The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-12-09

Honolulu Should Get In
to Regular Appro-
priation Bill.

The published fact that the Presi-
dent has recommended an appropria-
ton for dredging Honolulu harbor to
depth of "a feet, on the suggestion
in Governor Carter's report, has led to
some discussion as to whether the Gov
ernor and the Chamber of Commerce
are not at cross purposes in a most i'm
portant matter, and a committee from
the commercial body has calted upon
the Governor for discussion of the
question.
conflict whatever. A survey of the
harbor has been made by the Commits
sioner of Public Works, showing what
the Territory has dona in the line of
harbor improvement, and what it is
deemed imperatively necessary shall be
done by the Government at once, and
at what cost, if Honolulu is to keep it's
place in tho commerce of the Pacific.
The Territory has already spent more
than quarter of a million of dollars
in dredging the harbor, to say nothing
ed in building the slips. All that was
asked by the Governor was that Con-
gress appropriate s25S00O at once to
dredge the harbor to a uniform depth
that now make Honolulu port of call
he shit Of too fI1tI4
might come into the harbor and right
up to the wharves at all times. This
is necessary now.
The recommendation that this be done
went. forward from the Governors Of
fee sslvera1 months ago and the i'm
portance of the matter was appreciated
by President Roosevelt, who included
the Governors recommendation in his
message, as has already been STATED.
This is for the work that is needed
Immediately. Also. it is a wise move,
from the standpoint of material advan-
tage. to get Congress into the habit of
including the improvement of the har-
bors of island ports in the Rivers and
Harbors Bill at the earliest moment
practica BILE. If the recommendation of
the Governor had been delayed until
the opening of the ssssion of Congress
there would certainly have been no APP
for the dredging of Honolu- |
lu harbor included in the bill this term. |
For it is a matter requiring time to get |
any appropriation through Congress- !
To get into one of the regular appro- |
priation bills requires even more time |
than to pass a special measure, pro-
viding that special bill can be, passed |
at all. But when the claim of any |
port to harbor Improvement is once
made manifest then sthe regular COM |
mittee takes up the claim of that port |
thereafter always as a routine matter |
A port must get into line, however, |
first.
There is no disposition anywhere to |
block the plan of the local merchants |
to get an appropriation for prelimi- |
nary survey for a general plan of har- |
Dor Improvement and to prepare prof. |
ect for the general betterment of the |
port facilities in time for the increased |
all believe will follow the |
of the Panama canal and
the closer relation of the commerce of |
the Pacific with the worlds trade. 1t |
i. Il b, = nitted that the port is too |
small, that the big steamers have diff /
Guilty in turning around once they are |
inside, and that it would be better if |
the harbor We're even twice as wide as |
it is now. But all that is matter for
the future.
The immediate need is for deeper
water all over the harbor, and the
survey shows that a general
depth of "a feet can be secured if Con-
gress will spend as much money as
the Territory has already expended in
dredging. And that is as far as the |
Governor went and as far as the Presi-
dent has followed him in his recon-
There has been and can
be no conflict. All the interests here
ara working for the development of
the commercial importance of the port.