The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-04-23
ROAD MAINTENANCE

NUM- HINIEVHVOEs
EDITOR BULLETIN:-I do not know
who is the most "opiniohative" of
the two, the editor of this paper or
myself; perhaps we both may be
brothers in this respect. There
fore do not be surprised if l cannot
accept the opinion advanced in Tues
days editorial, about the alleged
extreme youth of this country in the
question of roads. With all due
respect for editorial utterances this
is really, as previously said, an
old, vexed question. 1t is much
longer ago than you think, that
nothing more than "bridle paths
were required for highways" and
what progress has been made can
hardly be called within Ga compara-
lively very short period" When l
came here in 1878, roads were al
ready, as q whole, just what they
are to-day. And certainly, most of
our residents now, do not know
that the real start in road
making on these Islands is due
let it be remembered to its
honor-to the suggestions of the
first Royal Hawaiian Agricultural
Society, created in 1850. Under the
influence of Judge Lee-who said in
his opening address that " the very
first measure needed by the
country for its improvement was
the making of "good roads and
bridges" - the third resolution
adopted at the first meeting of that
useful body was: "That this So
ciety respectfully recommends to the
Legislature the adoption of efficient
measures for the improvement of the
public roads, and the appointment
of suitable superintendents in every
district to carry out the measures.
AS this period was the political
"golden age" Of this country, the
Legislature was then only too glad
to adopt any measure calculated to
benefit the Kingdom. Foreigners
and natives were then allowed to
work in harmonious unison, and
government was not supposed to be
for the betterment of few indivi-
duals only. The necessary laws
were voted at once, and as further
the r. H. Agricultural Society made
the furtherance of road-making one
of its principal objects, surprising
results were not slow to crop out.
In June, 1858, the report of the
Committee on Roads submitted to
the society, already stated that, in
that short time, ''from no roads at
ALL" there had been constructed $50
miles of good carriage roads, 45O
miles of bride roads and 902 feet of
bridging. Nor did the movement
stop there, for under the earnest,
and even what was then termed
"violent" laws voted by the subse-
quent legislatures, road-maling grew
with wonderful rapidity. But as
early as this, traces can already be
found of the cancerous evil which
was to blight our road system, that
of making heavy work at once and
then abandoning the whole to
the mercies of the seasons. Com
plants were already rife in 1856.
But / think Minister Wilder was
the first one to recognize Off
cially the evil and to formulate
the intention of making a radical
change of road maintenance but
us l already stated in the Ha,caiiaaa,
he was, unfortunately for good
roads, dismissed before being able
to start his projected reform. How
ever, more than thirty years before
Mr.. Wilder's administration much
money had been squandered away,
and shall be deemed opinionative to
assert that if the large sums which
were dedicated to roads during all
those years, had been spent accord
ing to proper combination of con-
struction and maintenance, our
highways would have been in far
better condition than they are now
1t is therefore folly to persevere in
the old error, and it is wrong for the
BULLETIN to advocate as it did yes
terday, that "before any system foI
the maintenance of roads can be
adopted, great deal more money
must still be expended in building
of roads,"
This is just what, in my modest
opinionative efforts, l aim to make
the Government avoid. Let us take
proper care, constant daily care OF
such roads as are now good, before
we throw away any more money il
new ones, to let them run again tc
waste in a short time, and before
thinking of adopting the ''canton
nier" system for the whole King
dom, let us at least have fair tria