The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-06-21
Plans for the Largest Road in
the Territory on
Hawaii.
WILL OPEN IMMENSE TRACTS
Wall Franchise Is for a Road
0ne-Third Around the Big
Island.

Plans for the longest railroad in the
Territory of Hawaii were made known
yesterday. The line, when built, will
reach one.third of the way around the
Island of Hawaii and open for develop
ment immense tracts of land adaptable
for the growing of sugar, cotton, to-
bacco, pineapples and all other agri-
cultural products to which the soil is
suited. The line will reach from Hona-
kahou, on the northwest side of the
island, to Pahala, on the southeast side,
following closely the government road
nearly all the way.
The right of way has been surveyed,
and w. A. Wall of this city, who made
the survey and will doubtless engineer
the entire project, has received cable
gram from Washington announcing that
the franchise has passed the house Of
representatives and has been read twice
in the senate. There is no reason to
fear, it is said, the result of the sem
ate's action, which will be made known
in the next few days. There has been
no opposition to the franchise as yet,
and the likelihood is there will be none.
Mr.. Wall stated yesterday that he
was not at liberty to announce the par
ticulars regarding the personnel of the
prospective board of directors of the
company. He also declined to say what
the capitalization of the company would
be. In fact, he said that although near
~ all the plans of the promoters of. the
enterprise had already been made, the
name of the company and its capitaliza-
ton had not been decided upon def
nitely, and he did not want to make
known the particulars until the fran
chise is passed by the senate and signed
by the President.
The charter of the company, Mr.. Wall
said, is being prepared at the present
time.
The country through which the rail-
road will pass is practically undevel-
oped, and the new line will be the
means of opening up large area of
the richest land in the territory.
The main point on the line will be
Kaawaloa. That place will be the
terminus of two divisions, one Of which
will extend northward to Honakahou,
and the other southwark to Kaulaka,
thence along the government road to
the plains of Manuka, Kahuka and Pa
hala, where the line will run south of
the wagon road, as that section of coun-
try is not adaptable to agriculture. On
the southeast corner of the island the
railroad will pass through several large
sugar plantations, including Waiohinu,
Naalehu, Hilea, and the terminus will
be at Pahala.
Most of the land through which the
line will be built on the west side of
the island is we'll suited to the growing
of pineapples, coffee, tobacco and cot
ton. At the present time the tobacco
and pineapple industries ara making
some Roadway, but only in the country
adjacent to Kaawaloa, as that is the
only place where fruit and other agri-
cultural products can be shipped from.
The railroad itself will cost several
millions, and the capital required to de-
velop the land will doubtless be as much
or more. 1t is expected that the sugar
industry in that part of the island will
be helped by the new road, as in some
places transportation facilities are by
no means as good as they might be.
The cost of contracting the line will
be comparatively low, it is believed, as
there will be only a few small cuts and
a single bridge. Stations will be built
wherever there is traffic enough to
justify the company in establishing
stopping places. The government road
will serve as "a sort of "feeder" for
the railroad.
Mr.. Wall said the construction work
would probably begin as soon as the
franchise is granted and the final plans
can be decided upon. A large number
Of workmen and teams will be employed
when the work of building the road is
begun.
It is predicted by prominent bust
mes men of the Territory that within
few years there will be a railroad sys
tenn reaching all the way round the
Island of Hawaii.