The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-08-27
THE WATER ISSUE.

The public must wonder what all TINS
water row is about. How did II arise
and why does the Bulletin print sc
many letters accusing the Nuuanu
water supply of having poisonous
nitrates,, while commencing the red
worm infusion at Kaimuki as harm
less? Whence the incidental remarks
about the need of a reservoir at a
height coinc.dent with that of the wet
spot in Booths Pauoa valley while de-
crying the reservoir site already owned
and approp1 lated for by the Legisla-
ture at a corresponding elevation
across the way in the Nuuanu valley?
Why the disturbance over wfer at a
time when there is plenty of water on
hand?
Well. it's this way. A year and
half ago Mr.. C. W. Booth, carefully
avoiding the adjudicatory method OF
getting at the value of holdings offer
ed at sale to the Government, tried to
get the Legislature to pay him $25O,oOo
for a rain-fed wet spot in Pauoa valley
which would have been dear at $4,000
especially in view of the taro patch
liens that affected it and the non-con-
veyance of the circumjacent land. He
was able to get some support In the
Legislature which he traded on with
men who had axes of their own to
grind The A. V. Gear outfit wanted
TO unload the Kaimuki water plant on
the Government and it also had some
legislative backing. The natural re-
course was for the traders on both
sides to get together and pool their
strength. Thanks to our Irresponsible
electorate they had considerable
strength to pool; and this they We're
able to throw for the bills of other
legislators who would help out the
water scheme. The s250,000 PROPOSE
ton being too raw, it was set aside for
a $500 one which passed. Soon after,
as the papers reported officially at the
time but as Mr.. Booth sees fit to deny
now, the latter turned in an assess.
Tnent covering the value of these
Springs" and much land besides. at
about $4,000. His attorney afterwards
sought to get him out of the snarl by
confessing an error in judgment"
The $1,000 bill was passed up to
Governor Dole and he vetoed it. A
Kaimuki bill also went by the board.
Later the Kaimuki people unloaded
without the assistance of the Legisla-
ture and now they feel in honor bound
there is honor among promoters, so
the Rig yeda says-to help Booth I'M
load on the next Legislature as he is
obviously preparing to do. The open
ing work is to spread distrust of Nuu-
anu valley water--which Honolulu has
drunk with impunity for a generation
-as compared with the water which
collects in the wet spot on the Booth
valley property-part rain and part the
rinsings of Tantalus. Hence the talk
in the Gear organ about poisonous
The idea is that if the tax
payers can De scared Dy TINS DuSdDOO
they will be so scared that they won't
consent to build reservoir on land
they own in the upper Nuuanu but
will choose instead to buy Booths land
in the upper Pauoa valley at fifteen
times more than it is worth. In
they are not expected to ask
how it is that bad water collects on
the one side of Pacific Heights and
good water on the other.
The reputation of the Kaimuki water
must of course be sustained or the
Government might feel sensitive about
buying any more. Hence the aspos-
trophies to Harmless red worms
That, we believe, is the whole story.
The next move will probably be to tell
of fearful vertebrate finds in Nuuanu
valley water and to compare them with
certificates of medicinal value for the
rain which collects on the other side
of the ridge.
Mr.. Kidd has been waiting for some
time for his reward and ii now comes