Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-05-10

lie utilities commission, should De sen
| 10 washington at the city's expense
20 work for the passage Of the pro
posed franchise bin.
Il was declared in city hall circles
| that the proposal came up at al
executive session Of the commission
] and that one OF the Rapid Transit
| attorneys. A. L. Castle. suggested
that inasmuch as the city has nc
| money 10 pay for the expenses Of such
d trip, it might be advanced by the
corporation, TO be repaid by the city
in case the bill goes through.
ID. L. Wilmington, who also repre-
| sents the company as attorney and
| has appeared at the public hearings
| also said today that no such agree
ment has been made nor amy definite
proposal entertained, but that a tenta.
tive suggestion has been made that
some such plan might be adopted by
the city. ... Hi ..."
He denied, however, that it was
proposed that Coke should take to.
days steamer to Washington. In
city hall circles it was said that this
proposal had assumed pretty definite
shape. ..- ...~
The plan, proposed informally by
the supervisors committee, Coke and
the Rapid Transit attorneys, is said
to be that the transit company ad.
vance the $1,000 or so needed for the
expense of the trip and that an agree.
ment be made between the super
yisors and the transit company where
by the money be returned from the
2k per cent tax to be paid to the city
ON 1916 earnings If the franchise
amendments go through Congress.
Opposition Aroused.
More or less opposition to send
Coke, the utilities commissions at,
torney, to Washington on city bust.
ness, at the city's expense, is already
aroused in the city hall. Several city
officials declared this morning that II
the city was to send anyone It should
be representative of it's own legal
department, A. M. Cristy or w. T.
Garden, the deputy attorney, who con.
Quoted the city's fight for changes in
the amendments to the franchise as
originally proposed by the utilities
commission. s.> a T.
The final draft of the amendments
is being worked up today and will be
passed to the governor some time
this afternoon. 4. IN aE
1t will be accompanied by q letter
for the governors perusal, expressing
the ideas of the utilities commission.
There has been no formal approval OF
the amendments by the commission
as drawn and PROBABLY will not be
until after the governor has acted
on them.
He declared this morning that he
has awaited the time when the sug-
gestions would assume definite form
and would carefully consider the draft
submitted to him. He said that he
had not given any thought or study
to the subject for the last few days.
Some of the city officials, particu.
larly Supervisor Hollinger, intimate
that the commission, In sending the
draft of the bill to the governor with
out making outright recommendations
for its acceptance, is passing the
buck" Chairman Forbes replied to-
day that the commission itself has not
finally passed on all the provisions
and would not do SO without giving
the governor an opportunity to con.
slider the bill.
"Our letter makes certain COM
ments, but we are not going to tie up
now to a hard-andfast PLAN" he ex.
planned.
Attorney Coke saIo this morning
that he was not sure he could get
away to go to Washington, even in
the event that he was asked. II have
just reestablished my law practise
after a long absence on the mainland
and I am loath to desert it." he de.
sert it. he declared.
The decision to pass the proposed
amendments on to the governor was
reached by the utilities commission
at an executive session held last night.
The. meetings of yesterday did not
end until nearly midnight
A Difference in Arithmetic.
One very interesting point arose
yesterday A suggestion was ad-
vanced and just who advanced it could
not definitely be learned today, that
the proposed, 21-2 per cent payment
to the city Should be paid "11-4 per
cent semi-annually."
Now as matter of fact a little
arithmetical thought shows that ia
per cent paid semi-annually would be
only IA per cent for the whole year,
not l-2 per cent, since each la
would naturally have to be on the past
six months earnings, not on the
whole year.
This little-or big discrepancy was
noticed, il was said today, by City
Treasurer Conkling and very brief
discussion resulted in the straight
ening out Of the provision so that the
city gets the 2 I-2 per cent all right.
Chairman Forbes of the commission
said today that the suggestion was
pure inadVertenee on the part Of one
of the commissioners.
Clearing q Confused Point. ILL.,.
Attorney D. L. wilmington aided to.
day in clearing up a point which ap.
parently was confused in this morn.
ing's paper by the following letter to
the Star Bulletin: j.,