The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-08-26
Believed by Majority That Con-
press Would Not Stand An
other Touch for Funds.
NO SETTLEMENT IN SIGHT
Many Would Now Favor Irwin
Site Who Were Formerly
Hot for Mahuka.

Substitute sites for the federal build.
ing, in place of the present Mahuka
site, and the proposed addition Of the
Fort street frontage to take in the en-.
tire block bounded by King, Fort, Mer.
chant and Bishop streets, are being
proposed, in view Of the possibility
that when Delegate Kuhio asks con.
gress for a deficiency appropriation of
an additional $l5OOOO or 100000, CON
gress may pass over the request with
out favorable action. Some property.
holders who have studied the situation
are firmly of the opinion that any pro-
ceedings contemplated for cOndemning
the property along Fort street will have
to be based on at least half a million
dollars, against which there is avail
able by appropriation about S350,0OO.
AS to the tax Office figures, giving a
taxation value of about 100000 for the
Cummins block, one of the property
holders asserts that even if this figure
were ever correct, it does not form the
basis of valuation for the block at the
present time, as Castle & Cooke, who
are now leasehold tenants of the block,
recently made cash offer of $l2j,000
for the property This. according to
this real estate authority, establishes
present valuation for the property
which will have to stand in case con
demnation proceedings are begun. The
Hall corner and property between the
two holdings, bring the figures up to
about $j20,000. 1t is said that Col
lectOr of Customs Stackable, who is
custodian of federal building grounds,
has approximated the valuation at
$4,000.
Against this valuation of property
owners there is available for purchase
$350,000, secured by Delegate Kuhio
from congress. Whether congress would
feel interested in adding another big
sum to the already large total required
to secure the present site and the
proposed site, is a matter of conjec
ture. Those who have followed con-
gressional procedure in such cases are
inclined to the belief that congress will
not stand another touch.
The present building site contains
Al 100 square feet. The propostd Fort
street frontage contains 24,506 square
feet, or a total for the block of 66,S05
square feet
A substitute site proposed is the un-
improved property of the Claus Spreck-
els estate, included in the block bound
ed by Merchant, Alakea, Queen and
the proposed new Bishop street exten-
sion. This block, exclusive Of the old
Mutual Telephone Company's block,
contains 57,651 spare feet, or with the
Mutual phone building site, total of
62,295 square feet. This block is said
to be admirably adapted for public
building purposes. as being in line of
travel, particularly for the lawyers,
who use Merchant street largely en-
route to the judiciary building. 1t is
close to the waterfront, which would
be an advantage to the customs depart
ment. This block has no street cars
! running past it except on the Alakea
! street side, the lack of railway tracks
being an advantage for a building de.
voted to the purposes proposed.
1t has been suggested that the
Spreckels estate would be willing to
exchange its property for the Mahuka
\ site, but the Mahuka site is probably
of more value than the Spreckels
estate.
The Irwin site still appears to many
as the ideal site, and according to one
property. in the Fort street site,
many would not have voted for the
:, Mahuka site had they known that the
! Fort street frontage was eventually to
be included in the Mahuka site Other
: wise these men who voted for the orig.
inal Mahuka site would have voted for
} the Irwin site.
! Still another site proposed is the
3 Allen corner, bounded by Alakea, King
r and Richards. On this proposed site
!, are the Christian Church building and
: several residences.