Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-08-01
AUGUST /, 1910
Territory knew nothing.

Territory knew nothing.
Just what this Ililo wharf license
means to the people of these islands,
to just what extent the Territory will
by this franchise turn over the valu-
able water front privileges to Il pri-
vate corporation and place the people
at the mercy of railway, cannot be
figured out by cursory reading of
the franchise.
II is known that changes In this
proposed license were made 'or the
further protection of the public
through the protests offered by bust
ness men satisfied that tho Territory
was. through it's executive officials,
granting what amounts to exclusive
control of valuable section Of the
public waterfront.
or course the people understand
fully that the Hilo Railway is prim-
arily q philanthropic institution. Sug-
gestions to this effect we're inferred
by General Manager Thurston when
he argued that the Interstate Com
merce laws be extended to our water
transportation.
But what the people want to know
is where they get off when the Hilo
Railway-lf- II should pass into the
control of selfish persons-has tbso-
lutely control of the approach to this
proposed wharf? o..
The people are interested In wheth-
er they will be Obliged to pay tribute
to private corporation for the Use
Of their own waterfront.
The prospective small farmer IS W.T.
ally Interested in knowing whether he
can drive his team onto the wharf
probably the only wharf for @ne
years to come-and get his produce,
FOR must by virtue of the railways con-
troll Of the approaches, pay tribute TO
the railway for the landing Of his
goods, the storage Of his goods Il
they happen to remain more than for
ty-eight hours. and the transportation
of his goods of that wharf.
Furthermore the people want to
know why Territorial officials should
be anxious to grant his valuable
privilege to private interests and al
low two years for the acceptance OF
the same and five years to compete
the construction, when the i.eSis'a-
ture is to meet within the next year
and would then, with all the facts be-
fore It, be in a position to act advIs-
eddy on the construction of the wharf
as a public wharf, operated as well as
built by and for the public.
Why this seeming haste?
Why the failure to put the whole
matter before the public before any
protest was made?
Why not let the Legislature have d
chance within the next nine months
since the private corporation Is TO be
allowed two years in which to make
up its mind?
Public control of privately con
structed public works has been rec
ognized as having many good feat
ures. But It would appear from the
reading of the proposed franchise that
not dollars worth of freight ovei
and above that ordinarily allowed pas
sengers, can pass onto or over thai
wharf without paying tribute TO the
! private corporation; furthermore MOI
/ a pound OF freight can be taken OF
that wharf without II is hauled by thu
interests controlling the approach tC
the wharf, namely the railroad.
One of the difficulties of the small
shipper today is that he must pay
tribute to private owners OF lanjings
This Hilo wharf franchise looks
on the face of II as If the private
landing trouble was to be handed on
! to Hilo on large scale.