Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-07-11
STRENGTHEN THE PUBLIC UTILITIES ACT

Republican leaders who plan as a prominent
plank in their platform the strengthening OF
the public utilities law are on the right track.
If the business interests and the corporations
Of Hawaii are alive to the situation, they will,
so far from opposing such legislation, give 1t
their heartiest support.
The present law is admittedly inadequate and
incomplete Ii can be bpttercd When the bill
was before the last Legislature, the tarBulletin
referred to il as good compromise between
n weak and spineless measure and two unwieldy
and intricate measures then up for consdrra-
ton The fact was plain in 1919 that the sub
iect of government control of public service
corporations was new in Hawaii and that a
drastic bill could not be passed, The law now
in effect was put ON the statute books largely as
a trial, and il has been tried and found wanting
i'm several particulars In the last year and Il
half some of the defects have been generally rec
ognized by the public and the time is now ripe
for amendment of the law. ..-
Two reasons are plain why the leading buSi-
nessmen of Hawaii should favor thorough and
effective public utilities law:
!. 1t is directly in line with the logical and
accepted theory of a large measure of self
government for this territory. r
Hawaii should be able to administer it's in
ternal affairs. The fact that the legislature has
the power, under the organic act, to create and
keep in operation a public utilities commission
proves that the right of such self-government was
given TO this territory to be used i'm it's internal
affairs. If Hawaii is to progress to statehood
Il must show the federal government, that it is
able TO manage its own business fully and eff
fectivey
:. Unless Hawaii itself takes action To Sc
cure full-powered public utilities commission
with broad scope the federal government is
quite likely to act in way that will be far from
advantageous to this territory
Congress is certain To enact federal trade
commission bill, and the commission ms now
favored by administration leaders will lie much
mere powerful and far-reaching than the Inter
state Commerce Commission 1t is quite proba
BILE that if there is no adequate public utilities
commission in Hawaii, the Federal Trade Com
mission will extend its activities to this terri
tory
Washington has once recognized the right of
TINS territory to handle its own affairs, deciding
not to extend the activities of the Interstate
Commerce Commission here, on the understands
ing that Hawaii should legislate along the
proper lines. The same principle should hold
good for the Federal Trade Commission, but it
Is not likely to do so unless there is a public
service bureau here of wide jurisdiction.
Handling public service and trade matters
from Washington will necessarily be a slow nm.
Nleldy ineffective method of doing business
luii OF Irritating delays and dangerous because
the people of the territory will have small ON.
portunity to be heard
Inc Republican party will doubtless incor-
pofate INTO It's territorial platform next Mon
gay plank dealing with this subject and this
should be followed by definite and thorough.
going legislation next spring.
snow washington that Hawaii is able to gov
ern itself wisely, vigorously and with public.
spirited foresight!