The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-01-12
PUBLIC WORKS.
Interview With the Minister of the
Interior.
Result Of an Official Tour Of Inspection
on the Island OF Hawaii.


Knowing that the Minister OF the In
terror had recently returned from visit
of several weeks on Hawaii, and under
standing that the same was for purposes
of business and not of pleasure, repre-
sentative of the ADVERTISER called upon
the Minister at his office few days since
and requested an interview, which was
granted. The following is report OF the
conversation which followed:
l. Mr.. Thurscon, you have recently
visited the Island of Hawaii i'll company
with the Superintendent of Public Works;
may inquire the object OF your visit?'
Certainly, It was to gain by personal
inspection better knowledge of the con-
dition and needs of the roads, and the
various public buildings and wharves. I
wished also to compare the results ac-
complished by the Road Boards under
the new law with those obtained under
the old Road Supervisors"
What is your impression as to the
working of the new law"
"In most of the districts the results
are most satisfactory; especially in kO-
hala, Hamakua and Hilo. In those dis
tricts more work has been accomplished
in one year under Road Board Admins
tration than in the previous five years,
and at very small comparative cost. 1t
was feared by the opponents of the syS-
tenn that the Boards would not take any
interest in the roads, as they received no
pay; but so far from this being the case,
the members seemed full of a public
spirited interest and enthusiasm that
were refreshing. The planters have also,
almost universally taken an interest and
greatly assisted in the work of obtaining
good roads, by furnishing labor at cost
price when it could not be elsewhere OBJ
tanned, and by granting free rights of
way where changes of grade were desir-
able"
What is the prospect of getting the
road through KOhala to Hamakua, for
which an appropriation was made for
| surveyor
can examination from both the Ko-
hala and Hamakua sides, and along the
| face of the cliff by boat, demonstrates
that the road would be longer in actual
number of miles than the present road
| by way of Waimea. There are eight
valleys from 800 to 800 feet deep, and
over thirty from 200 to 800 feet deep. A
| careful examination of the base of the
! cliffs from Honopue to Waimanu may
! show practicable site for a road, and a
| telephone wire can probably be run there
now. But low estimate of the cost OF
a road built to a respectable grade would
! be $4,000. From the Kohala side it
! will pay to run road as far as Honopue
as this will open up some good land, but
| beyond that the whole surface of the
country is mass OF jungle covered
ravines."
'When will work be begun on the
Hilo Water Works ?''
| Measurements were taken by Mr..
Rowell, and tenders for supplying the
pipe will be called for as soon as the
specifications are ready-probably within
! few days. The pipe will have to be
ordered from abroad, so that it will be
as late as August or September before it
arrives. 1t will be placed in position az
soon as it comes. The appropriation is
not large enough to lay the water on to
the whole town, but it will build dis
tributing reservoir and bring the water
from a spring two miles back of the
| town to Front street aud along several OF
the main streets. Additions can then
be made as the state Of the Treasury
may allow and the needs of the town
require"
"What is being done concerning the
Volcano road from Hilo?"
"Mr. J. NJ Lydgate has been at work
for the last six weeks prospecting for
the best location, and laying out the
grade. In company with Messrs. d. II.
Hitchcock, Chas. Richardson, r. Ry-
croft, j. NJ. Lydgate and Judge Lyman,
all old kamaainas, three days were spent
in going over the ground and deciding
upon the general line to be adopted. 1t
had been claimed that there was an "a
flow on which the Hilo woods were stu
ated, extending nearly to the volcano,
and that a much shorter an more
economical road could be made by
building on the flow in a straight line to
the Volcano To test this question cross
sections were cut into the forest at right
angles to the present road. At the half
way house "a was reached three miles
in the woods. Four miles above the
halfway house trail was cut for five
and a half miles with no signs OF
"a being reached. Three miles below
the halfway house a trail was cut
in for two miles with no signs of
"a. In all three places the soil
was deep rich loan, rather thinly tim
bered with thick jungle underground,
which included large numbers of the
Hawaiian palm tree-the loulu. The
soil is very rich, and along the edge OF
the woods shows many signs OF former
cultivation. The new road will open a
very fertile section of country, lying at
an elevation of from 400 to 5000 feet.
The result of the examination is to de-
mOnstrate that the short cut theory is
impracticable. The general line recon-
mended by Mr.. Lydgate, and approved
by those familiar with the locality, is
approximately the same as the present
road, except that it Will go direct to the
halfway house, after leaving the woods,
following the old trail through the ii
swamp instead of keeping out on the pa
hoehoe as at present. A traction en-
CINE, similar to the one used by Mr.
Rycroft in making roads in Puma, was
ordered from England last September,
and is due here on the through steamer
Saturday, 18th. Tit does not come then
it should be here the month following
All the preliminary preparations are
being made, and work will be COM
menced as soon as the engine arrives. 4
regular grade of six feet in a hundred
with maximum OF eight feet in a hun
dred, will be made
Is not that a lighter grade than is
necessary"
"No; the best authorities state that
to be much better and more economical -
Does not the completion of the car
riage road from the Kau side, render the
Hilo road unnecessary"
Not oil - H.