The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-08-19
About the Wafer Supply.

Mr.. EDITOR: In the Mondays
issue of the ADVERTISER, [ notice
an article on the water supply of
Honolulu. The writer speaks of
private parties putting down arte-
sian wells for water supply. Now,
I would like to say few things for
the Government to hear, and they
are as follows
A large part of Honolulu lies be-
low the natural flow of the artesian
wells.
1t is a practical thing for large
part of the city to supply them
selves with water if desired.
[ know of one party who, were it
not for the Mckinley bill, would
now have a well bored on his
premises, and who had talked Of
supplying forty or more water
users in the same block to whom he
could guarantee water at all hours.
[ have very little doubt but that
with such an easy guarantee, he
could have taken the Governments
customers, and at the same rates
would have made a neat little IN
yestment of from Is to Is per cent.
on the cost of the outlay. 1t is
well to remember that there are
MANY such blocks in Honolulu.
Now, the Government can pre-
vent private parties from crossing
streets with their pipes, but they
cannot prevent them from supply
| ing themselves and their neigh.
| bors with water, and in so doing
taking away many good customers
from the Government.
| It is generally understood that
the Water Works are very i'm
portant source of revenue to The
Government, but it is not at al
unlikely that this source of rev
enue will be, before many years
, seriously interfered with, for
long-sufering water consumer viii
, not always be satisfied to pay 70
the article and get only what tn
seller chooses to supply, and tina
now is the time for the Government
to save itself, and by a little fore
: sight avert the thing, for if a sutf
Gent amount of water is supple
people will not take the trouble
nor will they care to make th
e changes which certainly will com
if nothing definite is done, and b.
fore very long.
tt seems to me that the remed
is simple. It has appeared befol
/ in print that the smallest pump
n EVA Plantation delivers mo
y water per day than the daily su
:, ply of this city. The whole plal
i including two wells, boilers, settir
e and everything complete, cost So
re 500; the cost of running it is ligE
- consuming two tons of coal
, twenty-four hours, and taking b
!" one man to run the whole thin
y and as a matter of actual tin
ut when the pump would be used
or would not probably be more thi
wv on an average of three or 70
= months of the year.
- A large majority of the wa
ne privileges are in the capacity Of
Ill low lift pump, such as the 0
ell above mentioned, the balance
av the higher parts Of Nuuanu a
ms Judd streets would then probat
sc. have an abundant supply from
M reservoirs thus relieved, which
ir- time of plenty supply the VIII
as city.
ow The appropriation made by
,ds Legislature has been put into
or second section which means t
icb the Government will probably
eel spend any money during the n
two years, and will not be tax
nc any steps to protect its own
,ro. come. The country might pl
all ably receive more benefit if
ties appropriation should change pla
the with that for the soldiers whic
! to in section 1. Two years also
in good long time to give the enc
sla- a chance in which to cont
,gal what has already common
hts And it is not at all unlikely tn
t it very decided advance may
ade made, for it is fact that pc
in are tired Of waiting for relief +
yold the Government and will q
themselves of any chance Of r
,sed that is offered.