The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-01-18

power TO carry passengers and freight |
over and across the harbors. inlets.
rivers and streams on the Island of |
Oahu, and 10 construct and own all |
bridges, docks, piers and appurte-
nances necessary for the enjoyment of |
such rights.
This Government and the people |
through its Legislature, have solemn |
~. upon four occasions in writing, |
bound themselves, in honor, to allow |
this corporation TO enjoy wharfage |
facilities necessary in connection with |
its railroad business. And this COM |
pany has borrowed large sums of |
money, here and abroad. upon the |
faith of this legislation and these con- |
tracts.
Under these circumstances it would |
appear as though common honesty re-
uuired the Government to refrain
from shutting this railroad company
out OF the possession of any wharfage
facilities in Honolulu harbor until at
least ii had exhausted all its remain
ing facilities for creating more wharf
age in that harbOr. Is this not self
evident to anyone who wants to boast
of average honesty and common in
telligence? Yet what is the Govern
ment seeking TO do? 1t is reaching out
to seize the wharf now used by the
railroad when it cannot be denied that
there is abundant opportunity TO en-
large the wharfage facilities OF the
harbOr as much again, with land now
used by no one, and in the undisturb-
ed possession and ownership of the
Government
Why is it that the Government will
n nj win
waste, before reaching out to take the
wharf away from the railroad COM
pany, particularly when we consider
the pledges made by the Government
and the Legislature to this railroad
in regard to it's right to own wharves.
Moreover the Government has not
only failed to utilize waste land for
wharves, but actually proposes to fill
up and destroy tide land naturally
availab for wharfage.
The Government is actually prOpOs-
ing TO destroy and fill in more wharf
frontage, than they propose to con-
denim and take over from the railroad,
and in fact about as much wharf room
as they now have in the entire har-
Dor of Honolulu.
And yet the position OF the Govern
ment is that this railroad is not to
have foot of frontage on that harbor.
That is the plan which they are now
making preparations to rush forward
before even the Legislature can be
heard from. Their eagnerness to accom-
plish this and to commit the Govern
ment before the Legislature can be
consulted is in curious contrast with
their delay of more than year to
make any arrangement whereby the
wharfage facilities could be provided
for the increased traffic built up along
the railroad line.
One has but to think OF the appli-
cation of the Eva plantation for more
wharfage facilities, transmitted. to the
Government by the railroad company,
to wonder if the motives back OF the
present attitude of the Government can
stand inspection and discussion. The
Eva plantation had to haul freight
from the East side of the harbor way
around to the railroad because there
was insufficient wharfage on the rail
road side. The railroad has had to
build at large unnecessary expense
scCWs because of the inattention of the
Government.
These matters were met with in
difference and spirit of de.ay in
keeping with what could not have
been beaten by the Aholo Ministry
Now presto! See the change, The
Government announces that it viii
| have two hundred men at work, with
which it will make 600 feet of wharf
age, and destroy the possibility Of
about 1000 feet which be utilized sim
about 1000 feet which could other
wise be utilized, simply to carry out
their arbitrary purpose to go across to
the railroad wharf, and to take it away
from the railroad company.
In the analysis of this Napoleonis-
| tic activity, it is we'll to note that the
plan itse,f as laid out by the Govern
ment, negatives the proposition be-
yOnd any hope of denial that the
| controlling motive is more wharf
room. For the plan destroys available
wharf frontage. The plan demon
strates that the motive is not to secure
the railroad wharf, but to secure the
| business the railroad is doing at that
wharf, and created by the railroad
1t is not wharves that they are after,
but business created by others. They
are not exercising the right of eminent
domain: they are acting as pioneers
of socialism. If they want more wharf
room they should not destroy what
| now exists. Because they want the
railroad wharf they should not so
arrange their plans as to exclude that
company from using their own dock
property purchased and owned in fee,
having a frontage of 700 feet on the
harbor and possibilities for 5000 feet
of wharfage. If the property of the
o. r. & L. Co. and the property OF
the Government on that side of the
harbor is utilized as it should be, in
stead of 600 feet they now propose tC
make there would be 1000 to 5000 feet
of wharfage.
The plan is arranged not only tc
shut the railroad away from its pres
ent wharf, but to prevent it from using
its own ground or securing any other
This is evident from a number of facts
the most potent being that the new
wharf they now plan to build goe!
outside of the land now owned by the
: railroad and the mud bank just con
demned by the railroad, and upor
which they the o. R. & L. Co. plan t
erect new Wharves.
If the Government wants the pres
ent wharf, that is one proposition
Why not leave the railroad to builC