The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1890-03-01
SATu RDAY, MAR. /, 1850.
THOROUGH vs.. SUPERFICIAL.

"Ihe roads of this country will
probably grow better and more
numerous by the process OF gradual
development which governs all other
human affairs" With these words |
the Advertiser closes an argument
in behalf of the Government pol.
icy of superficial expenditure of the
road funds over the greatest possible
area. We dissent emphatically
from the doctrine. Roads do not
grow like trees they have to be
built. Where it has become neccs.
sary in the gradual development of
a country TO open up communica-
tion with new settlements, then it is
all right, if funds are insufficient for
permanent road construction, to do
the best that can he afforded so rs
TO make passable thoroughfares.
The trouble in some such cases,
however, is that it is not the best
that can be afforded that is done.
From want of practical knowledge
on the part of the builders great
deal Of money is squandered on
cheap roads. That is, the funds
are applied so unskilfully as TO Sc
cure far less durable results than
could be obtained by sklful ex.
penditure.
Once opened the new roads re-
ferred TO ought to be simply kept in
tolerable repair from the effects of
traffic and the elements. There
ought to be no more building
throughout in superficial manner.
Rebuilding should await a condition
of public finances that will warrant
Il permanent job. BY permanent is
here meant such work as will stand
the maximum excuses of weather and
any amount of traffic for an indeiin-
lte period, only requiring to have
slight attention from time to time as
flaws are detected or developed.
There is one street i'm Honolulu
which might fairly be put in the
class of permanent roads described.
1t is Richards street and it was con-
structcd before the superficial policy
lauded by the Advertiser was in
augurated.
When the street making in Homo
lulu of the closing financial period
is investigated, the most unbiased
Judgment will be that the results are
far below what the means should
have secured. Inadcquacy of funds
cannot be pleaded as an excuse fol
what has proved, and is going tC
prove more and more under further
test, to be lamentably unsubstantia
construction. 1t was not from wan'
Of funds that thousands of dollars
were thrown away in an abortivt
effort to reduce the grade of King
street at Lelco--from which thu
visible results are damage to private
property, a road that forms q dan
to Hood the neighborhood the frs
prolonged freshet, and irightfu
bog at the lower end of the stretch
Neither was it due to scant appro
priations that the rudimcntary prin
ciplcs of macadamizing were violat
ed where the grade of King stree
was raised elsewhere. 1t seems i'm
possible TO beat into the heads O
our road makers that road bed 70
macadam covering cannot be con
structed of bouldcrs, without er
suring the early collapse of tn
crust and the irrcmcdlablc ruin G
the whole structure. Again, thcr
are miles of streets where the eXtcH
of repairs on the superficial plan ha
been enormOus--indecd, on whic
the steam roller seemed to have th
right of way half the ycar-br
which under the first stress {
weather have dissolved into runnin
mlrc and resolved themselves in,
corrugated denominations. 1t woul
be an insult TO the public INTEL
gence to suggest that the deplorabl
condition of large proportion {
the city streets is due to the illibel
ality of the Legislature or povcrt
of the country.
The fact is the superficial pla
should have been followed only i
the case of such streets as could nc
have been overtaken with permaner
woik. And while that proportio
of streets was thus being made tolcl
ably passable, there should hav
been really permanent work pre-