Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-04-02
HOUSE..
Thirty.seventh Day.
Afternoon Session.


The committee report Jn the Pauoa
water works was the first thing taken
up at the afternoon session of the
House yesterday. II was as follows
The committee recommends the puT.
chase of these water rights. Their ac-
QUESTION will give the government
ownership of all the water. practically,
of Pauoa Valley. In other words, II
adds the water supply of another val
ley to the assets of the government.
I'VE think very few question the pro-
priety, II not the necessity, of acquir-
ing this water ultimately; in fact, 1t
has been for some time past a fore
gone conclusion that the government
would require this water supply, as well
as the water supply of other valleys
adjacent to the City of Honolulu, the
only question being when and how
these water rights should be acquired,
and chiefly whether under condemna-
ton proceedings or by voluntary pur-
chase, and If by the latter method, what
the price should be.
In our Judgment a voluntary pur-
chase is much preferable to the tedious
and costly delays of acquiring prop
erty by compulsion and litigation, pro-
yided the price asked Is reasonable.
In this case we consider the value
placed by the owners, over twenty in
number upon these water rights, to-
wit, $250,000, a proper one when you
take into consideration: First. that the
water is of exceptional purity and the
supply very uniform; second, that 1t
Is available at a high level. most of II
at 800 feet, and that II is near at hand
TO the city; and, third. that everything
indicates that the supply of these
springs can be increased at small cost.
THE quality of the water for drink
ing purposes is attested by chemists
and doctors, and in this respect con-
trasts pleasantly with the unfortunate
quality of too much of the water that
our people have to drink. To pump
the million and a quarter gallons,
which is about the daily supply of these
springs, undeveloped, to their eleva-
ton above the artesian level would
cost the government over $4,000 a
year, taking the cost of pumping ut
the government pumping stations as
the basis of computation and without
including interest on the first cost OF
the pumping plant to do this work. In
other words, to put the water to this
elevation would be per cent on the
price asked by the owners OF the water.
Many homes on the high levels go
without an adequate or decent supply
of wafer in the summer because of the
expense and difficulty OF getting water
to them under the present water sys-
TEN. This would be very largely over
come by the acquisition OF the water
in question. The springs under CON
sideratiOn cover a considerable area,
and no one who has ever seen them, as
far as your committee can learn. but
believes that the cleaning out of these
springs. alone, would make great in
crease in their supply.
The city stands in urgent need of
more water, and we must pay for 1t If
we expect to get il.
"One essential point in favor of the
water Is that 1t is spring water and is,
therefore, much preferable under any
circumstances. to the water that comes
either from the artesian system or by
streams from the water sheds above
the city"
"(Slgned) Jonah Kumalae, chairman,
Charles II. Pulaa, X. W. Aylett, ID.
Damien, S. l.. Kalama."
Harrin Objects.
Harris moved that the report be held
to be considered with the water bill
Should the report be adopted now ii
would carry with II an appropriation
of S25O,OO0 by the government While
the committee might be of the opinion
the the purchase of the water works ut
$25O,OO0 was a bargain, IL did not con-
vince Mr.. Harris and possibly also
other members of the House, that this
was so. He wanted to ask the COM
mittee II in appropriating the sum
named, every requisition of that water
would be decided to the government.
Further the report did not show that
either the Superintendent of Public
Works or the Superintendent OF
Water Works had been consulted. The
government could condemn the prop
erty and then pay the owner of 1t the
estimated value. The bitterest fights
in the Hawaiian courts had been about
water rights and It was OF utmost i'm.
portance to know II the title was per-
fectly clear. A resolution might be
made to have the Superintendent of
Public Works and the Superintendent
of Water Works inquire into the ad-
visibility OF the purchase and com
mittee could then be appointed to APP
praise the value of the property. Under
the loan bill the House was anthorizel