The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-01-21
NO CONDUIT FOR
COUNTY'S WIRES
Supervisors Finally Reject the
Offer OF the Mutual
Company.

The county's police and fire alarm
system wires will not be laid under
ground.
The tentative agreement between the
county and the Mutual Telephone Com
pany, whereby the company contracted
to supply the county with duct for
its police and FIRE alarm wires in all
conduits laid by the telephone company,
was finally rejected by the BOARD of
supervisors last night, the vote stand
ing four to three.
Logan, Quinn and Cox presented a
solid front in favor Of the agreement.
| Aylett, hummed and hawed and fumed
and snorted and tried to look wise and
voted no. AHA and Kane voted the
same way because Aylett did. Nc
Clellan voted against the agreement be-
cause the Mayor was opposed to it.
Both Logan and Quinn had made up
their minds that the best interests of
the county demanded that the offer of
the telephone company to supply an
underground duct at fifteen cents per
foot he accepted. They came into meet
ing prepared to urge the adoption of
the agreement, and when the matter
was brought up, Cox joined forces with
them.
The first bit of excitement came when
the report of the road committee on
the proposed agreement was submitted.
This report was signed by Quinn and
Aylett, Mcclellan having refused to
sign. On the face of il, 1t looked as
though Aylett IS name on the document
meant that the ex-representative in
tended to vote for the agreement, as
he had promised to do on few former
occasions. When the roll was called,
however, it was speedily discovered
that he had made another flop.
Logan started the ball rolling by
making a motion that the tentative
agreement between the county and the
company be ratifed. Quinn seconded
the motion.
Mcclellan made brief talk, explain
ing his reasons for opposing the ratiii-
cation of the agreement and then Cox
took the floor.
Cox urged that sooner or later the
county must put its wires under ground
in the interests of improved service,
and he said that the municipal author
! tiles could not hope to do the work
themselves at as reasonable q rate as
the telephone company was offering:
He did not mince his words at all, and
announced that he should vote in favor
| of the agreement.
When the roll was called it showed
the supervisors lined up as follows:
Ayes-Cox, Logan and Quinn; noes
Aylett, AHA, Kane and Mcclellan.
The agreement was duly declared re-
iected and the board threw away its
, opportunity to secure an underground
duct for its police and fire alarm sys-
TEN.
The report of the road committee
which was signed by Quinn and Aylett
follows:
"'Your special committee on the
agreement with the Mutual Telephone
Company has held a meeting and eX-
amined the city and county electrician,
engineer and chief of the fire depart
ment, and Mr.. Hummell, the engineer
of the said company, also noted other
evidence. The following are the find
ings reached from the evidence:
'The price of duct offered by the
company is fair and reasonable.
"The difference between said price
and that proposed in the fourth plan
of the former special committee is five
cents (5c.) per lineal foot in favor of
the company, but is the same as that
proposed in the fifth plan of the former
special committee.
"The only difference between the
present offer and the said fifth plan is
that the latter proposed that the com
pany install n duct in future extension
at the same price-ffteen cents (l5c.)
per lineal foot,
SIT was called to the attention of
the committee by the chairman, that the
matter of extensions was left out of the
later offers of the company on account
of objections raised at the conference
with the merchants association com
mittee to binding the boards successors
in office.
"The conduits and ducts laid by
the company are the same quality as
those used in underground wiring in
mainland cities, and, as the committee
Is assured, of most approved class.
"The original contract of the gov.
ernment of Hawaii with the company
gives the company the right to remove
its poles at pleasure, and gives the
superintendent of public works the au
thority to order the company to put
its wire under ground.
Your committee would submit
these findings to the board with the
recommendation that the draft of agree
ment be taken up at the first full meet
ing of the board, when this report may
be presented or later, together with Tho
report of the sformer special commit
tee now on the table, for final disposi
tion by vote of the board.n