Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-10-11
Capt. William MdtSOn

f. The I:tSsing Of CAPTAIN William MatS"n takes
from the circle of hard orking business leaders
man who has been Il driving factor IN the hFst "SSeh-
tia of community progress tranSportaIon
Honolulu has been the community served ana III
every instance has been the gamer from the eHorlS
of this interesting and successful man
The Matson Navigation Company with its Staunch
ships and splendid service is the browning accom-
plishment of Captain Matsons career. Now that
il has commanding position IN the transports ION
lines of the Pacific prone to forget the struS-
gle and the harsh grinding work at the beginning.
From the days when Capt. HatsOn sailed into
Hio at the helm Of sailing vessels the secret OF his
success has been the service he has rendered His
ships were the best that could be had for the money
at his disposal. They manned by competent
sailors. They arrived on time and made business
of overcoming through the exercise of energy and
brains the difficulties of wind and weather. AS
sprofts were made this money was devoted to the
improvement of the service. The head OF the en-
terprise Capt. Matson, was never satisfied till he
had something little better than hid been pre-
yiously placed at the disposal of the public.
And so it has been recorded in the annals of ac-
tive business for the past twenty years or more
that the secret of this leaders success has been his
driving ambition to render to the public, service.
This is the source of all that.s worth while.
Captain Matson made money and he did it
through the superiority of his service. And having
accumulated surplus, he reinvesed it in more
service 1t is thus that the MatsOn Navigation
Company has been built up, and thl5 is the out
standing feature of Captain Matson's life.
With an enterprise of this character standing as
a monument to his life effort, it may be accepted
that behind the rough exterior of the sailor there
were high ideals of honor and fairness. Of this his
shipmates aware in the days of his early strug
giles. The general public became the benefciaries
of these ideals when the war gave Captain Matson
the opportunity to sell his ships at fabulous prices
or charge excessive rates for the freigh carried
over his line.
His answer to this opportunity for amassng
greater wealth was to hold fast to every ship and
to give the people of Hawaii the lowest freight rate
that is to be found any line in any part of the
world. He refused to take an excessive profit He
held to the principle of first class service at fair
rate. @-s.@.->. ~ ~. -
In his rise from an able seaman to a commanding
position in, the business world, Captain Matson's
life history has been what we like to term and
what is generally spoken of as typieally American
The opportunity was before him, the difficulties
were tremendous and his lack of equipment in edu
cation would seem to offer a great handicap But
he had the ambition, the determination and the
capacity for hard work. His schooling was from
the great college of the world. And he won.
Not only that but he won by fair methods. He
built up a splendid organization. The foundations
are so broad and the business ideals are so sound
that the product of his energy and constructive abl
itK will not only stand but will continue to go or
giving service and developing with the advance OF
the communities with which it is intimately al
lied. All this, under the inspiration of the mar
who laid the kept it true, and turns the
wheel over to others. '..-.