The herald., 1895-07-05
SCHOOL BUILDING SITES
A Talk Upon the Bonnie Brae
District
GRAND VIEW LOTS SITE
The One Upon Which Rest Charges
of Corruption
4 Drive in the Neighborhood- The Property
Itself, How 1t Lies and Its Price.
Other Neighboring Sites

The city proposes to purchase lots upon
Which it will erect school buildings. Ou
of the many offered tor sale is an offeri rs
around which circles halo of unusua
interest, but not of glory. AS nearly
everyone knows, a charge of bri cry rest:
upon the lots offered to the city by Mile.
Dodd, jr. The facts are briefly these
Miles Dodd, jr., offered, in response tt
. certain invitation. bid of certain lots
situated ct Grand View avenue ano
Eighth street. Since that time Council
man Kingery has seen fit to charge the
street superintenden L. A. Howard
with offering him (kingery) the sum OF
5000 If he would vote for the purchase Of
Dodd's lots. The Herald is not concerned
Just now in the bribery charge in itself.
to an invitation from the city govern
ment. among others, that an offer was
made by one Miles Dodd, jr., OF certain
lots for stated price, and that since
tnat time charge cf bribery rests upon
the offer: Nothing more and nothing
less. This then. being the situation, q
reporter was instructed to look up those
certain lots and tell about their situation
and the circum stances under which they
we're offered for sale.
r Miles .Dodd, himself, was seen, and
getting into his buggy a drive was begun.
At Seventh and Westiake the reporter was
shown three lots which were offered the
city in response to an invitation for a
bid. The three lots in question, offered
at $500, were in "A good location, but were
low; fully five and a half feet of filing is
required to bring them to grade. AT
Eighth street and Alvarado the reporter
was shown a lot, 65x150 feet. for which the
sum OF $4,000 was asked. The lot is owned
by woman who resides in Honolulu.
and enquiries made of her agent estab-
vsk~ -
adding that not one cent off the asked
price would be taken.
In the course of short drive the re-
porter was brought to the property offered
by Mr.. Dsdd, jr. The lots are five in
mum berr, facing south on Eighth street.
the five lots at $4,000. Newspaper reports
characterize these five lots as being in a
hollow. Such is not the fact. The estab-
lished grades show that the Eighth street
front is about five feet above what is re-
Quired. while the rear of the lots need but
little filling to bring them to grade. Ar
riving upon the lots the situation is hard
perhaps, to describe accurately.
The five lots are at the southwest corner
OF Eighth street and Grand View avenue.
An alley way cuts the block into quar-
ters; one runs between Lake and
enth and Eighth streets. and another
runs north and south between Seventh
and Eighth streets. The, lots offered form
the southwest corner of the block
bounded by Eighth, the alley and Grand
View avenue.
1t seems that NJ Dodd, jr., is one of the
firm Of Dodd q o'Gara. whose business
is that of grading and paving, with
offices at 2l3 West First street; that in
the line of their work for something like
$500 and Improvements. to cost $15, 900
they purchased on contract the block
hon dad hv Eioh nd Oh
and Grand View avenues. The contract
was with DR.. Hagan. DR.. Hagan sold
Dodd the block outlined as above for so
much cash as stated and SO much i'm
provement in grading. The block itself is
rough, very much SO, and DR.. Hasan will
Oodd, who has big ravine or draw to
ill and streets and alleys to grade. Dodd
t. O'Gara, as graders and contractors,
Immediately set about to improve the
properly contracted for
Copies of the contract are held by Dodd
and by DR.. Hagan. The stipulations are
clearly expressed and time is made the
essence of the contract. Under it Dodd
must complete his work in eighteen
months from the time the contract was
entered into.
The lots offered by Dodd to the city for
are part OF the block so purchased.
The front is considerably above the grade
and the rear is little below grade, but
this man who offers the property stipu-
1ates that he shall bring all to grade.
This means an expenditure upon his part
of between $500 and $1,000. This he will
do, and must do, before paym ent is made
by the city If the lots are accepted.
The front of the lots are above grade,
the rear part little, and only little, be-
low grade. The five lots are offered at
$4,000 or three lots at $4500. The man
hot haS hoe aJ
the block from DR.. Hagan and the con-
tract between the two is castiron in
structure and in which, as before stated
time is made the essence. The result of
st all will be that Dodd must turn over
the five specified lots or a grade at the
sti 2ulated price.
There is much to do by Dodd, and he
proposes to do it. His contracts force
him to do it. Filling. grading and all pe-
:ng done how do the lots offered by Dodd
compare with others? Offers to the city
come from Union avenue and Immediate
ly in response thereto come protests from
the Bonnie Brae residence district who
object to the location OF school in their
midst. They want it removed a block.
tao Or three from their homes and for
reasons that are easily recognized and
appreciated. AT Seventh street and West
lake avenue an offering of three lots
which are rendered at S5500. They are on
. good corner but lie low. An average Of
five feet of filling will be required to make
them the available.
On the northeast corner of Burlington
avenue and Eighth street are three lots
offered the city for school site purposes
They are on grade. are splendid lots and
are offered at $6500. The one great OBJ
lection o them is the protest that neigh
boring property owners send up. They
do not want a school house under Their
caves. They want it two or three blocks
away, near enough for their children to
attend but far enough removed that they
shall not be annoyed by the school itself
and the small .stores that USUAL accom-
pany it.
'Mr. Dodd." said Fthe reporter, "you
have offered the city three lots at $45O0.
or five lots at $6000 you to do all filling
or grading; how do you explain the
long have you known Mr.. Howa1d?i
"a bout a year" came the response.
"Just about a year ago | became ac-
quainted with Superintendent Howard" i"
"What business relations exist between
that gentleman and YOURSELF" was asked.
''None. twas the reply. Not one cents
worth of dealing has happened between
u.s."
Have you any prospective deals with
him?"
"None. ! have had no business with
Howard. the man charged with attempt
ing to bribe Councilman Ki3gery, and |
have no prospect of having any,
Howard is the street superintendent;
you are of a firm of grading and paving
contractors. Have you done any work
with him?"
''None whatever. The city work upon