The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-11-21
POLITICAL ROAD BUILDING.

s.ocietv. people who attended the PECK
reception in Manoa valley yesterday
afternoon. saw sample OF the KIND Oh
road building done under the Boyd re-
sinos From near the College hills
t,,rn to a point near L. Tenney Peek
house they had to drive through
ouagm:re. Eight months ago the ROAD
was a fine one and after a rain was as
.,,oott as a board. Then the time for
Republican primaries came along ana
Bovd. who wanted to control them, put
a big force of men on the Manoa anu
- other roads throughout the ISL
ands. working for Jimmy the men
would. of course, vote his way. Inc
sanoa .laborers' loafed most or the
time under the trees in Montana saiu
hut when they worked they merely aux
o,,t the highway entertainments ana
snread the loose dirt on the hard roaa-
he'd ultinately-for the JOB was plo-
longed as much as possible ruEIiiis
- ro,,ar over the new surface. For
.wo weeks the road did very well, but
when travel began to cut It up tue
neighborhood was afflicted with CLOUDS
of dust. Later came the mud; anu
now after heavy teams have drawn
sand from the sAcbi quarry over 1t, the
road is as soft as a back-country traii'
and needs to be rebuilt.
The case is by no means an isolated
ono All over the Islands and through |
out the city the two chief phases OF
political bodybuilding have been In
evidence since Boyd took hold-these
phases being slow work and oolch
work. A well-known citizen informs
us that he watched gang OF "prl-
Nary road laborers on the other side
of the Pail last summer and not a man
of them did anything except when they
saw somebody coming; and what was
finally accomplished hurt the road in.
stead of helping it. AS for botch jobs
the city is full Of them, Anyone who
t,as t,a vai,ed and seen roads elsewhere
and i. acquainted with their durapihty'
viii wonder at the patience OF the TAX
nayers in accepting such pavements
as are to be foundtin Honolulu When
a macadamized road wears out IN one
wear ii is mere makeshift; when 1t
wears out in two years it is but little
better; and it is a mighty good street
in Honolulu, which, if it has mucn
travel, escapes ruts and outcroppings
of heavy rock in six months. After
South King street was macadamized 1t
called for repairs within that time; and
today, Nuuanu street, which was ma
cadamized last spring, shows, in the
between Goo Kim's place and
Chaplain lane, an undulating wave.
Rain collects in hollows and rapid
drive overtime road is trial to car
rage springs. Yet men were presumed
to be at work on the route between
Goo Kir1's and the foot Of the hill
couple of blocks beyond, for nearly two
months. i Nat WHOie pACSC "a "oAAA' 80
the matter of time consumed, was
fragrant job; in the matter of results
a conspicuous part Of it was botch.
The taxpayers, want good roads and
streets for their money; and as a con-
dition precedent they want Superin-
tendent of Public Works who holds his
Office for business and not for politics.
Given a. good road administration and
the primaries may safely be left to the
party. The question of patronage is a
small one tolconsider beside the need
of Arm highways in town and out, but
it has been the preeminent question
with Boyd. Now-that he is out to stay,
il the Senate does its duty, there is |
general hope that his successor Will
DE a man who will see that every dol
lar spent on highways shall bring a
dollars worth of, sound results.