The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-08-13

| cursed and extortionately treated by
the Hawaiian crews of the Inter Island
Steam Navigation Company, was dis
missed yesterday by the public utilities
commission rs unsustained.
At the same time, General Superin-
tendent Jos"ph +. Sheedy of the In
ter Island notified the commission that
hereafter the company would supply
! mats to its deck passengers at nomi-
nal rate and that employees have been
forbidden to rent their rooms to deck
! passengers.
Mr.. Negor6 complained that mats are
! now rented BY members of the crew for
cases passengers are threatened with
discomforts if they do not choose 10
rent. No evidence to support this
latter charge was adduced.
There is no doubt, said Mr..
Sheedy, o" that the present price is rob
berry, It's al a little private graft
that has grown up gradually and it's
hard to stop, Hereafter the company
will supply It's own mats, but it does
not intend to supply them gratis.
81 may also add for the information
of the commission that, shortly after
the hearing on Mr.. Negoro $ complaint
| wrote circular letter to all officers
and employees of our ships informing
them that members of the crew were
forbidden, effective from the date of
the letter, to rent ont their rooms to
! dock passengers, subject to immediate
dismissal.
"The poSition assumed was that the
sailor who rented his room was sell
ing something that belonged to the
company. not to him, and pOckrting the
sales price, which did not belong to
him, either In short. that he was
cheating tn" combany.
Findings of Commission
The findings of the commission f2l
| low:
eve have reviewed the evidence re
the treatment Of deck passengers pre-
Nailing on the steamers of the Inter
island Steam Navigation Company
Ltd
"Tt appear that NJ. NegOro was tn,
Principa COMPLAINING witness and pre-
scented for examination one SaburC
Omaha to support his complaint.
" Mr.. Nrgoro's evidence was hear
say $nd he personally admitted never
having seen any OF the so-calleA ahrses
nnd could not testify to or produce any
evidence that would tend to show that
deck passengers had been abused.
"Mr. NcgOro stated that Mr.. Omaha
had been subjected to abuse, but Mr.
Omaha 5 evidence docs not bear this
out.
"Thr chairman of this commission
has made recent trips to the other
islands, at which time he had oppor
tunity to observe the treatment of deck
passengers, and while accommodation
for deck passengers are inadequate, he
did not observe any mistreatment OF
them It is true that no hunks are pro
"idrd for these passengers and that
members of the crew rent mats for thu
sum Of fifty cents, a practise that
should be discontinued. and we believe
those mats should be furnished by th'
later Island Steam Navigation Com
rahv, Ltd. 1t is also q fact that wher
necessary to enter the hatch or to worl
"t the side nOrts, deck passengers whC
rtiliHe thu hatch coverings for sleep
ing purposes, are Obliged to vacate THU
action whit" wnTk is being carried on
No Direct Evidence 49,,
"No direct evidence has been pre-
Sent"d that abuses as complained o.
hnve been Committed, and indirect evi
denrc mud hearsay reports cannot b.
entertained; therefore we, TecoinInen'
that the complainant, Mr., Neporo, b.
so informed. and that the Inter lSlan'
Steam Navigation Company, Ltd, b.
notified that the charges made by tn
conn ainaut are not Sustained.
, 1--WE ARE 81 opinion that this com
mission should take up the matter o
stepping Recommendations for deck pas
scmgrrs