The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-03-23
THE SECRET EsPLANADE LOT DEAL.


Public Works with the approval OF the Governor SAID,
makes very vital the question of whether the legislature should
not Immediately pass taking the power of the
ecuve to dispose Of public lands except agricultural lands
and they only under general land laws providing for publicity
every case. es..,.
Without such an enactment it seems only question of very
short time when the valuable city property by the
Territory will have passed of the ownership
and become the speculative profit bringing property of ndi
yduals corporations
OF all the land by government the Espanade lots
the last that ought have been parted with Until the
final completion of plans for the improvement of the harbor and
water front to the requirements of increasing commerce.
those Epanade lots ought have been held government
property against every other consideration But if they we're
be sod there ought least have been publicity
sale. Others than the individual who given appar
emily his price ought to have had chance bid
Who knows but what much higher might have been
obtained for it well advertised auction?
No similar public land belonging to the United States could be
sold without act Of congress- No similar public belong
to state municipality in the United States could have
been sold without the Of the legislature the NUM-
ca council 1t is believed If the the land
OF the naval station far from these identical Espanade
lots recently Sold should be abandoned by States
would require congress to sell it, 1t is only the unoc
cupied agricultural pastoral timber mineral lands of the Unit
ed States which can be sold by the executive department. they
only in accord with strictly drawn laws.
The statements made by the Commission which looked
into our public land transactions fall the disclosure of the
Spanade lot sale and the frequent within
the past two years valuable public land makes it the duty of
e legislature to take from the executive the power dispose of
but agricultural lands without consent of the legaure
VI a inc very eas at no Such land shall be sold with
such publicity shall guarantee to the Territory the highest price
the land will bring.
Both Superintendent of Public Works Cooper and A. Nc
Candies have said regarding the publication in the Star last
Saturday of the particulars OF this Espanade transaction that
the deed did tell the whole transaction and that there were
other considerations which the government received namely
$3.50 in cash and the Conwe Bowler Ahrens and Queen En-
property needed for the widening Waikiki road and valued
at S228 Since both Superintendent Cooper and A. McCand-
less that this transaction included consideration for
the Epanade lots it be accepted that included But
the deed does The deed consideration
and is entirely silent the Waikiki Road transaction And
e Faent the ESPanade lots to cCandes is explicit
STILL and negatives the idea that there any consideration
Tor the 100000 Epanade lots than the Fort and
Hotel street property And besides the $4,000 lots parted WITH
the government gave away all its claims beemen Since
there other and substantial considerations by the
government of the transaction than those the deed
and patent, the deed and patent false
The deeds for the Cornwe Bowler Aren Queen Emma
property for have been filed record Who
knows that they will the real consideration which they
are granted since the deed and in the Espanade
action do not?
CATION OF this whole transaction and pass laws that prevent
the secret sale of valuable government future If some
thing OF this is DONE future legislature will awake
TO the tact that there IS public lands left be egsated about
The announcement that the grave A the Hun has been
found sounds like the Board Of Trade OF the Brave district was
bidding for the tourist traffic.
Sending rigadier Funston Oregon this like lock-
the stable after the horse has gone Funston should have
been sent to Oregon when Bandit Tracey doing his specta
cuar stunt
Thomas square, with the work now in progress there
looks like woodot down east being cleared for fire.
wood Ever since the work began, cordwOOd has been
piled up here and there the square. In ALL good
many cords OF wood must have been that piece of
pmolc property How much cOrdwOod is being taken
Off, Will doubtless be reported in the govern
ment reizations by the public works department. I'M
der which the work is being done.
The following from the current number of Duns Re
VeW interesting in ITSELF and showing how closely
the pulse of trade and finance is felt.
Failures fewer in February and smaller in !
amount OF deaulted liabilities than in the corresponding
month last year; 1O3O comparing with 11O4 and So
4o4 with Sll3O2O29 But for a few large defaults in
real estate and other similar lines the exhibit was sri
lngly satisfactory, and in manufacturing lines the de-
crease In Liabilities was million dollars
than 20 per cent There considerable improve
men in the number of trading failures 734 comparing
with 500 year while defaued indebtedness fell
from $4 491 to $45S27 04 Eliminating the few fail