The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1907-02-06
HONOLULU AND HILO
EACH GET S4OO,0OO
THE APPROPRIATION TO BE IN
THE FORM or 100000 NOW AND
A CONTINUING CONTRACT.
CBy the S. S. Nevadan.

Washington y. c., Jan. 10, 1901
EDITOR STAR-As the lateuess OF
the Ventura and the wreclliug of his
| train i'm California has delayed the dele
gate a week beyond his expected date
of arrival, and as the Honolulu and
! HHo harbor appropriations are of great
! interest to the Territory, l will make a
! brief statement i'm regard to them.
our first hearing before the Rlvct
and Harbor board was had early i'm De-
Cember. As Col. Heuer of SAN Fran
cisco had made an unfavorable endorse
ment ON the Hilo breakwater report
and questioned certain Of its conclu-
sons, the board cabled Captain Slattery
/ for am estimate on a rubble mound
breakwater in place of the concrete
cap style. and also requested further
| information as to size and density Of
rock available.
The estimate next submitted was ST.
! 100000 for a completed breakwater This
project the board approved, but at such
| a late date that the favorable report
| reached the Rivers and Harbors Com
mittee from the War Department only
| a half hour previous to our hearing be-
fore Chairman Burton and the sub-com-
mittee.
At this hearing we were given as
surauce of an appropriation for Homo
lulu harbor and the chairman asked
me to draft the description of the two
parts of section c to be dredged, for
insertion i'm the Honolulu ITEM the Hilo
project was still in doubt, Chairman
Burton expressing himself as reluctant
to undertake so large a work without
better knowledge of the conditions.
Numerous interviews We're held with
members and senators to present our
needs for harbor improvements and
| particular help was given us by senator
| Piles of Washington and Senator Per-
| kins of California. In the House Com
mittee, invaluable aid was given us by
| Congressman McLachlan of California
who was chairman of the sub-com-
mittee that considered our two pro-
jects.
! On Wednesday I received a letter
from Chairman Burton saying that he
felt that we should be treated literally,
and that he thought we could depend
upon 100000 for each project.
From Mr. McLachlan 1 have since
|
been settled upon by the committee.
From an inside source, I also learned
that the chairman had decided to give
us 100000 for Honolulu harbor at the
time when he was not expecting to dc
anything for Hilo; the $4,000 agreed
upon later for Hilo is therefore simply
an additional sum, and has not in any
way intereferred with the amount Sc
cured for Honolulu harbor. In both
cases there will be an appreciation of
100000 cash and a continuing contract
for an equal amount.
The bill itself will probably be for
| mally reported to the House on We'd
nesday the 23rd.
It is a notable fact that Of all the
dredged harbors i'm the United States
only New York, Boston and Honolulu
have depth of SO feet. Philadelphia
Baltimore and Galveston have only
from p to 80 foot harbors.
The Delegate will arrive in the city
tomorrow, and we shall have a hearing
on Monday before the Senate subcom-
mittee on Fortifications, to endeavor to
have the items for Hawaiian fortifica-
lions separated from those of the Phi
lippines where they are now grouped
as a part of the 'Insular Possessions"
The War Department has submitted
the estimates in this form for several
years, and the hostility of Congress to-
ward fortifying the Philippines has
strongly tended to keep back appro-
priations for Hawaii also
Very truly yours,
GEO. b. MCCLELLAN,
| Secretary to the Territorial Delegate.