The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1857-09-03
Correspondence of the Pacific Com. Advertiser

Correspondence u TIT RACINE SOns AQFefuseI-l
"Rustieus expectat dunn defuat amnis at lille labitur ct
labetur, in omne volubihs evum."
SIR An alarming advertisement appears in the
Poiynesian of the 29th ult., headed Water! Water !
and signed fl. ]. H. Holdsworth, showing a deter
mination to keep the rirer supplied, though the town
should get parched. 1t proposes, by way of prevent
ing raste, to direct to the sea, all the water which
some persons are using to fill their casks, baths, &C.,
with during the highland some people go so far as
to use for the cultivation of flowers and shrubs, which
as all their ~neighbors are not fortunate enough to
glory in, it is thought better to let run away.
1t is well known that the broken cistera will hold
no water, and whatever is not made use of as it flows
must go to waste and for this purpose a constable is
appointed to visit the taps and allow no use to be
made after eight o'clock in the evening, ofal the water
which, not being retained in the cistern, must pass
ava, to dilute the salt sea. The advertisement does
not say whether all houses not provided with a ball
cask will be visited and proper precaution taken that
no drinking shall go on, until the unnamed hour in
the morning, when the Waterman, having finished his
nights repose, will have retired to his breakfast, and
permitted honest citizens to draw a little water for
their tea.
The note appended however states +" that if every
house provides a cask with a ball tap attached to
the end Of the pipe, they will be able to have it filled
during the night" L quote this note in ertenso, as
a sample of Hawaiian English. 1 was inclined, from
reading this advertisement, to believeit was only the
gardens against which the anathema had gone forth
but for this passage, which is Ike a lady's postscript,
l presume the houses are also in the same category.
L would, if possible to be serious, ask, if one drop of
water is retained in the cistern opposite Mr.. Bates
which, being kept during the night, would increase
the pressure and give additional supply next day
but, if not, would like to see the advantage to be
gained by making sure that no person derived any
benefit from it.
A wiser course might be to repair the bottomless
pit, and preserve the water during the night, and
thus increase the supply. And if any rational effort
were to be made to improve the mode of using and
assessing parties who use the water, there is ample
scope for some ingenuity which might be more profit
able that the advertisement holds out.
Would it not be an improvement, while the supply
is scarce, (Which it need not beg to allow certain dis
tricts the use of the water for some hours, shutting
it off from others, and thus giving each locality time
to fill their vessels, or otherwise arrs nge to make the
most of the supply? Could there not be some reform
in the mode of charging for the water? Say a half
inch pipe so much for a certain number of hours
aud every larger size a proportional increase, making
each person pay in proportion to the supply. As it
is now, a small family of three or four persons pays
as much as the largest and, if L am not mistaken,
the same as a hotel using twenty times the quantity.
But. unless by the improvement of the breed of
fishes, or some other way, it can be proved useful, l
would certainly cut off the supply which the adver-
tisement means to reserve for old Neptune.
RUsrIcUs.