Honolulu Rapid Transit & Land Co. v. Territory

21 Haw. 136, 1912 Haw. LEXIS 5
CourtHawaii Supreme Court
DecidedMay 24, 1912
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 21 Haw. 136 (Honolulu Rapid Transit & Land Co. v. Territory) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hawaii Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Honolulu Rapid Transit & Land Co. v. Territory, 21 Haw. 136, 1912 Haw. LEXIS 5 (haw 1912).

Opinion

OPINION OP THE COURT BY

ROBERTSON, C. J.

The facts agreed upon by the parties are as follows:

“The Honolulu Rapid Transit & Land Company is a cor> poration, duly organized and existing under the laws of the Territory of Hawaii and incorporated under the provisions of the Act of July 7, A. D. 1898, to hold, and is holding and exercising, the franchise and privileges granted in said Act, and has constructed and is maintaining and operating a street railway in Honolulu, in said Territory of Hawaii; said franchise having been ratified subject to the approval of the President under the provisions of the Organic Act creating the Territory of Hawaii, and said franchise, incorporation, and all acts done and proceedings taken in the premises having been duly approved by the President of the United States on the 25th day of June, 1900, in accordance with Section 73 of said Organic Act.
“That prior to the 15th day of February, 1911, the Honolulu Rapid Transit & Land Company had been maintaining and operating upon that portion of King Street between the bridge over the Nuuanu Stream and Nuuanu Street, in said City and County of Honolulu, a distance of about 1212 feet, a single track railway, and, at said time, said portion of King Street had been improved and macadamized, and, in accordance with Section i, paragraph 5, of said Act of July 7, 1898, the said corporation had macadamized the space between its tracks and [138]*138for one foot outside of its rails upon said portion of said street, in conformity with law.
“That since said 15th day of February, 1911, the said Company, having acquired the lawful right so to do, has operated and is now operating a double track upon said portion of King Street, which it constructed, and has resurfaced with macadam the entire space between the outside rails of said d'ouble track and for one foot outside of said outside rails corresponding with the macadamizing of the remaining portion of said street, said additional track having been constructed upon a location approved, in writing, by the Superintendent of Public Works.
“That thereafter, to wit, on or about the 8th day of December, 1911, by proceedings duly had in accordance with law, the City and County of Honolulu entered into a contract with the Bitulithie Paving & Concrete Company, Limited, to pa.ve with bitulithie pavement of two inches in depth upon a concrete foundation, that portion of King Street between the Bridge over the Nuuanu Stream and Nuuanu Street, said improvement being of a permanent and lasting character, the only portion of the same requiring replacement being about two inches of surfacing which the Bitulithie Paving & Concrete Company, Limited, guaranteed to keep in repair for the period of five years.
“That the said bitulithie pavement is a patented article of which the Bitulithie Paving & Concrete Company, Limited, have the exclusive control and the right to use the same within the Territory of Hawaii, and will have such exclusive control and the right to use the same for the life of the patent, which is for about ten years.
“That upon the 5th day of March, 1912, the said Bitulithie Paving & Concrete Company, Limited, completed the paving of said street in accordance with the above mentioned contract.
“That after said contract was entered into, to wit, on or about the 6th day of January, 1912, the said Superintendent of Public Works gave notice to the Honolulu Rapid Transit & Land Company (a copy of which is hereto annexed and made a part hereof) to improve its portion of the street with the same material as specified in said contract between the City and County of Honolulu and the Bitulithie Paving & Concrete Company, Limited, except that there shall be on each side of said rails wooden or stone blocks.
[139]*139“That the rails of the said Honolulu Rapid Transit & Land Company on said portion of King street have a depth of seven inches when set in the street, and that the life of such a rail is about ten to fourteen years; and that the rails in the old track on said portion of King Street have on the average about twenty-five per cent of the life of the rails yet remaining.
“That in paving with bitulithic or other kinds of paving requiring a permanent concrete base or foundation, it is necessary that the concrete base should (except where stone or wooden blocks are laid on each side of the rails) extend up to within two inches of the top of the rail; that the method prescribed in the notice of the Superintendent of Public Works is one of the adopted methods of construction used by street railways where bitulithic, asphaltic, bituminous, tarvia or other similar pavements are used; that the purpose of the wooden or stone blocks on each side of the rail, and, in this instance, of a depth of not less than six inches, is to allow the rail to1 be renewed or removed without damage to the balance of the pavement.
“That another adopted method of construction by street railroads, where similar pavements are used, is the use of wooden or stone blocks for the entire space between the rails and for one foot on each side of the rails for a depth substantially equal to the rail and with only one inch of cement mortar over the ties.
“That the Honolulu Rapid Transit & Land Company requested the Superintendent of Public Works to allow them, in ease they are compelled to pave as required, to use the latter form.
“That under the first above mentioned method of construction, the use of wooden or stone blocks next to the rail is for the purpose of dissipating vibration, of permitting the renewal of the rails without damage to the portion of the pavement constructed by the City and County, and that under the last above mentioned method of construction, the use of such blocks for the entire space between the rails is for the same purposes, and the further and main purpose of allowing the renewal of the ties without destroying the concrete and bitulithic pavement between the rails that would be necessitated if the first above method of construction should be adopted.
“That the cost of the- improvement under either of said methods would be about the sum of Nine Thousand Dollars [140]*140($9000) and under either of said methods, if adopted, it would be the part of good, sound engineering judgment for the Honolulu Rapid Transit & Land Company to replace with new ties and rails such ties and rails as the life of which is well spent.”

The notice served on the company by the superintendent of public works was as follows:

“Jan. 6, 1912.
“Gentlemen:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
21 Haw. 136, 1912 Haw. LEXIS 5, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/honolulu-rapid-transit-land-co-v-territory-haw-1912.