The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-03-20

formal report of his recent trip to the
mainland on behalf of the Chamber
of Commerce to that body yesterday
afternoon. Much of the matter treat
ed in the report has already been dealt
with in the Advertiser, but there was
also much that was new of the great
est interest. The attendance at the
meeting was smaller than the impor-
tance of the report deserved.
Mr.. Wood prefaced his remarks on
his work at Washington by sketching
his movements across the continent, re-
ferring briefly to his visits and calls
on the commercial organizations of San
Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego,
Kansas City. st. Louis and Louisville,
arriving in Washington on December Z.
Of his mission there his report, in part,
says:
ION Monday, December 9, I pre-
scented my letter of introduction from
Admiral Very to Captain Barnett,
formerly secretary of the Naval Board,
who had just been given the position
of Superintendent of the Naval OBJ
servatory. l found in Captain Bar
nett a warm friend of Hawaii and
jealous advocate of the early improve
ment of Pearl Harbor.
"The same afternoon, meet Captain
Pillsbury, the new Secretary of the
Naval Board, at his Office in the Mills
building. One meeting led to another,
the captain being most anxious to fully
inform himself as to Pearl Harbor and
the island of Oahu generally.
ADMIRAL DEWEY.
"Upon assuming the duties of his
new office, I do not think that Cap
tain Pillsbury was specially interest
ed in Hawaii but being a close student
of what army and navy men now con-
slider one of the gravest of problems
the defense of the Paciic-it was not
long before this able man became deep
" interested in the plans for the i'm
provement of Pearl Harbor and no
member of the Naval Board took a
deeper interest in the matter. The
old saying that it is an i'll wind that
blows no one any good was verified in
the incident that led to the retirement
of Admiral BrownsOn and the advance
ment of Captain Pillsbury to the posi-
ton of Chief of the Bureau of Navi-
CATION with the rank of Rear Admiral, .
where, as adviser to the Secretary of
the Navy, his position is one of far
reaching influence The rooms of the
Naval Board were always open to your
representative. and / had the pleasure |
of meeting Admiral Dewey and other |
prominent naval officers many times. |
The Admiral is an earnest advocate of |
the immediate Improvement of Pearl !
Harbor, believing the work to be of
vital importance to the nation.
METCALF NOT OPPOSED.
''At the first convenient opportunity,
I called upon Secretary Metcalf. who,
l had been informed, was opposed to
Pearl Harbor legislation. Presuming on
an acquaintance of several years stand
ing, l told the Secretary the object
OF my mission and asked if the work
the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce
was doing would be considered objec
tionable by the department. Mr.. Met
calf at once replied: No, on the con-
trary. we will welcome your assist
ance. for in our opinion the improve
ments planned for Pearl Harbor should
be undertaken at once and pushed to
not because there is any
likelihood of war, but because the
trend of affairs in the Pacific demands
that the work be DONE
Upon receipt of the cablegram from
President Morgan, stating that the
Chamber stood ready TO make the
borings necessary to determine the
cost of the improvement of the en-
trance to Pearl Harbor, l Immediately
A i -ho Of
with the members of the
Naval Board, EXPRESSED approval of the
plan and commended in the warmest
terms of praise the action of our Cham
Der of Commerce in offering to do what
they could not attempt without a spe-
cial Act of Congress.
II also took the cablegram to Gen
eral Mackenzie, Chief of Engineers,
who expressed the greatest pleasure
possible at the offer. The information
was badly needed, he said, yet as was
the ease with the Navy Department,
there was no fund at his command to
obtain it.
FOR PUBLIC SPIRIT.
upon request. both the army and
navy departments cabled their repre-
sentatives in Hawaii TO assist the
Chamber of Commerce in carrying on
the work. 1 do not believe that the
Chamber ever made a better invest
ment than the expenditure at Pearl
HarbOr. The information was neces-
Sary, it could not be obtained in any
other way without mourning a delay
of many months and. by thus voluntari-
" assuming the expense of the under
taking and carrying out the work so
under the supervision of
Captain Orwell. the Chamber has es-
tablished an enviable reputation in
Washington, as a wideawake and pub
lie spirited organization.
"Theugh resolutions from the lead
ing commercial bodies of the United
States, favoring Pearl Harbor, were
being sent into Congress by every mail,