The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1921-08-05
PHONE TOLLS
QUESTION Is
UP ONCE MORE
Hearing Announced by Utili-
ties Commission to Deter
mine Whether the Present
Schedule Shall Continue.

| Telephone rates and tolls for Maui
may be definitely determined follow
ing a public hearing before the utili-
| ties commission announced to be held
at 10 o'clock on Tuesday, August 90,
in the office of the board of super
visors at Wailuku. The notice of hear
ing is published this week. The rates
desired are those which have been in
effect since October l of last year.
| Application for leave to change
rates and the institution of toll sys-
tenn was made by the telephone COM
pany on June 26 of last year and
reused strong disapproval and opposi-
tion in Central Maui The objection
was not to an increase in rates, but
to the introduction of a toll system
which it was asserted would tend to
disintegrate and seperate Central
Maui into several communities and
destroy the sense of oneness. The
company published full-page adver-
tisements announcing that it had
made application for rate increases,
but 1t did not develop until a week be-
fore the public hearing that toll rate
| was proposed
| Trial Is Allowed
| Following the hearing the request
of the company was granted to the
extent of introducing it's plan for ex-
perimental purposes. When the period
of experiment neared an end it was
extended. Meantime opposition ap-
| peared to die out, and it remains to
be seen whether the public is salts
fled or whether the opposition will be
| revived.
AT the hearing the telephone COM
| pany showed that it was losing
money, following wage increases 1t
contended that to operate even at a
small profit it would be necessary
either to increase phone rentals to an
| extent that it didn't consider prac-
| ticable or to institute a toll system
in connection with an increase. The
| public contention was for a rate in
crease and against toll charges for
| Central Maui. 1t was also contended
| that the value of service would be de-
| creased because fewer phones would
be operated.
| Results as Shown
Some telephones were taken out
when it was announced that the toll
rate would be given a trial. In Sep
tember there We're being operated
1858 instruments, of which 1924 were
in Central Maui In January with
drawals had, exceeded installations,
so that there were 1888 instruments
in use 1912 in Central Maui The loss
had been 25 and in Central Maui it
had been %. In the face of lower
sugar and lower wages on the planta-
tions, the company was operating 1247
phones in June, a loss from Septem-
ber of 16 and gain from January of
8, while on Central Maui the loss
from September was 20 and the gain
from January was 2.
In September last the company had
to borrow money to meet the payroll
In January it's operating revenue was
$7034.SS and operating expenses
$5737.09, net operating revenues be-
ing s1153.06. Deductions which in
cluded interest deductions for funded
debt to the amount of $691.25 reduced
the net income for the month to
$411.S1.
In June of this year operating rev.
enues were $6705.64 and expenses
$52S7.34. The revenue was 1929 less,
but expenses were $3.50 smaller, and
net operating revenue had risen $143.
Interest deductions were $211 smaller
than in January and other deductions
less, so that the net income was
$66680 for that month.
Six Months Record
In the first six months of this year
the operating revenues have been
$39, ,654.57 and operating expenses
have been $31, 1,S25.20; deductions for
interest on the funded debt were
$371235 and there had been profits of
$2S01.3S for the six months. The
fixed capital on January was 1885,
9S2.70 and on June 80 it had been in
creased 14,673. The reserve for ac-
crued depreciation has been increased
slightly more than $4,000.
The additions to the surplus ac-
count by months this year have been {:
January $411.81, February s569.S9,
March s52961, April S239.59, May
$391.58 and June $666.80.
AS result of the nine months of
experiment it appears that the num-
ber of instruments in use has slightly
decreased, as have operating revenues
since January, but that the company
has been able to operate at profit
instead of at the loss it claimed to be
sustaining when application was made
to the utilities commission a year ago
last June.
1t is probable the subject will come
up for discussion at the meeting OF
the Maui Chamber of Commerce
Thursday afternoon. That body has a
committee on telephone rates which
as been continued on since last year.
The committee called for views from
the public before the six months
trial period had expired and only two
letters on the subject were received
by members.