The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-09-25

an exchange for lands along the Wal
kiki road, which was being widened.
He said the road was already sixty
feet wide and the government was
making it 100 feet for the purpose of
squeezing out the Tramways Company
and giving the Rapid Transit Company
a monopoly. He SAID it was a shame
that there should be money spent upon
such projects while the Territory was
at the same time asking Congress TO
assist it by paying the amount of the
fire claims awards.
He also took up the matter of the
building of a great wharf at immense
cost. which he said was done by con-
Germ which expects to get its money
back from the next legislature. He
said this was wrong as the Federal
government should build the docks. He
said the result would be that the people
who are building the dock would come
before the legislature and try to cor
rupt it. He then read the following pa
per:
TO The Honorable subcommittee of
the United States Senate Committee
on Pacific Islands and Porto Rico.
| Gentlemen: Among the existing needs
and more urgent necessities of this Ter
| V,
your Honorable Committee should in
vestigate, and, with your recommended
ton thereupon, report to Congress, are
the following:
1. Some speedy provision by Con-
gress for payment of the fire claim
awards to the sufferers by the great
fires in Honolulu, during the reign of
the Bubonic Plague in January, 1900.
q The erection of a suitable federal
building, in the city of Honolulu, for
the purposes of a Federal Court, Post
Office, Custom House, and the other
usual and incident federal offices.
Such building should in my judgment
cost 81 100000, and should for purposes
of both convenience and economy be
erected at the northwest corner of the
grounds of the present executive build
ing; and l invite the attention of your
committee to the desirablity of that
location, as a site for such building for
the reasons | have named.
8. That the land laws of the United
4 States be extended to this Territory,
with modification that forty acres
shall constitute a homestead.
For the purpose of such a provision,
and of suitably adapting it TO the con-
ditions of this Territory, l would recon-
mend that the Commissioner of Public
Lands at Washington, D. c., be en-
powered and directed to send experts to
this Territory to make all necessary in
vestigation of the subject, and report
the results of such investigation to
Congress-
f. That the Leper colony, at Kalau
papa on the island of Molokai be TAX
en- under the care. control and main
tenance of the Federal Government, as
a reservation for leprous persons, under
the direction of the Secretary of the
Treasury; but that no leprous persons
other than those of the mainland of
the United States and of this Territory
be allowed on such reservation.
5. That the light house system of this
Territory be taken under the direction
of the Secretary of the Treasury, and
be made part of the mainland system.
s. That the War Department be di-
rected to send it's engineers to survey
the harbors of this Territory, and to
furnish that department and Congress
with estimates for dredging the same
and constructing necessary breakwa-
ters.
Z. That revenue cutter be provided
for this Territory, at a cost of $250,00O
Very respectfully yours,
ROBERT w. WILCOX.
Honolulu, September oath 1902.
During the course of the paper he
commented upon each paragraph in
language which gave the impression
that he was reading something prepared
by another and must explain it. When
he asked for the payment of the fire
claims he said that he had known for
a long time that Chinatown was an
eyesore to the white people and they
were anxious to have it destroyed and
the Chinese removed out of town. He
said that Chinese had told him that
the Board of Health had been notified
that it was a windy day and that it
would be unwise to burn. But he said
they went on and did it and the con-
sequence was the destruction of China
town. He was ready to believe that
there were a number of people who
thought there was something in this.
| ! When asked if he believed that Con-
| gress should appropriate for the pur-
| pose of paying the losses, he said that
| it should for the Territory was poor and
the people hau suffered. He said the
I Board of Health had squandered $500, 900
| of the peoples money in putting down
/ the plague. When asked the question
| If he thought the fire was for the pur-
| pose of destroying Chinatown he said
the people We're glad to burn it for they
could thus get ria of the plague and OF
! Chinatown at the same time.
He said in connection with the land
laws that the people here were in sup
port of the Presidents message as tC
| development of the Territory. and that
there should be reforms and govern
ment control He said that the sugar
corporations held half of the lands eth
er in fee or on long leases. He made
| a long and somewhat incoherent state
ment as to the values of lands and alsC
as to the cost of producing sugar. HI
gave the price of sugar at four cent!
and in his statement did not count TIT
cost of marketing at all.
Among other things he said tina
, there was tract of seventy acres OF
Maui which if opened for settlemen
] would support seventy families but tn
| government would lease them 10 tn
| Plantations, he was sure. He said h
wanted to see 1000 American farmer
here and they would come if the home
| stead We're opened for them He sal