The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-18
PLANTERS
WANT TINE
kohaIa Water Case
Is Still in
Air.
SUGAR MEN WILL
INVESTIGATE IT
No One Opposes But All Want to
Know What is Involved in
Enterprise.

N EFORE the license TO gather and
X sell the waters Of the Kohala
John Walter Jones. there will be
ventilation of the proposition. thor
ough consideration of the plans which
are to be followed by the capitalists
who are said to be behind the man
whose name appears as the sole bene-
ficiary of the magnificent lease.
The feeling IN the city is that an at
tempt was made to railroad the lease
through, and that there is as much need
of publicity in this connection as there
was in the matter of the Wahiawa wa
ter lease In general there was nothing
til the close of the meeting in the Of
fee of the Governor Monday morning.
at which time Governor Dole asked the
sugar men assembled, to listen to the
outlines of plan for the furnishing of
water to the Kohala and Hamakua
plantations.
Instantly the door opened and there
entered Col. Jones, the brothers Gehr,
Attorneys Robertson and Ballou and a
general impression that there was
something doing. The scheme was out
lined and the talk of billions of feet of
yyatar and thousands of hilIiops of sral
Ions and millions of money went on.
But the men who were listening were
: not able to gain full idea of the mat
ter during that short time, and all ask
ed that there be given time for the
consideration of the scheme. 1t was as
serted that where the resources of a
district were about to be tied up for
ninety-nine years, there should be some
amount of time for study given.
Then it developed that Governor Dole
was anxious to get the whole matter
through and off his hands, so that the
papers could go on to Washington for
ratification by the Sierra. The Gov
ernor said that there would be time
tOE piOtCSl OF tilC bCpdI VI tHc
Interior, but 1t was called to his atten-
ton that with a favorable recommended
ton here and the supposed political pull
of the Chicago capitalists, who are
said to be- behind the scheme, there
was great chance that the protests
from the people here would be passed
over without adequate attention. This
view was made so clear that finally a
second meeting was appointed for yes
terday morning, at which time it was
emphasized there being present only at
torneys for the varied interests. The
result however was to have d postpone
lnent of final consideration until next
week On some sides it is said that
there will be two weeks discussion, but
this seems to be beside the mark, since
the men who are interested are making
all their plans for a fight next week.
Although 1t is said by the men who
are interested in the scheme that much
money has been expended upon the plan
for the securing of the water from the
vast water shed the men who have
been most interested in any scheme of
| irrigation of the plantations of the dis
| trict have not been informed by the
managers of the plantations, of any
| movement which seemed to tend in
| this way. It was said yesterday that
there had been made expensive surveys
and trails, all of which had meant the
expenditure of large sums. but the
agents of the Kohala plantation, who
will have as large interests In the sue
cess of the plan as any other land hold
er, said yesterday that they had never
heard of the plan.
This weeks delay gives an oppor'
tunity for the securing of evidence
from the Kohala district, where the
I principal lands to be affected lie. The
agents of Kohala plantation, Castle
Cooke. wrote yesterday urging the I'M
mediate preparation of evidence upof
| the matter, and its being forwarded
here by the Kinau, which returns or
Friday of this week. Others haVn1s
plantation interests in the district nave
! done the same, and the prospects are
| that when the hearing takes place Mon
/ dav next there will be full Statement
of the case ready for the consideration
of the executive.
| While there may be no opposition y
the plan for developing the water OF
! the mountains. the men who nave tax
Continued on Page 49,