The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-09-22
(From Wednesday Advertiser,


tically the entire day tae public utiR-
ties commission yesterday heard ',xhe
Testimony of three n;tnessqs who are
Objecting 10 the new freight tariff
Echedules which the Inter Island Steam
Navigation Company pu into effect
September l.
Examination of Alfred W. Carter,
= manager o. the Parker Ranch. In the
Island OF Hawai-, took up all the morn.
ing session and half the afternoon
meeting. His testimony aud cross.
Examination by Attorney l.. J. Warren.
counsel for the Inter,Island. was hast.
ened and completed, as he intends leay-
ing by the Matsonia for the Coast to-
day. T..
Harold W. Rice. manager Of a cattle
ranch in Maui, and II. b. Penhnllow.
manager Of the Wn,:uku Sugar Com
4 pany, were witnesses in the afternoon,
The hearing ended temporarily Mt six
o clock, Another session for further
Testimony for ard against the, tariff
schedule probably will take place next
week. 49,
Jay could In Attendance
Attorney C. II. Olson sat through the
sessions as counsel for the shippers who
are protesting against the new rates.
Others present were members of the
commission; J. l.. Mclean, vice .presi.
dent, and Norman f. Gedge, assistan mt
manager of the Inter Island, snd
number of spectators. Among these
was Jay Gonld who sat with penhal.
low and Rice through the afternoon
meeting.
| a.rWhile Carriers complaint, in part, j
was against the increase in rates, His
main grievance seemed to be the DUAL.
ity of service, and in the face Of the
increased tariff, no guarantee or prom,
Use of improved service in future. .-'I
| Rice, who spoke both for himself and
for the Maui Chamber of Commerce.,
complained Of the service and of what
he declared to be discrimination
against the port of Kahului, Zone of
the finest ports in the Islands" in that
shippers from that point must pay the
came rate on.hvestock as shippers from
| Kawaihae, Hawaii and other ports in
the Valley Island.
Written Protest Is Read
The tenor Of Penhallow 3 complaint
was[ quite similar to that Of Rice,
though he discussed merchandise rather
than livestock tariffs. written pro.
test from the Wailuku Sugar Company
manager had preceded his personal ties.
| timOny. II was read when he took tho
stand Mt the hearing. In it he as
serted a perusal of the new InterIsland
| schedule disclosed the fact that some
rates are raised while others are not:
that the lowest rates in the new book
are along the Hamakua coast of Ha.
"nii. where the litter Island has com.
petition from the railroad! He de.
clared that the manner Of the readiust
ment was such that it indicated the
increases were made arbitrarily, not
with regard to actual shipping condi- |
tiOns. They were not UNSUITABLE: IL
conditions warranted increases, such |
ought to be general, not discrimin atory. |
In his verbal testimony Penhallow ,,
seid, answering a direct query from
Chairman Forbes, that he believed dis |
elimination was shown by the Inter
Island against Maui, rates between |
way ports in that island being higher I
than between way ports in other |,
islands notably along the east coast of
Hawaii.
Minor Things Complained Against
But it is not the big things that !
the people of Maui complain Of" Pen !
hallow announced. at is the minor +
things; so many of them constantly are |
occurring, showing that the company !
seems to have little consideration or |
cGre for our patronage. II is an un-
fortunate condition, and it has resulted
in large amount Of ill-feeling il Maui ,
against the company"
He cited some of these Hminor" cpl |
scdes such as one. he said took place
the day he left Lahaina, where 4 boat. /
load Of passengers, which included !
number of women, was kept waiting
ten or fifteen minutes near the KIlauea /
while the crew unloaded cargo from |
another shore boat into the vessel. The |
water was more or less rough, and the |
effect upon the women could not have |
been sautary. The passengers might |
have been permitted to 60 aboard first, !
but they were ignored until all the
cargo was slowed away. /
The burden of Rice's grievance was
that the Inter.Island was intending to
charge him a cent a pound, dressed I
weight, for his cattle, from Kahulu to /;
honolulu. This means rate of ap-
proximately five dollars head, or a
raise from the old fat rate of three
dollars and half a head.
Same Rate for Parker Ranch .!
The same rate is to apply to the !
Parker Ranch, which loads at HAWAII
haze, Hawaii, where the cattle have to-
be driven into the water, loaded. on /.
barges, and finally hauled ,aboaId the
steamer, and then must be carried much
nrthcr to market. Carter, had testi I
Hrd that it took about two hours and a
If to load seventy five animals in this
manner
Rice said that the number of cat,
tie could be driven into the boat from
the wharf at Kahului in a few minutes I
time, giving the Intcr-Island practical
~ DO trouble and absolutely no delay. |
Yet he and other livestock shipners''
must pay the same rate as the Parker
Ranch, to get their cattle to Honolulu. .
Rice also voiced strong complaint ,
against what he seemed to consider
neglected attitude on the part of the