The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-10-08
HAWAIIAN
INTERESTS
Continued from Page IL

IL
| wall and Delegate Kalanianaole
strongly urged it before the House
Committee on Interstate and Foreign
Commerce but Col. Pete Hepburn
thwarted his efforts at every turn, Col.
Hepburn being chairman of that COM
mittee.
THE LAND PURCHASES HERE.
Gen. Alexander Mckenzie. chief of
engineers in the War Department, who
visited Hawaii a year or two ago, to-
day expressed his satisfaction at the
purchases the Department is making
of land in Hawaii for Notifications. He
reiterated what he has said heretofore
that the prices asked are very high but
he feels that. under the circumstances,
Lieut.. Slattery has done we'll in Sc
curing the options which expire Sept
so. The government will take the land
on which. options have been taken, in
volving an expenditure of approximate
ly 100000. The remainder of the APP
preparation b. the last session of Con-
gress will be devoted also to purchas-
ing more land as fast as owners show
a willingness to sell at a price the
government feels it is at all reasonable
to pay
HARBOR MATTERS.
The General does not hold out a very
bright prospect Of compliance with tue
requests of Gov. Carter and the Ha-
waiian Chamber of Commerce that pl o.
jects for the imDrovement of the har
Dor at Honolulu and likewise of Pearl
Harbor be prepared in advance by
Secretary Taft for the consideration
of AZ
Lieut.. Slattery could, on short notice,
ports on survey of the harbor at Ho-
noluIu. The officials of the War De-
partment are aware that the lieuten-
ant has most of the material already
at hand but the last River and Harbor
law reiterated provisions in previous
laws that no surveys of harbors and
rivers should be made, except as spe-
officially authorized by Congress. In
this and other ways the hands of the
Secretary of War are tied. The reg
ular routine for such matters is for
Congress to authorize the survey ard
if the report thereupon be favorable,
to authorize the expenditure of speci-
fed sums for improvements. The sug-
gestion from the war Department that
authorizing survey Immediately after
Congress assemblies would enable the
survey to be made and report forward
ed in season to have the project incor-
porated in the River and Harbor bill
does not appeal strongly to those fami-
liar with the ways of legislation. II
will be exceedingly difficult to secure
the passage of such resolutions In
Congress. Probably it will prove inn
possible There are scores of locali-
ties on the mainland that would ap-
prove of such step for themselves.
The considera ton of such resolution
for Hawaii would be a signal for all
the other localities TO press their
claims
When opportunity comes for consulta-
ton with Chairmen Frye and Burton
of the Senate and House committees
that have such matters in charge. some
way may be possibly devised to hasten
the improvements for Honolulu, but the
problem viii be exceedingly difficult.
If the Territory gets anything more
from Congress at the coming session
than authorization for surveys. it will
be exceedingly fortunate. Gen. Nc
Kenzie and his associates have given
the petitions from Hawaii careful con-
sideration at two different meetings.
Possibly if the interest of influential
friends of the Territory can be enlisted
the work can be fastened somewhat.
1t can not be expected that there will
be another river and harbor bill, after
the one this coming winter, for two
years.
NEW COMMANDANT
Announcement has been made here
of the appointment of Capt. H. w
Lyon to be conmandant of the naval
station at Honolulu December % next,
which appointment is probably known
in Honolulu. He is now on duty at the
Navy Yard in Portsmouth, y. H. Capt.
Lyon IS native of Massachusetts. His
last sea cruise expired in December.
| 1903. de entered the naval service from
Massachusetts, October T. 1862. and has
the reputation, so it is said at the De-
partment, of being a very capable Off
| Ger.
POSTOFFICE AND CUSTOMS.
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