Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-03-14
RAPID TRANSIT
HEAD replies
TO governor

l.. Tenney Peck, president OF the
Honolulu Rapid Transit & Land Com
pany, was quoted this morning in the
following reply to Governor Frear' 5
statement in regard to the pending
bills for granting an extension of the
franchise of that company:
81 have read this evening with
much surprise the extended communi.
cation made to the press By Cover
nor Frear. The bill introduced in the
senate by Senator Chillingworth is
Eot the company's bill, but is an exact
copy of the bill which passed the last
legislature with practical unanimity,
after being shaped in a large meas
ure along lines suggested by various
committees of commercial, civic and
ether organizations and by individual
members of the legislative commit
tees, whose duty it was to pass on its
provisions before recommending the
bill for passage. -"
ut is therefore a matter of surprise
that the governor would not wait for
the Chillingworth bill to be printed
and considered in committee, before
which his objections might be made
through the medium of special mes
sage to the legislature
Although | had a long Interview
with the governor after the passage of
the bill in question by the last legisla-
ture, and. before the limit had expired
in which he could have approved it
If he chose, / did not then learn what
his real objections were to the bill,
other than he wanted the legislature
to pass an act which would be favor
ably received by congress- In other
words, a bill along modern lines,
which he felt would be different from
The one just passed. He gave other
directors assurances that his reasons
for pocketvetoing the bill would be
made public in short time, but they
have not until today been forthcom-
ing.
VIII Receive Attention.
"As to the statements contained in
the communication can only say this
evening that due attention will be
given to each and all of them at the
proper time and in the proper place;
that is to say, at the legislative hear
ings on the Chillingworth and Frear
bills, Senator Judd having announced
that the bill introduced by him was
prepared and submitted at the request
Of the governor.
Il do not object personally to the
opposition of the governor to the Chill
lingworth bill; that is his own prerog-
alive. But / do object most decidedly
to the sinister reflections which he
casts, through his communications,
on the good faith, the honesty and the
public spirit of the men who have or
gRnized and conducted during the last
fifteen years the rapid transit enter
prise.
at Is not necessary for any critic
of the Chillingworth bill to create SEN
timent against these men by referring
to past litigation wherein the
management did not regard as funda-
mental justice a decision rendered by
him, when chief justice, of the right
of passengers to make round-trip jour-
neys by way of connecting lines in
various parts of the city for a single
fare. We accepted the decision at the
time without question, and / do not
think 1t just of the governor that our
contention at that time betokened a
selfish disposition as against the pub
lie interest.
"He also says that we showed the
same spirit in appealing to the SUI
preme court at Washington in the
time.sehedule case, where in the SUI
preme court of Hawaii was overruled.
This appeal was made with the knowl-
edge and approval of the governor,
for the very question at issue was
whether or not it was his right and
duty as governor to supervise the
time-schedules then prepared by us.
We held that it was his duty, but he
declined TO assume the duty which the
supreme court at Washington said he
must assume.
More Expensive Paving.
II will not refer to the paving cases
further than to say that the company
never refused to pave on King street,
the contention merely being over the
kind of pavement, the company pro-
POSING to use more expensive kinG
than that demanded by the superViS-
ors.
He furthermore says that so long
as the company does its duty it should
be given every reasonable considera-
ton by the public and treated fairly
by it. and that the company has thus
far given good public service, and that
those in control of it are high-minded
men," This attribute is merely in
troductory for he goes on to state
that we have issued several hundred
thousand dollars worth of. watered
stock and that we will undoubtedly
contend that we have the right to is
sue several times as much in the flu
ture, adding that these extraordinary
privileges must be surrendered if the
law is uncertain as to our stock is
sues, as the company should not have
the whip hand. but that the public
should always have the whip hand
Il do not admire the attitude of the
governor when he speaks of whip
hands, nor his statement that the
company cannot afford to insist on a
doubtful contention regarding its
rights and privileges, as there are
some pretty good levers to exert on
Tho c0mDany at the DreSent should II