The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1916-05-16
mutual TELEPHONE
INVESTIGATED AND
FOUND DOING WELL.
Public UtiIities Commission Re-
ports Service and Treatment
Of Employees As Good 4
PAMPHLET INDICATES
AN EXHAUSTIVE STUDY
Sketches History Of Telephony In
Hawaii, and Gives Many In. |
teresting Figures i

' The report of the public utilitiei
commission into the affairs of the Mu
tual Telephone Company is now read,
for distribution at the Offices OF tn,
commission. The pamphlet is an ex
haustive description of the workings Of
the company here and in its different
branches throughout the Islands. Tn,
report is written by Chairman Charlie.
r. Forbes of the public utilities com
mission, and in part, is as follows:>
"The honor Of introducing the tele
phone into the Hawaiian Islands be
longs to Senator Charles H. Dickey
who imported set of instruments from
the United States and placed the same
in use on the Island of Maui, Kingdom
of Hawaii, during the early part of
the year 1878; this being barely two
years after the original patent had
been granted to Alexander Graham
Bell. In the year 1879, the first tele-
phone company was organized in Ho.
nOlulu, Kingdom of Hawaii, and in.
eorpoEated under the name Of the Ha,
waiian Bell Telephone Company, and
on December 30, 1880, started service
with thirty instruments in operation.
Mutual Organized
"On August 10, 1888, the Mutual
Telephone Company was organized, a
new telephone plant built and equipped.
and in March, 1885, began operation in
competition with the Hawaiian Bell
Telephone Company. This competition
in the telephone business was probably
the first in the United States, the fight
lasting until August 2, 1894, when a
consolidation of the two companies was
effected by the Mutual acquiring the
control of the Hawaiian Bell At this
time the Bell Company was capitalized
at $4,000 and had 565 telephones in
operation, while the Mutual was can't
tahzed at $4,000. and was giving ser
vice to. 701 subscribers.
"On the amalgamation Of the BSlI
with the Mutual Company, the latter
company increased its service to 900
. subscribers. The switchboards used by
these pioneer telephone companies were
numerous and various. The Law sys.
tenn was first installed by both of these
companies and was changed several
in apparatus due to the rapid develop
ment and improvement in methods of
operation. The Law system was con-
tinued until the year 1899, when a
change was made to the Sabin Express
system, which remained in service I'M
til August, 1907, this giving way to
the latest Western Electric common
battery, lamp signal, full multiple
switchboard.
Operates Three Years
"This board was in operation for
three years, when, owing to the increas
ing difficulties of supplying telephone
service to the cosmopolitan population
Of Honolulu, it was decided by the di-
rectors of the company after a careful
investigation that the Automatic tele-
phone gave promise of overcoming the
difficulties that were then being ex-
Perienced in providing a system of tele-
phony that would meet with the ap-
ProVal of variety of races of which
ON Oahu perhaps $4,000 are of Eng
lish, American and German extraction;
$4,000 Japanese, and the remainder d.
vlded among the native, Oriental and
European races, such as the native Ha-
waiians, Chinese, FhpinOs, Koreans,
Porto Ricans, Spanish and Portuguese;
OF the white population 5000 being sol,
diers in the United States Army bar
racks.
1.-THE company began operations un-
der the Automatic equipment in Aug
ust, 1910, starting with 1900 instru-
ments in service, and during the past
five years has added @an average Of
over 800 subscribers without employ,
ing a single solicitor.
Initial Step In Investigation
The commissioners worked hard on |
the investigation and their progress is
shown step by step. The report says: |
LAS the initial step of the investiga-
tion the Mutual Telephone Company |
was required to furnish the commission |
a detailed statement of all its proper
ties with an itemized and detailed ex-
PLANTATION of values to entirely satisfy |
the commission. That this should be |
complete, the commission prepared
questions to elicit the information.
The answers were discussed in com
mlttee as whole and we reached our
conclusions after a thorough examina, /
ton into all questions preponded.
con March ~, 1916, the commits
sion 8 auditor began the examination
of the Mutual Telephone Company IS
books and rendered his report on
March 20, 1916, TO the commission.
'On March 81, 1915, the commissio on
began an inspection and examination
Of the properties of the Mutual Tele.
phone Company"
The Kaimuki, Waipahu, Wahiawa
Laie, KaneOhe and Honolulu exchanges
and wireless stations were visited, and
the employees Intercepted as to their
r"atment. salaries paid and acc ommoda,
tions. Everything was found in the
most satisfactory condition, and but
one complaint was heard frBm the OPP
orators. This came from the Laie ex.
shnnge where the heat was complai ned