The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-03-15

the older Honolulu the streets were
narrow and winding, making many
graceful curve and meeting at other
than right angles. In all tins there was
= certain approprlateness; the narrow
streets were shadIer and cooler than
broader thoroughfares could be, there
was time enough, and there was no
great volume of travel. The streets
were suited to the place, were beauti-
faI. and impaired an air of repose and
OF restful deliberation that could not
fail to be full of charm to visitors,
and that must have been a source of
subconscious qualification to the resi-
dents AS far as possible you must re-
tain this character The needs of
growing traffic and the influx of an i'm
patient race compel notifications here
and there. Many a street has already
been hroadened and Strengthened, that
business and getting about may be Ia
cilitated; but never has this been done
without a loss of charm. The construc
tion of city must, indeed, be designed
to facilitate the transaction of its
business; but what is the business of
Honolulu Yours is not, and does not
aspire to be- an industrial or a great
commercial financial city; it IS that
rare thing, city of delight, seeking
to give leisure and pleasure; fiauTSApg,
not volumes of black smoke, but green
hills and blue seas, the rainbow and
the palm. And if your business is to
give pleasure and to be beautiful, you
can afford i'll unwonted measure to be
conservative about changes; to shun
the ehecker-board plan" you
would the plague, and to retain the
narrow, winding streets. You asked me
to come to suggest changes and i'm
provements, and you will not perhaps
be satisfied that my most urgent APP
peal to you should be a retention of
the old But | am sure I am right. Be
yourselves. Let oil the improvements
be a development, not remaking, of
the old.
b. THE TREES
Coming to the treatment of these
;streets-or streets of the old time char
acter, whatever their age-that are not
to be widened, there is little chance
for tree planting on the very narrow
walk and | think it would be a sad
mistake to attempt it. Let the trees
be, as so frequently now, inside the lot
line, shading the walk by throwing over
1T the protection of the garden. In
such planting that uniformity which
is so desirable in the setting out of
street trees will be difficult to obtain,
but it will be less essential to success.
Better in such streets walks shaded by
various kinds of garden trees than
walks lined by a uniform street tree.
'On the newer and broader streets,
where trees are planted between curb
and walk, it is important that there be
a uniformity in the planting. What |
ever the number of improvement clubs
IsEc+-a tpka,.t
on the tree question and see that only
one kind of tree is used in the street |
planting of that particular thorough
fare. The civic unit is not the club, |
but the street.
c. SIGNS.
In the bnsiness section of Honolulu I
i think there are more signs project I
ing over the sidewalks from the build |
ings than in any other city ever Wis |
tied. AS you probably know, these |
have been abolished in San Francisco |
through the voluntary action of the |
Merchants Association, which secured |
the adoption of ordinance prohibit |
ing them. They are of little value
when everybody has them, they inter-
rupt the views-often very fine on
your streets-they detract from the |
danger.
d. POLES
On all the streets but first on bust
ness streets, the poles ought to come
down. Bad anywhere, these are ten
times worse here. adding to their
usual Disagreement of the street
shock of neWness and commonplace
ness. A desirable arrangement would
be the construction of municipal Cor
conduit. and the requirement
that as fast as a section is finished,
the wires go into 1.-THE companies
paying an annual rental that would
take care of interest and repairs and
provide a sinking fund. If this can
not be accomplished, legislative.
enactment by your board, requiring
the companies to put their wires under
ground at the rate of certain rea-
number of miles each year
would infiict no unjust hardship upon
them and by degrees would rid the
streets of the poles. One Of other OF
these courses has been adopted by
most of the progressive cities or the
States. An incidental but very i'm
portant advantage of Kidding resi-
Dental streets OF wires and poles Will
be the rescue of the trees from mutt
lation by linemen. AS long as the
trees are subjected to this danger, 1t is
Incumbent upon your board to guard
them as carefully may be. 1 under
stand that the law now does this fair
y well, but your ordinances must be
e. FENCES !
The front fences, though dis !
-inctive mark of the old Honolulu,
ought to go. With the beautiful ;
hedges you have here, a street fence,
md even division fence between
street and building line. is very like
IN affront. II the improvement ciuoS
hat desire a more beautiful Honolu-
u would work for the taking down '
# the wooden fences on the streets,