The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-09-21
WAIKIKI MARSHES
The Government on the Action Of
the Board Of Health.
MINISTER KING SERVES NOTICE
Bishop Estate Given Sixty Days in
Which to Commence Work of
Filling In.
MINISTER KING SERVES NOTICE

The recent action of the Board of
Health in condemning a portion of the
marsh land at Waikiki belonging to
the Bishop Estate as unsanitary is re-
ceiying attention at the Government
building and Minister King has alrea
dy addressed an official communication
to the trustees of the estate, notifying
them according to law of the action of
the board and requiring them to COM
mence filling in the land condemned
within sixty days.
Before going further it may be as
we'll to explain that the land con-
demned by the Board of Health as
unsanitary and menace to public
health is that designated on the map
as the Paweo pond or ponds, for there
are really two of them. This COM
prises the marsh land extending near
ly from the bridge on the Kalia road
to the big pond opposite the residence
of F. A Schaefer on the old Waikiki
tends along the mauka side of the road
and is opposite the Ena, Cassidy, Wa
terhouse, Hebron and Mclean prem
ises. There are about fourteen acres
in the tract and the question of how
to reduce it to a sanitary condition is
one that is interesting more than those
directly concerned. According to Hen
ry Macfarlane the land in question was
formerly occupied by natives who car
ried on salt making in a desultory
fashion, or, to use Nh. Macfarlane's
words, they made about as much as
they could eat" The remains of these
old salt ponds are distinctly traceable
to this day. The property is under
lease by the Bishop Estate to John
Ena, the original lease expiring in
1901. Unfortunately, however, there
was a renewal of the lease some time
ago for another six years, which COM
plicateS matters.
1t has been reported that the Bishop
Estate trustees would contest the right
of the Board of Health and the Gov
ernment to condemn this or any other
property. The Advertiser does not be-
lieve this to be true but that the exact
opposite is the truth. A gentleman
who is in close touch with the affairs
Of the estate said, a few days ago:
THE Bishop Estate trustees have
realized for some time that something
would have to be done with the Wal
kiki property of the estate, and only
recently the question has been debated
with them whether 1t would not be
sirable investment for the estate to
utilize some of it's surplus funds in
improving it's marsh lands. The es-
tate will not contest the right OF the
Board of Health to condemn these
lands because the trustees realize that
it is for the public welfare and that
while the expense Of improving the
property may be heavy at the outset
the enhanced value of the land and the
rental will make it a good in
vestment in the end To show that
the trustees are even ahead of the
Board of Health in this matter l need
only mention that they have already
let a contract to fill in a tract of marsh
land opposite the Bishop switch on
the main Waikiki road at an expense
of $4,000. This is an earnest of their |
1t may be stated, moreover, that
Frank S. Dodge, the surveyor of the
estate, has already made preliminary
estimates of the expense of filling in |
the condemned tract and that he will |
be prepared at the next meeting of the
Board of Health to submit plans and
suggestions for its approval. The
board in its order of condemnation re-
uuired the marsh to be filled in level |
with the road. This would require, ac-
cording to a hasty calculation, an av-
erage filling Of four feet, or ninety
thousand cubic yards for the entire |
tract When it is considered that the |
average cost of the filling in done by
he Honolulu Iron Works at their new
hakaako location was 81 cents per
cubic yard, it can be seen that it would
require about $4,000 to fill in this
tract alone, which is hardly justified
by present values of choice residence
in the vicinity. 1t is prob
able that some plan satisfactory to the
Board of Health will be adopted by
which the land can be put in a sanitary
at q less eXOpnSe than would