The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1878-05-11
BIENNIAL REPORT OF THE MINISTER
OF FINANCE.

We continue our comments, this week, upon
the Report of the Minister of Finance
The remarks of His Excellency upon the sub
ject of Roads and Bridges are very full and clear,
and worthy of careful consideration by the
Assembly. In no way can 4 liberal appropria-
ton of public money be more wisely granted
than in affording the Government all necessary
funds to open up the many fertile districts now
comparatively inaccessible to the benefits of CON-
merce, which would be sure to follow an easy
and convenient transit to and from the different
ports and landings. This view of the case is so
plain that it needs no calculation. One obsta-
Gle to improvement specified by the Minister
should be taken in hand by the Assembly and a
remedy promptly applied. This obstacle is the
excessive price demanded by the owners of lands
required for the opening of roads and building of
bridges, which generally amounts to a bar to all
improvement, and prevents the Government from
undertaking works urgently called for. A law
empowering the Minister to condemn the lands
necessary for the public use and providing for
reasonable compensation, the amount to be fixed
by arbitrator, could be easily framed so as to
protect the rights and interests of all. 1t is a
pity that the development of the country should
be hindered by obstacles of this kind. Land
owners iniure their own interests by this 90 dog
in-the-manger" policy, and this they cannot fail
soon to discover. The full development of our
resources, and consequent increase of revenue,
can never be realized until all the facilities re-
quired by the agriculturist are afforded for the
transportation of his produce to a convenient
point of shipment. Money, borrowed if neces-
sary, and faithfully applied for these objects, will
be wisely expended, and the interest and princi-
pal will not be an onerous burden for the nation
to bear in view Of the increase of revenue sure
to follow.
There is a wide district of country on the
northeast coast of Hawaii, containing many
thousands of acres of land suitable for the ~cultiva-
ton of sugar, coffee and other products which, if
made accessible, would, His ExcelIeney says,
speedily become one of the richest portions of
the Kingdom. In this district are large tracts of
fertile government lands that now yield little or
no returns and which are really unsaleable. Lo-
Gated on the windward part of the Island, and
possessed OF no good harbor, there is no access
to this fine district by sea, and unless some mode
of land carriage is contrived, its capacities must
remain undeveloped. The Minister says it is be-
lieved a narrow gauge railroad could be built,
and that it would prove a profitable investment.
\ road :of three or three and a half feet gauge
could be put in running order for say $1,000
per mile, or 5000 900 for the fifty miles required,
and would afford the necessary facilities for the
transportation of produce and passengers. The
interest on the sum at 7 per cent, would amount
to $40, 600, a sum easily borne, if the prospective
business of the road should be realized. a fair
estimate of the earnings OF the road, after it had
got into working order, and which would increase
with the improvements of the district, would be,
for 800 working days, at 5000 a day, 500, 900
per annum; and we think it reasonable to put
the income at $500 q day, after it has been in
operation twelve months. Deducting Sundays,
the actual working days would be 313, which at
200 a day would give the sum of S62, 600-an
amount exceeding the interest by S2O,6OO. If
the attention of capitalists could be directed to
the capacities of this promising district, we
think the money for building a road would be
tortheoming with little delay. We believe the
Government could guarantee the interest without
risk.
Hls Excellency says the road tax in all the dis