Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-04-26
FRANCHISE
and BUDGET
BILLS

I've LlIS pdSScu lltc uuaSc uh tutAu
and final reading this morning: They
are senate bin SO. the budget bilIs
IS. B. 20. extending the Honolulu
Rapid Transit franchise: senate bill
1z9. empowering the city and county
to provide for certain improvements;
senate bin 1872, authorizing the sH-
perintendent of public works to con-
tract with the Lord Young Engineer
ing company for the filling in Of in
sanitary lands. and senate bill LAG.
amending laws relating to franchises
of gas. electric light and power. tele-
phone, railroad and street railway
companies in the territory.
Carrying an amendment giving the
public utilities commission power to
control the rates after six months
time, the Rapid Transit franchise
passed the lower house easily this
morning. though Representative Nor
man K. Lyman worked hard to in
sert one or two other clauses restrict
ing the company's Individual liberty.
intended to make it still. more sub
servient to the proletariat.
As the bill stood when 1t came into
the house. It provided that the public
utilities commission could have no
Jurisdiction over the Rapid Transit
company until after June. 1880. The
new clause, to alter this condition,
was offered by Lyman.
Another clause, offered by him but
not accepted, was 70 require the
company to build track along any
street when a petition. signed BY q
majority OF the people residing in
that neighborhood, was presented.
Paxson explained that the bill pro-
posed to put the company under the
utilities commission, which would
have authority to order such extern
sions when 1t was deemed necessary.
He thought the present franchise bill
was a good one. correcting an evil
franchise. There are some things In
the bill that I don't like he declared,
but at the present time they have
us over a barrel for the next seven
teen years, and believe the BILL de-
spit its faults, win relieve the situa-
ton somewhat"
Norman Watkins warned his col
leagues that the bill contained some
features in the peoples favor that the
company doesn't like; but the COM
pany has gone on record as fayoring
it in its present form. Now. he said,
il many changes were made in the
measure itNwould place the company
In a position to refuse the entire bill,
on the grounds of its objections to the
new amendments.
Archie Robertson made an ineffec-
tual effort to insert CLAUSE requir-
ing the company. to carry Sunday
school children on half-fare, the same
as school children. Paxson succeeded
in making a minor amendment Of q
grammatical nature
Representative Paxson made sec
ond, and this time successful, attempt
to boost the appropriation In the bud
get for the pay of the enlisted men
of the National Guard, The figure set
by the committee was $4,000 for the
biennium, but Paxson got fl raised to
$500.
Kaaua sought yesterday to have the
$4,000 in the budget for promotion
stricken out. but failed, and Kaupiko
made similar attempt this morning,
with the same result.
The salary of Dr.. Pratt, president
OF the board of health Is set at $500 q
month in the budget as it goes back
to the senate. The upper house had
placed the figure at $325, but the
house finance committee, on plea
Of retrenchment, cut out the extra SIS.
DR.. Irwin endeavored this morning to
put it back to the senate's estimate,
but was defeated The same member
offered a number of amendment In
tended to restore the salaries Of the
sanitary inspectors and engineers to
the amounts set In the senate, but on
the failure Of the house to adopt the
first one read, that of the engineer,
he withdrew the others.
Chairman Coney, of the health and
police committee, obtained a cut In
the $65, 900 appropriation for the store
at the leper settlement, reducing it
to $4,000, with the provision that 1t
shall be used as a revolving fund for
the store.