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two thousand five hundred per mile of railroad constructed, out of any moneys which may at the time <br />be in the Public Treasury not otherwise appropriated." It documents further that if it should not be <br />sufficient to cover the costs, then the Minister of Finance, with the consent of the King, may issue bonds <br />with an interest rate of 7% annually. With these changes, the Act, as Amended, was approved on August <br />13, 1880. <br />The Hawaiian Railroad Company formed on October 20, 1880 and was responsible for the narrow gauge <br />railroad that ran from Mahukona to Niulii. An act to support railroad planning and construction was <br />originally introduced into the Hawaii legislature in June 1878 but it wasn't until Samuel G. Wilder was <br />appointed the new minister of the Interior that the charter for the Hawaii Railroad Company, from <br />Mahukona to Niulii, was signed. Once King Kalakaua signed the charter, he deposed his whole cabinet <br />leaving Wilder free to proceed with his plans for the railroad'. <br />Published figures for 1884 indicate that the railroad carried 20,000 tons of freight and 6,000 passengers <br />that year. The Hawaiian railroad had no physical connection to any of the plantations it served and had <br />no spur tracks to mills in its original alignment'.This demonstrates that public funds were used to <br />construct the railroad, and, while the intent of Samuel G. Wilder was likely to further his own businesses <br />as well as furthering the large agricultural plantations, the construction of the railroad was done as part <br />of a government initiative. The Government Contract' provides a summary of the commitments, with <br />some key components that underlie the full intent of the railroad. The date is especially important when <br />considering other Hawaiian Laws and Statutes that provide a legal basis for further inquiry into this <br />alignment being eligible to become a trail for public use. <br />HAWAIIAN RAILROAD COMPANY CONTRACT <br />1St. Corporation shall commence to construct a Railroad within one year from October 23, 1880. Gauge <br />shall be not less than 30 inches. Worked by locomotive Steam Engine. <br />2"d Shall during continuance of the Charter carry all mail matter free of charge. Also all Sheriffs, <br />Constables and Peace Officers when on Government Duty. <br />3rd. Rolling stock subject at all time to the approval of the Minister of the Interior. <br />4t". Average speed shall not be less than 5 nor more than 30 miles per hour. <br />5t". Shall upon the request of the Minister of the Interior repair all rolling stock, stations and portions of <br />the road as shall be designated defective. <br />' Jesse C. Conde with Gerald M. Best. Sugar Trains — Narrow Gauge Rails of Hawaii. Glenwood Publishers, Felton CA <br />1973. <br />' ibid <br />' Hawaiian Railroad Company Data, Archives of Hawaii <br />:! <br />