The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-08-26
ABOUT HIGHWAYS AND BYwAYS.

Adult HIGHW AVS AND By WAYS.
Fortunate individuals who have leis- .
ura and means 10 drive around this city /
and suburbs, complain bitterly OF the .
state Of the roads. And their complaint /
is just one. The public highways have
been greatly neglected, but faulty con
struction and want OF intelligent system
in repairs have had more to do in bring
ing this state OF things to pass perhaps
than actual neglect In this country,
with It's equable and sunny climate,
added to its porous soil, there should not
be much difficulty in keeping the road
beds in fair condition at all seasons, ii
they are made proper at first. The car
rage way should be rounded on top
sufficiently to throw all the rainfall into
the channels on either side, which
should be sufficiently capacious to carry
off the storm water. A road made in
this way, and sufficiently coated with
broken stone or gravel, should last
great many years with proper care and
attention. 1t would need little surface
darning now and then, but if the sid
channels are kept open and the surface
water is not permitted TO flow across the
road, softening the crust and ultimately
guttering it. The outlay for these trif1ing
repairs need not be heavy, the sun and
wind would help the roadmen, and to
speak seriously the elements of nature
do most of the road work at present.
The appropriation by the Legislature
may not be sufficient to do all that is
needed in the current period. Properly
expended it should go long way, how
ever but one thing is certain, that three
times the amount will not make any
great showing if it is to be handled after
the fashion OF previous appropriations.
Prison labor may be made far more
efficient than it has been in the past.
Forced labor is always dear labor. This
is true of prison labor everywhere, but
it should not be allowed to degenerate
into pastime or idling. Hard labor
should be exacted from men sentenced
to its performance. By this we do not
mean system of driving the prisoners,
but getting a reasonable amount OF labor
from them IN a day as compared with
free labor If this could be accomplished
in road labor we think the appropri
alton for roads in and around Honolulu
should provide the community with
much better thOroughfares than they
have at present.
King street and Waikiki road are in a
very bad condition, the darning now or
lately in progress being of little avail.
Beretania street and its extension are
quite as bad. Nuuanu Valley road to
| the Pail is not safe for travel, and the
roads through Manoa valley, unless
something is done without delay, will
soon become impossible. The Palama
and the Kalihi valley roads are not
copy. But bad naern M. Macadam to
thoroughfares are, the less travelled
roads and streets are infinitely worse. In
not a few instances they are impossible
in wet weather and dangerous at all
times.
The utmost that can be expected per-
haps is to put the more frequented
thoroughfares into good order and i'm
prove the cross streets. The main out
lets from the city, however, claim the
first care, and now that tourist travel is
reviving no time should be lost in doing
what is needed after money may be law
fully expended and the taxes come in.
The Pail and Waikiki roads therefore
come first n order, and plan should be
prepared beforehand embracing the
character Of the work to be done, sup
ply of road metal, and the economic
utilization of prison labor. These points
having been determined in advance, the
carrying into effect OF the details will be
a matter OF intelligent supervision. We
make these practical suggestions in the
hope that they may be acted upon in