The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-09-20
PLANTERS
WANT TIME
KohaIa Water Case
Is Still in
Air.
~as~ ~ AAEAV OkIo00
SUGAR MEN WILL
INVESTIGATE 1T
No One Opposes But All Want to
Know What is Involved in
Enterprise.

~ |
X sell the waters of the Kohala
- mountain ranges is issued to
John Walter Jones there will be
ventilation Of the proposition. a 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 Dublicity in this connection as there |
was Ia .Ae matter of the Wahiawa wa
ter lease IN general there was nothing
known OF the -<tent of the scheme un-
I'll the close OF tn meeting in the Of
fee Of the Governor Monday morning |
at which time Governor nole asked the |,
sugar men assembled, to h..en to the |
outlines of plan for the furniAlng Of
water to the Kohala and Han,s,ua
plantations.
Instantly the door opened and there
entered Col. Jones, the brothers Gehr
Attorneys Robertson and Ballou and
general impression that there was
something doing. The scheme was out
lined and the talk of billions of feet OF
water and thousands of billions of gal
Ions and millions of money went on.
But the men who were listening were
not able to gain a 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. II vas as
serted that where the resources of
district We're about to be tied up for
ninety mine years, there should be some
amount Of time for study given,
Then II developed that Governor Dole
was anxious to get the whole matter
through and off his hands 80 that the
papers could go on to Washington for
ratification by the Sierra. The Gov
ernor said that there would be time
for protest at the Department of the
Interior, but 1t was called to his atten-
ton that with favorable recommends
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 Dr1tests
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 II was
emphasized there being present only at
torneys for the varied interests. The
result however was to have postpone
ment 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 tn,
managers OF the plantations Of any
movement which seemed To tend IL
this way. 1t was said yesterday thai
there had been made expensive surveys
and trails all of which had meant the
expenditure of large sums, but tn.
agents of the Kohala plantation, wht
will have as large interests in the sue
cess Of the plan as any other land hold
er, said yesterday that they had neve
heard of the plan.
This weeks delay gives an oppor
tunity for the securing of evidence
from the Kohala district, where tn
principal lands to be affected lie Tn
agents of Kohala plantation, Castle 4
Cooke, wrote yesterday urging the i'm
mediate preparation of evidence upoi
the matter, and it's being forwarde,
here by the Kinau, which returns oi
Friday of this week. Others havinl
plantation interests in the district hav
done the same and the prospects ar
that when the hearing takes place Mon
day next there will be a full statemen
of the case ready for the considerable
of the executive.
While there may be no opposition
the plan for developing the water {
the mountains, the men who have tai
en- up its investigation are simply inter
upon hearing all that they can as
the plan and the capacity OF the prt
moters to carry out the work. Mr.
N. Swanzy of T. II. Davies & Co., sal
yesterday afternoon: We do not thin
matters should be disposed Of in tn
way at all. We want to have full il
formation upon the subject Viii
there may be none of our rights invac
ed, we want time for the full invest
CATION of the case and then We will De
eide upon what we shall do in the wa
Of recommendation or protest. Man
years ago there was a survey made
the lands and water courses which "a
involved in the license, and the matt,
was figured upon by the then promote
Mr.. Ledgate whose report was publisl
ed In pamphlet form This contain,
his surveys but soon after this pul
lication the matter dropped from vie'
I cannot say what We will do until v
have all the information possible, al
we will then meet and discuss the que
tion and formulate our course"