Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-18


OF our Minister Thurston as persona non
grata. or for some alleged offense of dis
closing matters under diplomatic discus
sion. Your press REPRESENTATIVES have CIV
en- out much Information upon the subject.
But we find ourselves much in the dark on
the subject because Minister Willis says he
has received no instructions in the matter,
and Mr.. Hatch declares that he has heard
nothing about 1t from Mr.. Thurston. All
this shows a serious discrepancy with the
confident Washington statements One fact.
however. stands out distinctly, that Thurs
ton has wired that he will be here next
week. on the 18th. This looks much as IL
there was something serious in the business.
SO we shall have to wait a week or SO for
more light.
on two or three former occasions, and 1t Is
not improbable that he will do SO again in
the present difficulty, SO that the latter
gentleman may feel no happier in the out
come of his present move than he did after
his former ones. Thurston is a young man
who can take very good care Of himself. as
well as Of his friends or foes either, al
though he may tend to a little too much
frankness for a diplomatic career. But
the expectation here Is general that he will
not get the worst of 1t in the present affair.
At any rate, we keep having fresh matters
coming up to keep our interest alive, now
that the rebellion has been well cleaned up
and all that business quieted down.
The Crown Lands.
Our legislature, elected last November,
will be summoned to meet in a few weeks.
The time for q regular biennial session
would have been year ago, and this Is
called a special session. Until this meet
ing. the advisory and executive councils,
acting together. possess full legislative
powers After that time such powers will
be confined to the legislature. A leading
measure which has been reserved for the
1Sl0 ffNo af 10 tIyn
to be made Of the crown lands. which by
the abrogation of monarchy have reverted
to the government, and are no longer a
source of revenue to a sovereign. It Is de-
sired as the leases of these lands fall in to
place them on the market in such ways as
are best for the public interest. Some ex-
tremely valuable tracts have never been
leased. having been inaccessible for lack of
roads. Such tract is the magnificent
coffee belt In Puma, of late partially open
ed by the new Volcano road.
President Dole has given great study and
care to a measure for selling the crown
lands SO as to favor settlers and immi-
grants of small means. It is hoped that
this will commend itself to the legislature,
and that healthy immigration from the
United States may be stimulated thereby,
as well as that landless Hawaiians and
others may have facility In acquiring home
steads. The crown lands are scattered all
leased by wealthy tenants for cattle
ranches, which ought to be cut up for
small farms. The effort will be to provide
measures tending to promote the settling
up of the country by such Inhabitants, in
stead of being occupied SO much as it is
now, exclusively by large plantations en-
ploying great gangs Of laborers without
homes.
The Treasury Surplus.
Notwithstanding special expenses in SUBJ
DUNG the late insurrection, amounting to
something like 100000, there is a fine sur
plus in our treasury. On account of this.
our public works are making active prog
ress. The administration Of the funds is
with thorough economy. There is absolute
ly no Doodle. The management of the pub
lie business is strictly clean, as well as
efficient. The financial condition of the
treasury has never at any period been so
good as now. The activity of useful con-
struction of public works has never been
so great. The credit of the government has
never been better, or loans for special pub
lie works negotiated at easier rates, not
wfthstandfng the injury to credit in conse-
Quence Of political disturbances. There is a
constant market for the government bonds
from local investors, a few thousand at
time. Is there any better evidence of the
high character of a government than that
Its own people are eager to take Its bonds?
A very useful work now in progress is
the erection of a pumping station for the
water works Of this city. Two artesian
wells are just completed, of ten-inch bore
and 600 feet depth. about fifty feet apart.
The natural discharge of the two is about
six millions gallons in the 'twenty-four
hours. rising. II tubed. to height of forty
feet above the sea. A double expansion
pair of pumps is now being set up, with
capacity for lifting three million gallons
day into distributing reservoir $50 feet
above the wells. About three miles of
twelve, ten and eight-inch mains have Just
been laid to convey the additional supply
Altogether about $4,000 will have been ex-
pended Besides this, the new reservoir is
to be excavated on the slope of Punch
Bowl. With this copious additional supply
of water this city will bloom in new beauty
Hitherto depending on small reservoirs in
the mountain canyons for storing rain wa
ter, the supply has been very irregular, and
steepness of the canyons, large reservoirs
were impracticable, and dry years fire.
quently occur. But the water Of the arte-
sian bed seems inexhaustible. At Eva
plantation, fifteen miles west, twenty Of
these ten-inch wells have been pumped
from at the rate Of thirty million gallons a
day for years. producing 10000 tons Of
sugar a year. and often ten tons on single
acre. After our new pumps are in opera
ton the higher portions of the city above
one hundred feet will continue to be sup
piled from the mountain reservoirs.
Hnrbor improvements.
Another piece of work about to be COM
menced is the excavation Of a dock in the
inner reef 1t is to be 400 by $50 feet and
q feet deep, accommodating two of the
largest steamers now in the Pacific. This
dock will reach far inland of the Pacific
Mail wharf and alongside of the new mar
ket building The ground is at present
bare at low tide. There is thin layer of
coral near the surface, with mud below
which will be taken out by the suction
dredger and discharged inland to fill up
land above on the present mud flats. Other
docks are projected still farther along and
around toward the Marine railway.
1t is probable that the extensive mud
flats on the west side Of the harbor will
ultimately be invaded by similar enlarge
ments of docking space for steamers. 1t
will, however, be difficult to keep up with
the steadily accelerating increase Of the
commerce Of this port Under present con-
ditions of Pacific trade. Whenever the
Nicaragua canal shall be opened. and the
great rush Of Atlantic steamers in the
Asiatic trade begins across the Pacific. Hon
olulu will be overwhelmed with business.
Fortunately, Pearl Harbor is ten miles west,
closely connected with the city by rail and
wire. The Nicaragua traffic will overflow
into that capacious haven. with Its ample
spaces and natural wharfage. 1t is con-
sidered very conservative estimate that
four hundred steamers year will at once