The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-09-20
FORD island NOT WANTED
CONDEMNATION SUIT TO BE
WITHDRAWN.
Captain Merry Instructed by Navy De-
partment to Withdraw the Suit Now
In United States Court.

The Navy Department has decided
that it will not use Ford Island in the
establishment of the naval station at
Pearl Harbor. BY Wednesdays mail on
the Ventura, Captain Merry the COM
.landant of the local naval station, re-
ceivSd orders from the Secretary of
the Navy directing him to Withdrawn
the condemnation suits for the 151.6
acres of land on Ford Island. This or
der was issued as the result of a recon-
mendation made by Captain Merry
some weeks ago.
The hand in question belongs to the
John ~ Estate and is included in the
800 and odd acres against which the
government has brought condemnation
proceedings before Judge Estee in the
United States District Court. Evident
ly the Navy Department has come to
the conclusion that it can well dis
pense with Ford Island and no doubt
in order to escape from unnecessary
litigation it has decided to abandon all
desire for the island. This order means
in effect, that no further attempt will
be made by the government to secure
possession of the land in question, un-
less some thing in future should arise
The land is now under cultivation b the
Oahu Sugar Company and will continue
to be SO used.
The land was not originally part of
that selected by Captains Pond and
White when they recommended what
they considered was necessary for the
establishment of a naval station at
Pearl Harbor. They recommended that
simply the land makai of the railroad
and the land on Kuahua Island be
taken. Their report was considered
by the Barker Board which decided that
more land should be acquired. Accord
ingly the Bishop estate and the John II
estate which hold lands mauka of the
railroad and also inclures the 1916 acres
on Ford Island, were added by the
board, in all, something over 800 acres
being selected.
In order to secure this land however,
condemnation proceedings were begun
The valuation which the government
agents set was thought by owners ridi-
culously low when compared with their
admitted value, even though the es-
Inmates had been arrived at by taking
the valuations placed on the land by
the assessor and adding IS per cent ad-
ditional. The condemnation suits have
been fought and are still unsettled in
the Federal court
The rand on Ford Island was quo led
by the naval authorities as being worth
but about $50 to $50 an acre. Captain
Merry and Captain White made an eX-
tensive investigation of the proposed
naval station site recently ana as the
result, they decided that the land on
Ford Island was not necessary at all.
Accommodation to this affect was made
by Captain Merry with the result that
the suit is to be withdrawn.
The decision of the navy department
will result in withdrawal of the Pearl
Harbor suit to the defendants William
G.. Irwin, the John Ii estate, the Oahu
Sugar Company and Bishop and Com
pany. These defendants put in an
swers demanding $475,0O0 for their
property If it was to be taken by the
government The Oahu Sugar Com
pany and Bishop and Company wanted
100000 each and the Ii estate $4,000.
Irwin did not put in any answer.
In its answer the Oahu Sugar Com
pany set forth that the land wanted
was very good sugar land, and that a
crop was maturing on the tract. over
a million dollars had been spent, 1t was
stated, on a sugar mill, pumping plant,
artesian wells and railroad facilities.
These improvements may remain now,
and the compal may continue it's su-
gar enterprise.
AS the suit of the government now
stands, the amounts asked by the de-
PENDANTS aggregate only about half a
million dollars. A sdiscontinuanCe of
the suit as against the defendants
owning Ford Island will be filed soon
and the case will go ahead as far as
the others are concerned,