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

The passing Of Captain William Matson takes
from the circle of hard working business leaders a
man who has been driving factor in the first essen
tial of community progress-transportation
Honolulu has been the community served and in
every instance has been the gamer from the efforts
of this interesting and successful man.
The MatsOn Navigation Company with its staunch
ships and splendid service is the browning accom-
plshment of Captain Matson's career. Now that
it has commanding position in the transportation
lines Of the Pacific prone to forget the strug-
gle and the harsh grinding work at the beginning.
From the days when Capt. Watson sailed into
Hio at the helm of sailing vessels the secret of his
success has been the service he has rendered His
ships the best that could be had for the money
at his disposal. They manned by competent
sailors. They arrived time and made business
of overcoming through the exercise of energy and
brains the difficulties of wind and weather. AS
|profts were made, this money was devoted to the
Improvement of the service The head of the en-
fierprise, Capt Matson, was never satisfied till he
had something a little better than he'd been pre-
||tiously 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 has been his
driving ambition to render to the public, service.
This is the source of all success that is worth while
Captain Matson made money and he did it
through the superiority of his service. And having
accumulated surplus, he reinvested it in more
keryice. 1t is thus that the Matson Navigation
Company has been built up, and this is the out
standing feature of Captain Matson's life.
With an enterprise of this character standing as
q monument to his life effort, it may be accepted
that behind the rough exterior of the sailor there
high ideals OF honor and fairness OF this his
Ef in fho dav ~
eles. 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 freight carried
over his line.
His answer to this opportunity for amassing
efeater wealth was to hold fast to every ship and
10 give the people of Hawaii the lowest freight rate
that is to be found on 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.
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 typicalIy American.
The opportunity was before him, the difficulties
we're tremendous and his lack of equipment in edu.
tation would seem to offer 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 splendid organization. The foundations
are so broad and the business ideals are so sound
that the product of his energy and constructive ab
IT. will not only stand, but will continue to 90 on
living service and developing with the advance of
the communities with which it is so intimately al
led All this, under the inspiration of the man
who laid the course kept it true and now turns the
wheel over to Others