The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-06-02
y FREE PARK.


KapaoIani Park, will soon be reported
BY a committee of the House.
The object Of the bill is to make the
park as it now exists "a free public
park and recreation ground forever"
Before entering upon the merits of
/ the bill it would be we'll to understand
/ how the land of the park is owned A
I portion of it is crown land, another por-
/ ton belonged to the Lunalilo estate,
and when il was sold was bought in
( fee simple by Mr.. W. G. Irwin. The
park is held by the Kapiolani Park AS
ISOLATION under leases, the crown. land
portion for a residue of about twenty
years, the portion owned by Mr. Irwin
for residue Of eight years, when the
lease will fall in, and Mr.. Irwin could
then refuse to release and could cut it
up into lots and sell it. The Kapiolani
Park Association own no land in fee
simple. There are also a number of
lots along the beach between. the main
avenue and the sea occupied by private
lease 10 run. Among these are the resi-
dences of Mr.. Cunha, Mrs. c. L. Carter,
Mr.. J. B. Castle, Mr. W. G. Irwin and
others. These are on the crown land.
Further up the beach, beyond the
houses, are. lots 80 10 100, owned by
MI Irwin in fee simple.
Now let us look at the provisions of
the Act. The object of the Act. as has
been already said. is to secure this
land, known as Kapiolanf Park, to the
public use forever. How is it going to
be done?
The crown land there can be no diff
fculty about. But there can be diff
/ Guilty about the fee simple land owned
/ by Mr. Irwin SuppOsing for a moment
/ that Mr.. Irwin was a different man
/ from what he is, he could at the end OF
| eight years practically destroy the
park The line that ha could cut off
would start from the Honolulu end of
the Herbert lot, or Sans Souci, through
! the race course up TO the lots opposite
/ Dr. Trousseau's ostrich farm. And it
would cut off all the avenues in that
part of the park, for they have not been
condemned for public use and are pri-
vate property.
Now. under this Act, in which we
understand President Dole takes con
siderable inter 81, as he is DESTROYS Of
securing the park in perpetuity, the
following proposal is made:
Mr. Irwin, who has lease of thirty
seven lots upon the crown land proper
ty. among which are his own home
stead lots-the total amounting to 1902
acres-offers to the Government his
1855 acres of fee simple in ex-
change. on condition that the Govern
mgnt take such steps as will make the
whole park a recreation ground for the
public in perpetuity, and that he is
given a fee simple title to his thirty
seven lots. which have a twenty-year
lease or so to run. He also reserves
his gift or exchange, whatever it may
be called. It is a gift, for the value of
the twenty-five acres given by Mr.. r.
win is anywhere from 900 to $40 900,
and the leased land pays a nominal
ground rent.
There is no doubt that this is an eX-
cellent offer. and one that should be
closed with. 1t secures what in a few
years from now we shall not be able to
secure, viz, a fine place of recreation
for all classes of the people. Mr.. Irwin
has acted in a spirit of liberality and
has given the Legislature a chance to
obtain, at no cost to the country, piece
of land which in after years might cost
them over 100000.
1t is we'll to think for a moment of
the great parks of the world. What
would San Francisco be without the
Golden Gate Park, New York without
it's Central Park, London without it's
Hyde Park, or Paris without it's Bots
de Boulogne? But it was only by far
seeing action that such places were
kept for the purposes they have been
dedicated to. 1t is only by far-seeing
action that the present park can be
saved from being practically divided
in half, and the work of laying out the
avenues and the tree planting be lost
to the city. No spirit of picayunish
haggling should be allowed, and the
bill should pass as it stands, unham-
Df
for more than is actually needed.