The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-04-12

Another point in favor of putting the
wharf at Waiakea is the fact that the
whole of Waiakea is Government land
In fact the Government has always re-
served four acres in the immediate vi
cinity of the present landing, for wharf
age purposes, 1 suppose. OF course the
Waiakea landing is quite a distance
from The town, but the minute the
Government begins work on the wharf
there, private parties are ready to con-
struct an electric tramway to the town,
which will shorten the distance and add
perceptibly to the comforts of the pas
sengers. At present the steamer an
chors about mile and half out in the
bay, the passengers are landed in boats
and then packed off to the town in car
riages, mile and half overland.
1T is an interesting experience for
those looking for an experience, but l
don't know of any items of comfort con-
nected with the trip. There are parties
ready today to start in building the
wharf at their own expense, provided
the Government will take over the
property at any time. There is plenty
of land for warehouses, and when the
wharf is built the Government will de-
rive good revenue from it's warehouses
alone.
''rrhe only dangers of this position
arise when a heavy nOrtherly swell is
running. But there are no engineering
difficulties in the way. There is plenty
of rock handy for the construction Of
the wharf and for further protecting the
anchorage. Even when it is rough
along, the coast, vessels run into Hilo
bay for shelter. There has always been
a landing at Waiakea, and l have never
known the time when boats could not
land with perfect safety. 1t might be
possible that in the heaviest northerly
weather some of the vessels might be
obliged to pull into the stream for an
chorage, but such a state Of affairs will
be the exception rather than the rule.
The harbor is we'll protected by
sunken reef outside, and COcOanut Is
land. 1t is flanked on either side by
high cliffs, which make the harbor i'm
pregnable if properly armed. The har-
Dor is wide enough and deep enough to
float all the shipping of the Pacific
What about your taking business
away from Honolulu"
My dear sir, that idea is nonsense
from start to finish. The Government
depends upon the lands of Hawaii to
pay off the bonded Indebtedness, and
you cannot expect to open up those
lands without proper wharfage facili-
ties. The harbor is larger than your
Honolulu harbor, and there are eighteen
acres of Government land adjoining
that will be Immediately available when
the Waiakea wharf is built. Why, there
are 10000 tons of sugar shipped from
that harbor direct to the coast now.
The saving in freights will be consider
able, and that saving may mean to the
coffee planter the difference between
success and failure. Given a wharf and
storehouses, a railroad built along that
district would control sixty-five miles
of sugar and coffee belt, to say nothing
of what would come in from the Olaa
district.
ITO enlarge the present Hilo wharf
and build breakwater would only be
a makeshift. People now pay wharfage
fees, and half the time they have to
go to Waiakea and land their cargoes in
lighters. Lumber costs S26 a thousand,