The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-07-22
RAWAu,s PROSPECTS,.

HAWAI- EEENoE EGAGs
At meeting of the Hno Board Of
Trade held recently on the big island,
the members we're addressed by L. A.
Thurson on the islands future develop
ment and possibilities, outlining the at
titude of the Hilo railway, which he
represents, towards matters of interest
He said:
s'Mr. President and Members of the
Hilo Board of Trade: hardly expected
to speak before you today but came up
here to see what the Hilo Board of
Trade is like. am, as you all know,
greatly interested in this island and in
Hilo, In fact, financially, practically
everything that have is invested in
this vicinity and 1 now expect to make
my home here for some time to come.
/ came here by way of the new Hama
kua ditch and believe that it will have
4 great part in developing Hilo and the
country around here. The different
plantation managers with whom / talk
cd and upon whose lands the water from
the new ditch will run, each told me
that they expected to raise from two to
four thousand tons more sugar as the
result of the water brought them by the
aew ditch.
elm addition to this the owners Of
the ditch have further plans for storing
water in the great gulches of Waipio
Valley, some Of which are SO shaped
that they may be damned to store fifty
TO seventy-five million gallons, with a
very light expense. Through the ex-
penditure of about $500, 900 they expect
TO store enough water to have an enor
nous reserve and also to be able to get
5000 horsepower from the water run
Aing out of these reservoirs, which will
be used to pump water from lower lev
els into the ditch and for general pow
er purposes.
81 believe that the time is coming
when the bitches will not only furnish
water for the irrigation of plantations
but also will provide power for other
purposes. Where there is cheap power
and plenty of it manufacturing is sure
TO start. Ten years ago the only fuel
California had was imported coal but
with the discovery of oil and its con-
sequent cheapness manufactures have
started all over the State. The enor-
nous development of power will mean
"On the great Waimea plains are
thousands of acres Of the finest land
imaginable, which now, without water,
Is only poor grazing land but which may
be irrigated and developed into the
finest of agricultural land. The same
thing is true of the great stretch of
land at Pahala For this it is only nee
essary to construct long enough ce-
ment ditch to take water from the Hilo
district All this will go to make Hilo.
OF course it is at present but dream,
but it is a dream which will be accom-
plished.
tAs far as / can see what is needed
in Hilo is for the people to get together.
There has been the feeling that the
Hilo railroad, which / represent, is an
tagonistic to the InterIsand company.
There is no such disposition on our part.
have nothing to say against the Inter
island and believe that they are giving
rood service. / would just as soon
travel on the Mauna Kea as on the
Manehuria, so far as comfort is concern
ed. There is only one Improvement in
the service which would suggest and
believe that this can be made in the
near future, that the Mauna Kea should
make two trips week to Hilo, instead
of one. / do not believe that the inter
asts of the two companies are antago,
nistic. The development of this island
must come from the interior and the
railroads will do that. In running along
the coast we will naturally AXE away
some of the traffic which has been han
dled by the Inter.lsland and | regret
ehis- hut the result of the building OF
She Hamakua extension is going to be
She building up of the island to such
an extent that in a very short time the
Pnter.Island will be doing twice the
business that they now have on Hawai-.
. am ready to join hands with the Inter
island representative here, to work with
him in every way and try my best to
see that neither of us steps on the
ether eorns.
stAnother matter of the same kind
has come up in the idea that the rail,
road is opposed to the development OF
good roads. This is very far from the
truth. I believe firmly that nothing
will do so much to bring the island
ahead as good roads and that with good
management in the near future we viii
have fine automobile belt road around
she island. The railroad company
wherever it can be of assistance to the
county viii go more than half way. We
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