cut rates made by the
chaufs with the smaller machines. The
hi fall r,,lr h.x-
their regular patrons, and when tele
phone call goes to garage 1T IS gen
orally. specific for a certain chauffeur
Jim Quinn, owner of a big machine
states that there are really very few
"lead" calls on his stand He state:
that the books of the stand show that
out of all the phone calls during g
certain month, only ten were fol
"leads," that is, general calls for "a
machine. The majority of calls are
for this or that man IS machine.
Dooney Hartman of the Royal Ha
waiian says that the majority of call!
there are for specific chautfeurs ant
machines.
"Just take look over the big ma
chimes and you will see why they
charge the prices they do,'' said Hart
| AhSg iNpiVStht a iOb VI
money. They cost from $4,000 to $55OC
apiece. Then they have to be kept W
in classy style. Strangers here say
that they get no such machines on tn,
mainland for public service. The biz
: machines are like those kept for pri
vate use. Strangers tell us that ou
, prices are lower even than they pa,
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
: to take in whole lot of money ever,
month to pay to the sellers OF auto:
his garage and upkeep expenses, 'phon
service, oil, lights, tires. Well, whe
some of us have taken in about $500
we've cleared the expenses and. the
we've got to take in some more t
live on. Take it from me, the bi
machines are not cutting rates, are no
going to, and / dom t believe their pa
irons are making any kick for lowe
+ rates.
r Jim Quinn, Tom Quinn, Manuel Rel
e and George Beckley talk along tn
S same line.