Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-05-03

I During the discussion Forbes asked
Manager BaIlentyne as to paving with
wood blocks on the space one foot
outside each rail. which must be
maintained by the street railway, and
Ballentyne said the company would
readily agree to pave with blocks.
Coming to the question of the city S
getting ~ per cent of gross trans
portatiOn receipts, proposed in this
tentative draft, there was a long dis.
cussion. The clerk read income fig
ures for the company from 1910 to
1916 inclusive and the first three
months of 1916. Forbes announced
that on the basis of the 1916 figures
the city would realize about $22 900 a
year under the 2i5 per cent plan. In
response to questions Ballentyne said
that 1914 and 1915 had showed fall
ing off in certain particulars and tn 4
it is hard to forecast what future fig
tres will be- His statement that huvn
OF the falling off in receipts vas due
friends and bringing them down town
in the morning or out home at night
brought gal.rll lautE .-s
Magoon Would 5Iock Charter.
j. A. Magoon arose at this POINT to
enter 1 loud protest against any new
charter whatever now. He also want
ed TO make objection to the conpany's
financiering, particularly that feature
of issuing stock based on values put
into the system out of earnings.
The Rapid Transit Company should
be compelled to make these proposed
extensions, and this should be put into
also that he doesn't know why the
company wants to get new charter
IA years before the old one expires,
and after declaring that the company
has given fine service and the men in
it are honorable and progressive men,
he took two or three more wallops at
the company as attempting to put a
burden on the people BY ia perpetual
charter, and sat down fPr the time
being ~. il.
What About Extensions? g.
Next arose more questions of 5eXten-
sions and what the company would do
about them. Forbes asked if the atti.
tude of the company is that each. ex.
tension must earn per cent pre-,
or whether an extension will be made
IL. with this extension included, the
whole system viii earn 8 per cent
Manager Rallentyne said that the
King street double-tracking and the
Kaiihi extension are authorized and
that he doesn't believe either will pay
8 per cent when finished, but, ne ad
ded, whatever extensions are alade
will be of such a character as will lot
impair per cent on the entire in
vestment. Eight per cent on the en-
tire investment is what the company
is looking for" IT,.
Although this appeared to be plain
and definite statement of policy, 1t
was not entirely borne out later when
the same question was asked of
President Peck. In the minds of the
at least, Mr.. Peck did not
definitely state that the company
would not expect each extension to
stand on an s per cent profit basis.
Instead he asked what should be done
If several sections simultaneously
were asking for extensions and only
one exIens.Jn could be made without
reducing the profit on the entire sys-
TEN below per cent The impression
gained from Mr. Peck's remarks is
that the Rapid Transit Company may
wish each extension to earn s per
cent. T..
Deputy Garden brought up the sug-
gestion that under the franchise plan
as proposed the company might avoid
paying 1-2 per cent of its transpor-'
tation receipts to the city on future
extensions outside the boundaries of
the so-called Honolulu district" He
argued that subsidiary companies
might be organized which would swell,
the company's income but not under
the bookkeeping head of gross trans
portation receipts" and therefore the
company would not have to dig up
IL per cent of this. Forbes said
this could not be done and there en-
sued some technical discussion which
reached no conclusion. i
About this time one of the minor
crises arose during which Attorney
Wilmington launched a torpedo at
Deputy Cristy. The deputy was ar
guing for more explicit control over
the company by the utilities commits.
sion when Mr.. Wilmington arose and
informed him that he was not familiar
with the public utilities act.
You are making an assumption
contrary to fact" said Cristy.
Well" retorted Wilmington, you
seem to have considerable trouble
with it." ...:. +. "
Then came lot of miscellaneous
discussion. w. c.. Achi raised his
voice in the public forum and demand.
ed extensions for Nhe benefit of the
poor people. He said that what the
city wants is improved service, not
talk. He took few cracks at Ma
goon's attack on the company's finan-
cial policy. Prof. w. A. Bryan want
ed to know how the commission hit
upon ? 1-2 per cent as a proper figure
for the city'st share and Forbes eX-
planned that this is the same as other
utilities here are paying and that
anyway the figure is not a final one
lit may be changed President Peck
took occasion to deny that the plan
was suggested by the Rapid Transit
C0mnany SAVING that II uos SnouaSf.