The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-10-17
BENEFIT IN STREETS.7


the growth of the city. When the size
was chosen more than sixty years aSO,
II was the center of a great native pol
ulation. Now there are very few Ha
waiians who live in the vicinity, but
| instead there are thousands of Chinese
who make their homes and conduct
| their business there. The new site,
however, is in the midst Of native folk
| There is another feature which must
not be overlooked, and which is most
praiseworthy in general, as it seems to
| the mere observer unusual. This is the
| fact that the Bishop. Estate has not
only just given to the city the land
needed for the widening of Beretania
street, on both sides of that thorough
fare, but will open Smith street, and
dedicate the strip of land fifty feet
wide, which it will occupy to the pub
| lie for perpetual use. In addition IN
the preparation Of the new site for the
church, there had to be given fair
sized slice off that property for the
widening of the Asylum road. which
made it a good street.
| This appears all the more worthy OF
remark when it is remembered that in
| the very heart of the business section
of the city there is such a disregard Of
| the public comfort and proprieties as
| to make the offense one of daily objur-
cation. What can redeem upper Fort
street, when between the fair walls Of
the Boston and Mcintyre buildings pro-
trudes into the passage way the staring
front of red brick structure; or OPP
posite when the old fashioned front of
the block which tightens up the avenue,
suggests that the owners have slept
while the city has grown and develop
ed all about them.
Since the arrival of rapid transit there
has been given to one Of these project
ing corners a deal of notoriety, that
on Hotel street, near Richards, where
despite the fact that there should be
some lceway between the cars and the
houses, there is none, but the cars must
be kept closed on the side toward the
wall, to prevent accident.
Further down the street there is
most unsightly break in the line of the
curbing, where beside the Library
building there is permitted to project
into the street to the old line, two
fences of house lots. This is in a vicin-
ity which soon will be the most noticed
in the entire city. AS the thoroughfare
from a district which is being built up
rapidly. right among many new struc-
lures, itself a candidate for improve
ment, 1t is remarkable that this prop
erty stands out of line with the develop
ment of the neighborhood. The reason
is said to be, that the Territory will not
pay enough for the strip of land which
will be cut off the lots in the street
widening. This too when there is suf-
ficient law in the statute books to per-
nit of condemnation proceedings.
The fact is that there can be secured
a fairly equitable verdict from board
such as that which settled the dam
ages and benefits on the widening of
Beretania street, though of course there
always will be objection to awards
which are made by any jury. Section
"a of the road law gives to a board
the power to fix not only the damages
which the property suffers, but also the
benefits which accrue from the better
ment. In the cities of the older states
the general rule is that when the TAX
ing of land for the widening of street
does not cut down the lot to such a
small area as to make it absolutely I'M
desirable, the benefits from a wider
and more perfect thoroughfare compen-
safe for the loss of area. This would
seem to apply here, as the advance in
price of real estate has been such as to
justify any reasonable demand for
profit.
There Is a sum appropriated for the
use of the Department of Public Works
for the payment of street damages.
Would it not be wise to clear up the
business streets first before there are
any other problems encountered? With
Fort and Hotel streets Strengthened as
to alignment, there would be given a
justification for opening and widening
other streets. But If the property
which now obtrudes walls and fences
into an established street line, is per-
mitted to stand for years, there will be
ever the inducement for some small
owner to refuse to compromise and thus
prevent contamination of every attempt
to beautify the city, however much
the owners of the majority of the
frontage may wish the Improvement.
A reporter of the Advertiser at the
Tax Appeal Court was very properly
49,