The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-01-11

ready for use, for four years of which
| time traffic would be going through
| Panama canal and thus creating a
route which would be preferable before
the American enterprise had gone be-
| yond the stage of talk
| 1t Will be apparent that with the
many cross purposes working that
there will be a hard fight. not against
the canal In itself. but against any
action until the best terms shall have
been gotten out of the Panama people,
and then decision could be made
which would be more likely to give TO
the country interoceanic connection
quickly and cheaply.
NOTHING FOR HAWAII
The failure of the House Committee
on Rivers and Harbors to place in the
bill which is to be submitted for CON
sidera ton soon after the recess any
provision for the surveying of the
harbors of the Hawaiian Islands must
be put down to the credit of the hold
ing up of the Pearl Harbor appropria-
| ton, as outlined in these dispatches
There is, in the opinion of the commit
ieemen who have most to do with the
final framing of these bills, the sub
committee on the drawing of the meas
IRE, nc reason why there shouI be
any further money paid out, or rather
provided for paying out until there has
been settled for the future the point as
to whether the appropriations OF the
committee shall be expended in the
manner intended.
AT the same time there is no enmity
toward the Islands, as is Indicated oy
the statement of the chairman of the
committee, Mr.. Burton of Ohio, who
said that to put the money wanted into
the bill in the House seemed impoSsi-
bic, but that it could be done in the
Senate and would be accepted by the
House conferees. The framing of a
bill like this one, carrying over $50, 0O0-
900, is matter of hard labor and one
which does not show the work when
it is done. For instance during the
past few years there have been auth
orized by Congress many surveys of
streams and harbors. many of which
are not in the opinion of the best men
of the various communities, worthy of
any attention at the hands of the ma,
tional Government. When the Com
mittee on Rivers and Harbors met at
the beginning of December to take up
the framing of their bill for this ses-
sion they found several volumes of re-
ports of the corps of engineers of the
surveys that had been made. 1t is said
that of the many which We're author
lied there was a considerable percent
age which had been turned down, re-
ported as unworthy by the unsenti-
mental engineers. Yet there were in
these reports recommended improve
ments which would have cost the ma
tional Government $500. 600, 900 to COM
plete The committee first talked oyer
the total which it was to recommend
for appropriation. This figure was
finally set at 100000, 900. Then followed
the winnowing of the chaff. Many har-
bors and rivers had to be ignored al
together. For others there was a linn
tied sum set apart, and in few instances
the amount recommended was placed
in the draft of the bill. 1t took three
weeks to have the hearings which were
forced upon the committee. The chair
man and members of the subcommittee
ON the bill worked every night till
midnight and often, especially toward
the completion of the measure until
or o'clock.
Finally what was thought to be the
bill was drawn. But when it was to-
tailed by the clerk 1T was found that