The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1903-02-06
NEW ARMORy
IS NEEDED
Col. Jones Wants
an Appropria.
ton for It.

Col. ]. w. Jones, commander OF the
Hawaiian National Guard. has sent in
his report to Governor Dole recon-
mending an appropriation of $4,000 for
an armory in Honolulu, and smaller
amounts for Waikiki and Hilo.
Aside from this there Is a recon-
mendation by the commanding officer
for an appropriation of $21,SS0 for the
ordinary expenses of the National
Guard.
An armory building for Honolulu has
been agitated for some time, and year
ago there was talk of private subscrip-
ton being raised for that purpose.
There is much need of a new armory
as the old drill shed itself not of much
good may be taken by the United States
Army at any moment.
The report shows that the National
Guard has about $50, 900 worth of mill
tary property which cannot be properly
cared for because of the condition OF
the drill shed. In his report Col. Jones
says:
1.-THE work and interior economy of
the regiment has been greatly hampered
by reason of being housed under four
different roofs in Honolulu instead of
one. and the work attending the care
trusted to it's keeping thereby greatly
increased. All of this property has not
been as we'll cared for as it should have
been; this, however is not through any
neglect on the part of the officers hav-
ing il in charge, but by reason of the
fact that the drill shed, in which a por
ton of it is kept, is neither dust nor
weather proof, the roof leaking badly
and being sadly in need of repairs.
1.-THE dust in dry weather and rain
in wet weather blows into the drill shed
and into the company rooms through
the ventilating spaces near the roof, and
the roof is defective and leaks badly,
1t being impossible to stop the leaking
without putting an entire new roof on
the building. The United States au-
thorities desire that the building be con-
demned and torn down, on the ground
that it is unfit for any purpose but the
temporary storage of articles practical
ly unaffected by the weather although
they have a temporary use for and
greatly desire to get the drill shed at
the present time to house carts and
wagons in, that they are not now able
to properly care for, and the regiment
is only allowed to continue in the use
OF the d. i'll shed until such time as other
quarters may be provided or until such
time as the shed or the space occupied
by 1t Is arbitrarily taken. The regi-
ment therefore Is subject to being per-
manently dispossessed at any time. The
regiment has several times been called
upon to relinquish the use of the drill
shed for short periods, the last time be-
ing in March, 1902
"If there were no question about the
retention of the drill shed in the posses
sion Of the regiment, it would cost a
very considerable sum to put 1t in a
proper condition and re?roof it. AS
1t now is the rain and dust settles on
the guns and other property making it
impossible to keep such property in
good condition. Even though a new
roof were put on the drill shed and the
ventiating spaces made weather proof,
the building being an iron one, the
moisture in the atmosphere would con-
dense and run down and damage the
arms. New arms have recently been
received from the United States Gov
eminent, and, in spite of the fact that
the utmost care Is exercised under the
existing conditions and the pieces kept
well creased while in the racks, they
are beginning to show the effects OF
being kept under the conditions herein
set forth, and unless something is done
to remedy those conditions the arms
will soon become more or less defective
and fit for nothing but drill purposes
and become total loss to the Terri
tory and the United States Govern
ment"