The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-07-19
COLONEL SPRECKELS.
What He Knows and Thinks About
the Water Supply.
Origin of the Absurd Canards About
and HIS Views X esardInx 1t.

The public OF Honolulu and the peO-
pie or he Kingdom at large have been
treated to a series of sensational ru-
mors and statements regarding Colonel
Spreckels and the Government for some
time past, and intelligent gentlemen
holding seats i'll the Legislature We're
not above lending the sanction of their
names and character to these canards.
The public mind was greatly disturbed
in consequence. Vague and alarming
apprehensions prevailed, compared to
which dread OF foreign invasion would
have had a soothing influence. The
Premier, Mr.. Gibson, gave an unquali-
fed contradiction to these rumOrs i'll his
place in the Legislative Assembly while
tn, late Administration was in office,
bat his absolute disclaimer, and the ridi-
Guile heaped upon the whole affair, did
not appear to satisfy some people, and
the Opposition papers have kept up
running fire of comment and inuendo
ever since ''Where there is SO much
smoke there must be some fire" they
said, forgetting that it was the smoke OF
their own absurd vaporings they spoke
of, and that the fire from which it ORR
ginated must have been that generated
by the consuming hatred of Colonel
Spreckels, because of his successful BUSH
ness enterprise and public spirit which
so completely overshadow themselves
and all their works.
Be this as it may, however, this
species of attack eliminated in a lead
ing article in Fridays Bulletin in
which an innocent and praisewOrthy act
on the part of Colonel Spreckeis was taken
advantage otto give the stamp OF probable
ity to the charges of avarice and greed
against him, and to hold him up to pub
lie gaze as man bent upon fostering a
scheme of personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
wholly opposed to the best interests of
the people The public and private
character of this gentleman should have
protected him from such an attack; but
as it has been made pointedly and direct
in the evening organ OF the Opposition
party, and as it will doubtless be en-
phasized in its weekly mouthpiece, if
left unchallenged, representative of the
ADVERTISER was detailed to interview
Colonel Spreckels and ascertain precisely
what foundation, if any, existed for the
! charges and statements mentioned. Be
! ing ''an early man." of settled domestic
| habits, it was impossible TO get an OPP
portunity for an interview with that
| gentleman on Friday evening after the
Bulletin" was published, but he was
| found in his office at VIM. q. Irwin &
! Co.'S on Saturday in business hours, and
was interviewed to the following effect,
the questions being by the interviewer
and the replies by Colonel Spreckels.
| ORIGIN OF THE RUMORs.
Having introduced his business with
! Colonel Spreckels, the ADVERTISER man
said: "Can you account in any way for
the charge that you are DESTROYS of Sc
| curing a lease of the Honolulu Water
! Works and of the wharves along the
city front to the end that you may con-
troll the commerce, the shipping. and
!
| the entire pOpulation?"
I 20 One thing at a time, if you please.
7 I'VE shall take the Water Works first,
and when We get through with that we
will speak about the harbOr. l suppose
this thing grew out of my anxiety about
water supply sufficient for the people g
consumption, the extinguishment OF
fires and the use of shipping. 1 am
not a man to do thing by half, and
when l take up an idea 1 carry it
through. Well, for the past six years
have inquired into the water supply of
Honolulu, but could get no satisfaction
whatever. l went to the late Minister
of the Interior about it, but l was nc
nearer the point than before. Every
body admitted the want of water, but
nobody did anything. The Govern,
ment did nothing, except to project an
expensive scheme with a big reservoir
up the valley and a distributing reser-
voir on the side of Punchbowl, and to
spend a great deal of money on plans
and estimates which are of no present
practical value"
''Do you mean to say that the work
embodied in Major Bender's report to
the Minister of the Interior is value
less ?"
THAT is just what | mean to say, SO
far as it applies to the present needs OF
the city. 1t may be of use in half a
century, but it is not wanted now"
"In other words, the city may have
an ample supply of pure water without
going to any great expense ?''
That is precisely what l mean But
let me continue about the rlmors you
spoke of. When | built my house at
Punahou l found that for week at a
time we could not cook anything there
for want OF water That set me think
ing, and have been thinking about it
ever since. At last I came to the con-
clusion that as the city could not get
/ along without pure water and plenty of