The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1900-11-22
CRUSADE DUE AGAINST
SIDEWALK OBSTRUCTION
Building Contractors
are the Chief
Offenders.
RIGHTs OF PEDESTRIANS IGNORED
EASY MATTER TO LAY TEMPO
RARl WALK AND ERECT
A ROOF OVER 1T.
Rapid Transit Company Also an Or
fender in Infringing on the Side
walks With its Unsightly Poles
Time to Call a Halt.

a crusade against the obstruction II
sidewalks is overdue in Honolulu. Not
ionly are merchants obtrudilg on the
pavements, but others are beginning
TO do so also. The contractors are.
| however. the chief offenders They
tear up things without regard to the
comfort, convenience and rights of
others, and often without asking leave
/ In no city OF the size of Honolulu on
the mainland would builders be al
lowed TO close up sidewalks and simply
wipe out the pavement, forcing pedes-
tFians into the streets, as was done at
King and Fort streets. in front OF the
Thurston building on Merchant street,
| is now being done on the Young build
| ing and is about being done on King
street Just beyond the Occidental ho-
tel. Pedestrians have rights that even
| builders should be made TO respect
/ 1t is an easy matter to lay temporary
| sidewalk and erect over that a roof OF
lplanking as a protection against falling
| brick and other building material. The
| cost of such work IS not large and
leaves the sidewalk unobstructed. This
rule or something similar ought to be
enforced in this city.
A sample of the disregard of prop
erty owners rights by contractors was
made apparent on King street, at Ala
kea, yesterday. where the contractors
for the foundation for the Young build
ing had dug up the street next to the
curbing so that several business men
could not drive up to their front doors
to load and unload goods. to wait on
customers in carriages or to drive into
their warehouses. This was done so
that they might pump out the water
and dispose of it. Pipes were laid I'M
der the streets. but along the cutters
the earth was simply shoveled out and
an open ditch made, the earth being
dumped into the street. 1t is certainly
an outrage and should receive the at
tention of the authorities. Almost
everybody approves of the laying Of
pavements, but what is the use of
building them if they are so obstruct-
ed as. to become useless?
The Rapid Transit Company has
been allowed to further disfgure and
blockade the sidewalks IN various Sec
lions of the city. an dthe awful ugli-
ness and 'unwisdom of this policy is es-
pecially apparent on narrow residence
streets. like Alapai and other streetA
Superintendent of Public Works Nc
Candless was seen by a Republican
reporter recently, when the following
colloquy occurred:
rs there law here against OBJ
structing sidewalks? ?"
Yes. there is such law"
ITO whom do the sidewalks in Ho-
nolulu belong?"
THE streets are public property
from fence to fence" said Mr.. Nc
Candless. including the ground on
which sidewalks are placed. The prop
erty owners put down the walks at
their own expense
Why are telephone poles and rapid
transit poles permitted to be set inside
the curbing on Alapai and other
streets?"
1T would be against the law to have
them in the street. and besides is it
not the rule in all cities to set such
poles inside the curbing?"
1t is the custom to do so in other
cities. though there is no reason why
the city should furnish ground on
which corporations might locate their
not without reeeiv-
ing some substantial compensation
therefor
However. in no city on the mainland
would the erection of such poles as
those of Alapai street be allowed to be
erected for a moment Everywhere on
the mainland electric companies are
compelled to erect light, graceful-look-
ing iron pests. and that should have
been done here, both for the protec-
ton of the beauty of the city and the
eventual benefit of the stockholders of
the company