The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-04-24
REPORT ON THE
WAIKIKI SWAMPS
Results of Commissions Work
Submitted to the
Senate.

important recommendations affecting
the general health and sanitary eondi.
lions OF Honolulu through the draining
OF the Waikiki swamps are embodied
IN the report of the Waikiki Reclama.
ton Commission, submitted to the SEN
ate yesterday. The report bears the
signatures of Marston Campbell as
chairman, Edward T. Davis and W. w.
North, and deals extensively with the
problem that the commission was ap-
pointed to investigate in accordance
with resolution adopted by the Legis-
lature of 1907.
= bill intending to carry out the
ideas of the commission was also in
troduced in the Senate yesterday BY
Senator Chillingworth As there are
only four more days left to the ses-
sion of 1909 it is practically impossible
for the bill to be passed. 1t is intro
duced mainly for the purpose of en-
tightening the public as to what the
actual working of the reclamation plan
would be and to pave the way for the
introduction of a bin covering the same
subject in the Legislature of 1911.
The bill provides that the Super
visors of the counties and of the City
and County of Honolulu shall be en-
powered to order the reclamation of
lands as the public health or interest
or convenience may require. The bill
states that when part of the cost of
reclamation is to be collected by a spe-
cial assessment upon property benefited,
the work of reclamation shall only be
undertaken upon the petition of the
owners of two thirds of the property
affected.
The full text of the commission s re-
port is as follows:
The Revised Laws of the Territory
of Hawaii, Sections 1925 to 1884 inela-
siye, provide certain means whereby
insanitary conditions and swamp lands
may be reclaimed and rendered sani-
tary within the District of Honolulu,
Island of Oahu However, under the
above provisions, after the Board of
Health of the Territory has declared
such swamp lands to be deleterious to
piUiiC HEALTH, the superintendent u
Public Works may direct the owner of
such property to properly fill and drain
same and place it in sanitary condition.
On failure of the property owner to
comply with such notice, the Superin-
tendent of Public Works may perform
such work, and recover the cost of
same from the property owner by suit
in a court of competent jurisdiction.
"To comply with the provisions of
Chapter 80, Sections 1925 to 1884 inclu-
sive, would require an appropriation by
the Territorial Legislature to enable
the Superintendent of Public Works to
reclaim and drain such lands as the
owners may refuse to place in proper
sanitary condition Without such ap-
preparation, this law is practically a
dead letter and cannot be enforced.
s'The Waikiki Reclamation Commits
sion, after careful consideration of the
present laws on the statute books, is
of the opinion that the reclamation of
the Waikiki district should not be I'M
dertaken by the Territory, but should
be carried on by the City and County
of Honolulu, under special act OF the
Legislature, empowering the said city
and county to create reclamation dis
triets and to assess the cost of the
reclamation against the district benefit
ed by and through such reclamation.
Continued or Page Six,