Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-05-11
WATER CONTROVERSY
Held IN Waikiki

Waikiki, May 9.-The court which
has been sitting at the Maui hotel for
the past ten days, since April 3Oth. to
obtain evidence in the suit between
the Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar
Company and the Waikiki Sugar Com
pany and the natives relating to lao
stream water in Waikiki, concluded its
labors this noon, and Commissioner
J. f. Brown. and Attorneys w. o.
kai, for II. c. & S. Co, and Attorney
w. A. Kinney, for the Waikiki Sugar
Company. will return to Honolulu this
afternoon by the steamer Claudine, also
Miss Miller, stenographer of the Court.
JnG Richardson, one Of the attor-
neys for the natives. has been acting
as Hawaiian English interpreter. A
great deal OF evidence from natives,
Portuguese, and others who have been
residents here for many years and who
thoroughly understand matters con-
corning the water supply, have been
taken down.
The attorneys for the respective par
ties have been very searching in their
questions to witnesses, and II seems
that very little detail either pro or con
have been gone through by the attor-
neys, and nothing more can be learned
about the matter in controversy.
Messrs. Kluegel and Johnson, civil
engineers and experts on the geological
formations Of the sources Of water sup
ply. have been here since Wednesday
morning, and have been personally ex-
aiming and investigating the water
heads. and their expert opinions on
such matters are now part of the vol.
luminous proceedings OF the court, upon
which Referee Brown will give his de-
cision.
In order to complete the work so as
to enable them to return to Honolulu
today. the court sat last night and took
the evidence OF Engineer Kluegel. This
morning Engineer johnson, former
kamaaina of this town, was on the wit
ness stand.
The real fight is between the Hawaii
an Commercial & Sugar Company and
the Wailuku Sugar Company, as "a
which of them is entitled to get tbs
most water from lao stream. The lease
OF the Waihee water by the Wailukr
Sugar Co. to the II. C. & S. Co., viii
expire in a few years, and this vii
materially affect the water supply o.
the latter company, unless they car
make up for the loss by taking an equa
amount OF water from the lao stream
to Spreckelsville which means, o
| course, that their water right lands IN
Wailuku will be dried up and the waite
diverted for the use Of cane fields.
Whether one of the plantation com
panies will obtain more water thai
the other, the natives, whose patche
have been drying up for the past fey
years and suffering from lack Of water
will continue to be So as there Is no
sufficient water in lao stream to suppl
all those concerned In the suit. If an
OF the parties will suffer more than tn
others, that party every time will b
the small farmer, be he japanese. Chin
ese, Portuguese, or native.
This is an unsatisfactory state OF al
fairs for the natives, but 1t Is moder
state OF affairs when the weaker a
, ways goes to the wall. 1t is one way {
forcing the natives to sell out the
lands to others who have the abilit
and means to turn the same lands froi
parched and dried up taro patches,
, rich and fertile cane lands.