Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1912-03-21


The Harbor Commission tried TO per
,uadc the other members that the mat
Ter that had been next his heart ever
since he has been in Office has been
the reduction of water rates to ship
ping. In spite of his oloQuence. in
spite OF his offended dignity, In spite
Of the fact that he showed to his own
that his only ambition In
life was to give cheap water, he could '
not explain to the Commission on the
request of Commissioner Wakefield
why II is that water Is supplied tn the
Federal authorities at especially cheap
rates and why one shipping company
Is given water NJ rate far cheaper
than any other shipping concern.
After every display Of eloquenCc on
the part of the verbose chairman the
question always came back: why
does the lnter-Island Company only
pay 500 year for their big boats,
and correspondence low rates for their
others. while $3.50 per thousand gal
Ions is charged TO other shipping com
panics?"
Campbell could not or would not an
swer and there the matter stands at
the present time.
Commissioner Mccarthy. who back
ed up Campbell In some OF his state
ments in connection with the water
problem would not stand for the ship
ping rates. when the matter was
h. 4 ,-tn l,. II
Superintendent of Public Works" sta
ted Mccarthy, I'VE knew that the wa
ter sold to the waterfront brought in
large sum of money but we did not
know that such eXorbitant rates were
charged. II the real state of things
had been known there was not a man
in the Legislature who would not have
voted enough money to allow that
rate to he reduced to a fair basis"
The Real Question.
As the matter stands now, after all
the argument yesterday afternoon, it
is this:
Campbell asserts that ever since he
came into Office he has been trying to
reduce rates on the waterfront. The
water department, he says. was in .
very bad state and during the four
years he has been in Office he has
changed It until at the present time
II Is good. The law prevents him,
however, from running into debt and
he can do nothing to reduce the rates
at the present time.
He was very insistent on the matter
of his power under the law. III
should reduce the rates on water sup
piled to the shipping, | should run be-
hind in my accounts and the Auditor
would refuse to o. X. the pay rolls for
the department. | am bound down by
the law and can do nothing"
Contradicts Himself.
The above statement was taken Ms
a fair assertion from man who il
supposed to know what his business
Is. II was followed at the end of the
meeting by very different one. how
ever. Wakefield brought in rcsOlu-
tion to request the corporations that
would supply cheap water to shipping
| To 20 ahead and do so in order that
the situation might he relieved. The
matter was finally left over until next
week, and not as the morning paper
said turned down by the Commission.
This resolution was as follows:
Resolved. That this Board of lIarbor
commissioners views with grave con-
Germ. the extraordinary and eXtortion-
ate charges, made to ships in Homo
lulu harbor for water supplied by the
, Territory of Hawaii, and as the Super
intendcnt of Public Works In whose
power lies the adjustment of these
rates of charge for water Is unable to
give reasonably prompt relief to a
condition that Is onerOus to shipping
interests. and seriously detrimental to
the commerce of the port of Honolulu.
Ana as we are informed that the Mat
son Navigation Co, Ltd, and the Iu-
ter-lsland Steamship Co.. Ltd, are
/ seeking supplies of fresh water from
sources other than the supply of the
/ Territorial Government
Now therefore be 1t Resolved, That
this Board of HarbOr commissioners
whose duty II Is To secure relief t.
shipping from a condition that Is in
tOlerably unjust, recommend to, and
request the Matson Navigation Co.
! Ltd, and the Inter-Island Steamship
| Co" Ltd, to proceed with all possible
dispatch In the execution of their
plans to secure supply of fresh wa.
ter for their respective uses, and we
would urge that they equip water ten
ders for the delivery of water to any
and all vessels in Honolulu harbor
needing same, and we would suggest
! for their favorable consideration that
| the maximum charge rate for water Ia
ships he 80 cents per 1000 gallons.
/ Campbell Immediately saw his on
p0rtunity for some cheap theatricals
and standing out on the floor to get
better effect he propoundcd a scheme
/ that would he "dignifed and in keep
Ing with the dignity of the Commits
sion If the Commission, he said,
would get to work and ask the Cham
: Der OF Commerce and the Merchants
Association to stand behind the Super
lntendent of Public Works If he cut