Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-06-30
'HONOLULIpS MODERN STREETCAR
SYSTEM GROWS ASOTYDEVELOPS

property Of the Tramways Company
but without success.
Companies Get Together
The detriment to their traffic, how.
ever, by the operation Of the King
street and the Punahou lines was 90
serious that the time came when its
income was not anything like suffi'
Gent 70 meet its expense account, and
In the early part Of 1903 the Tramways
Company opened negotiations with q
view TO the sale of its interest In Homo
lulu and arrangements were finally
concluded, the Transit Company pay
ing them the sum of 5000, 900 for their
franchises, property and other inter
ests.
At this time Kalakaua avenue was
q crooked and narrow thoroughfare
its width being 40 feet. The construc,
ton of the tracks on this street neces'
STATED its widening and Strengthening
not only from McCully street waikiki
wards but II was also decided when
the widening and Strengthening was
being done to make a uniform width
Of so feet from King street to Ka'
piolani park. As rapidly as possible
the old Tramways tracks were remoT'
ed and the Rapid Transit Company's
tracks substituted therefor.
AID BALENTYNE
At the time the Rapid Transit
franchise was granted the population
of this city was about 10000, but i'm.
mediately upon the extension Of the
tracks, notably out on the Waialae
road, this being O narrow and crook,
ed street at the time of the laying Of
the tracks thereon, and the College
Hills extension, the city began to de-
veiop very rapidly in both these direc-
tons. The tracks were also extended
through Kapiolani Park as well as up
Nuuanu street originally as far as the
nausoleum and subsequently up to its
present terminus at the Oahu Country
club entrance. The entire system en-
braces at this time about 80 miles of
trackage as against about II miles
operated by the old Hawaiian Tram
ways Co.
Increase In Construction Shown
Beginning with the end Of 1909 the
expenditures on construction account
amounted TO 100000; 1908, $1.40o.-
ITO; 1904. 1865, 500; 1906, S1,5s2, 231 |;
1906. t1,5S0,6e2 1907, 31,593, S54; 1908,
sl,612, sic; 1909. Sl,726, 974: 1910, ST.
s14,s00; n9t1, $2,025,562 1912, $2,oS5,.
40; 1918, $2.l4s,172; 1914, $2,l67, $50;
1915, q, 1e2,2 6S; and 1916, $2,232, 440
lnereass tn IaEes and Licenses
In 1909 the company paid for taxes
and car licenses. S4629: 1908, S9649:
1904, SIS, 473; 1905, SIT, 457; 1906, S16,-
III; 1907, S15,E6S; 1905, t16,172;, 1908,
SIS, 060; 1910, $23,42S; 1911, $23, BATS;
1912, S2S, 460; 1913, 32S,s66; 1914, 3d..
7e5; 1915, tsl,233; 1916, $50, sl4, and
for 1917 they win amount to, about
$l3,513.
tncreaae N Revenues "a
The reYenne Cor the first full years
operation, that Ii 1902, was $1S9, 2s3;
1903, t18l,3l9; 1904, S332,O2S; 1905,
SSs0,B92; 1906, $s56,e4e; 1907, $374,-
609; 1908. sass, 927; 1909, $40, 661;
1910, $780, O6; 1911, $507,113; 1912,
t570,26s; 1913. s625, 722; 1914, $685.
SIS; 1915, $599, 564. and 1916, $669, 9S1.
The operating expenses for the first
year, that b 1900, excluding taxes,
MuB e1VatooVp AuCIOobhdA6 CASlA year at
q fairly even increase until the year
1915 IL reached, when It amounted to
1856, 4S5.
The passenger traffic returns will
probably afford o better knowledge
Of the growth Of the city's population
than viii the financial statements. In
1908 there were transported 5,7S9, LIST
passengers while In 1916 there were
1894 500 transported. -
The car mileage In 1903 was 1,183,-
OSO, while In 1916 II was 2,01S,936.
Employees Highly Paid 81
When the company began operating
its cars Il paid its conductors and mo-
t0rmen Is cents per hour. This was
shortly afterwards voluntarily In.
creased to u IL cents and In the
early part Of 1911 q graduated scale
was adopted extending from 30. to 40
cents per hour, that 10 80 cents per
hour for the first years service, 81
oents for the second, and so on, an
increase Of cent In hour for each
years service up to eleven years
when the men reach the maximum
rate Of 20 cents. The men In the SER
vice Of the company at the time this
scale was adopted were given credit
for their years Of, service and imme.
diately given their rating on the new
scale. Z
Beginning with the first Of this year
al Of the men IN the service of the
whether conductor or motor
man. shopman or trackman, were
given an advance file per cent on
their then existiny wages.
Payment Of Dlvldends
To 60 back to the stockholders end
OF the propagation. we find that q.