The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-02-23
Annual Resume Of Work Done BY
Commission Reveals Har-
mony Of interests
lNTERsISlAND PROBE
BIGGEST UNDERTAKING
Of Complaints Indicates
Public Utilities 1hsHawali
'Are'Not Grasping
tFroin satur,Iay Aavcrtisefl.ll

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In . volume. of fifty typowrlttea
pages the public utilities commission o5
THE Territory Of Hawaii has flied its
annual report with Governor PinkhamJ
The document is signed by j. N. -.
Williams, acting chairman, and A. j..
Gignoux. The commission Is short one
member through the resignation last
March of Il. A. Mott.Smith, which va
cancy has never ben filled by the Gov
ernor. H
Turing the year twenty-six Zig items
Of business and investigation were
transacted, the most important being.
the investigation into the business OF
Fthe inter.isiand Steam Nayigatio d
company. In order to correct possible
mis(onecptioh as to the cost OF such
investigation the commissiol points ousi
that the Expenditures were only.
Sff0.g5. a'.,., "
coed Financial Showing y
The financial statement shows that
the total rcceipts Of the year from
fees were $l0,i50.l4, added TO which
is the balance brought over from the
Previous yedr Of $4SS4,4 Az making the
total receipts SIS, 1886, Tho Total dis
bursenents were $5T01.34, lean ing al
lbalanVe Of SS343.22. ii \. N
The commissioners point out In their
report that despite a ruling Of tho In
Etefstate Commerce Commission that ity
Jurisdiction over cOmnoA carriers Is exlI
elusive in Hawaii, the Territorial body
has been In q position to advise COM
non carriers and the public on ques.
ftions which arise. This has resulted In
greatly reduced complaints. The com
flpission prefaees its 3oiumirous report
with the following statement: TIA 81
Public Utilities Provide Funds 4 y
"There has been some public con.
lnent 70 the Effect that tho commission
aceomplishes little and that the money
(which iissspent for its maintenance and
[operatioh might very wei be saved to-
ttbe people. Therefofe IL appears well
to point out that the funds under
which the commission operates are pro-
yiced by the public utilities of the Ter
ritory, and do not, in any sense of the
term, come out of the current revehue
provided by public taxation. E@
aOnc OF the functions Of this com,
mission is to Investigate alleged abuses
Occurring in the transaction of business
which is more or less monop6listic, and
il, which competition, whereby the pub.
lie may be assured Of proper Treatment,
has no scope. A good deal Of investiga.
ton has been done In quiet way, and
an examination of negotiations which
have taken place will convince those
Doubtful that good deal has been ac-
coniplished In the smoothing over of
difficulties and Misunderstanding Ee.
tween public utility corporations and
those they serve:
No Strikes or Disputes
~ TNor should il be forgotten that
while during the existence of the com
mission no strikes or disputes between
employees and employees have taken
place In connection with the business
of public utility corporations, should
such unfortunate occurrences be pre-
cipitated in the future, the public utili-
ties commission of Hawaii would be in
Q position to exercise great Influence
for good In negotiating between con.
tending parties. It is believed that
in this direction lies One Of the great.
est opportunities for the commission to
prove its value. ~,
The commission is Informed that ac.
ti0n IS about 70 be taken by certain
came planters Associations to have the
legislature declare sugar factories and
pineapple canIefies as being public
CORPORATIONS. 4
Leaves II torLegislhture ... ~
ftThe commission has no comment TO
Offer on this proposition, believing that
the legislature is entirely competent to
deal with this q1estionsif and when nj
srises II is believed the powers of the
commission should be used for the. pur-
pose Of mediating between the public
Utility corpora tons and the public only
when good and sufficient cause for in.
vestigation has been shown by com.
plants properly filed and sponsored,
and therefore the commission HAS no
new legislation 20 propose.
Hsf1t Is believed that the acts which
FbToaght into IexistyiSe ciothe IT with
sulhdieht po~ertif for the PURPOSES in
tended ny Che legislature Of 1918.
The commission believes that the
public utility corporations of Hawaii
aie conducted in liberal and public.
spirited manner, which is to a great
extent proven by the absence of sub.
Nstantial confplaihts, and by the facts
brought forth in the Investigation of
the Inter, Island Steam Navigation
Company, Ltd.
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