Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-09-13


HONOLULU STARE
made on the freight, upon q schedule
previously agreed upon.
What Railroad Has Done. ~.
Ashford questioned Dillingham; fur.
Their on the stock issues and divi.
dends Of the o. R..& L. Co. .
"I'n tell you what we paid for our
franchise" said Dillingham;. "The
Government granted us this franchise
and we've built up the taxes on all
this island from $4,000 in 1892 TO
between million and q half or two
millions, which this government re
ceives from the efforts Of one or two
men. Beyond the point where the
railroad reaches on this island, the
taxes have remained about as they
were. That's what we paid for the
stock"
Questioned further. AR. Dillingham;
said warmly: Il don't own all the
stock, Mr.. Ashford. Humanity has
enjoyed the blessings OF this railroad. "
Ashford asked as to the trustees of
the bondholders and Mr.. Dillingham;
said Governor Frear and r. w. At
kinson.
Fisher asked Dillingham; II any
statement has been prepared and
made public showing the financial
condition Of the Oahu railroad, in.
GLIDING the capital account. MT. Dill.
bingham said he did not know
whether this had been publicly
shown since the start because Of or
ganizati0n and reorganization In the
early stages of the road, but that it
can all be determined from an exam
ination OF the books. The annual re.
ports, he said, show these accounts
in all their details. Mr.. Fisher said
he Is anxious to get an accurate re-
port showing what amount OF cash
money has been actually put into the
road In construction, extension; etc.
On examination by Attorney Olson
Mr.. Dillingham; said that Governor
Frear has been trustee for the Oahu
for some eight years.
WELL Mr.. Dillingham;" said Fisher
good hnmoredly, II you've got q road
with the capitalization you've men
toned, your stock selling at 40. and
only two millions Of. bonds outstand.
ing, we can safely assume that the
duties OF trustee for the bondhold-
ers would be rather perfunctury.'
Rath Talks on Social Problems.
Mr. A. Kennedy was then called
for, but was not present. James A.
Rath, head of Palama Settlement,
was called. He said he came here
from Springfield, Mass, where he
had acquired training in social work.
He came here in March, 1905, and
since that time has been engaged IN
settlement work. He stated that the
settlement or mission WORK. into which
he entered was started by the Cen.
trail Union church. He described the
general nature of the work, decfar-
ing that it sometimes even extended
to finding wives for the men.
The population In the settlement is
largely Japanese, though there are
large numbers of Chinese. Hawaiians,
ETC., the records last year showing "a
nationalities.
Asked regarding the report that
plantation workers are drifting. into
the city and going into other. lines Of
work, ne said the Fflipines are the
only noticeable race In this respect.
He admitted that in many instances
the Filipfnos are not. strong enough
for it. He said their complaint is
usually that the work is too hard.
While the Filipinos make little
complaint OF small wages, many
Spaniards enter that objection to
plantation life. They often say, he
asserted, that they. have to pay SO
much at the plantation stores that
they. cannot make living. He had
made no comparison of the prices at
the plantation stores with prices in
the city.
Doubted Homestead Plans.
He though homesteading under
present conditions is q difficult pro-
position.
Il don't see how 1t can be made a
success" he said. My father-in-law
aptly explained the situation when I
sought to get him to- come here from
his home near Boston. He said IL he
came here an6 raised cane, his only
crop, he would be at the mercy of one
man, while at his own home he could
haul diversified crops to the Boston
market and get good prices, being at
the mercy of no one man"
81 can't see how Governor Frear
has anything to do with the condition
present here" he added minute
later.
Concerning the shifting of immi-
grants from the Islands to the main
land, he said he could not explain it
more than that they are drawn by
the glamour of going to the white
mans land"
He gave an interesting narrative of
the manner in which the different
races mix here, declaring that the
is very free and unlimited.
Asked as to the effect where AM
glo-Saxons took homesteads on land
~ n