The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-02-18
SHIPS PAY TOO
MUCH FOR WATER

Continued from Page One.O
caps to contend with and that, without
the assistance of the people, they can
hope to do little.
Harbor Charges Light.
al have heard it stated that Homo
lulu harbor is very expensive in Its
charges. The man who made that as
sertion did not know what he was talk.
ing about, for Honolulu is one of the
cheapest harbors in the world. Our
| pilotage charges are about one-third
those of San Francisco, our charges for
wharfage are very reasonable and we
have no harbor charges except the
voluntary contributions made by mer-
chants. There is just one thing which
might possibly be construed as n har-
Dor charge, though / do not so construe
it. That is the charge made for water
"'Do you realize, that we are charg.
ing at the rate of $250O per million
gallons for water furnished vessels
touching herel 1t is exorbitant and
it certainly can not be continued much
llonger. The waterfront pays one-third
of the total cost of keeping up Homo
lulu s water system. ] have yet to
find another port of any Importance
where such state of affairs exists
"The citizens of Honolulu pay $45
per million gallons. Out of $4,000,
in round numbers, the total sum collect
ed for water rates, shipping last year
paid $34 900 If the vessels taking
water here were to be charged the prlce
that citizens pay, the water works
would go bankrupt in short order. I'M
der the present arrangement it would
be impossible to grant ships any such
rate as citizens receive"
Much Waste.
Mr.. Campbell then went on to say
that the greatest drain on the water
works is caused by the wastefulness
of consumers. Four hundred gallons
per capita every twentyfour hours is
the amount of water used in Honolulu.
No such amount as this can be used,
said the superintendent of public
works. unless the people are woefully
wasteful.
eff | had my way about it every
house in Honolulu would be provided
with a meter,'' continued Mr. Camp
bell "Were such the case within two
! and a half years the rate could be cut
from seven and onehalf cents per thou
sand gallons to five cents.
How Meters Pay
"In one tenement house where we in
stalled meter, at the end of the year
| that meter recorded 1859 worth of wa
ter used. Had we been supplying water
on fiat rate it would have been i'm
possible under any computation to
charge that property more than $3.50
or at the most $175 for the year.
Mr.. Campbell then stated that the
water department is much handicapped
by the lack of good distributing sys-
tenn. In many sections, said he, pump
inc machinery can not be run to its
full capacity because of the inadequate
Z mains into which the water must be
t turned. Said he:
/ Stovepipe Mains
S ''We have galvanized iron mains, cast
n iron mains, iron sewer pipe mains, big
mains and little mains, not to mention
one main of tin stovepipe. On King
street there is an eight-inch main and
it is only at the continual danger of
blowing the blooming pipe out of the
ground that we are able to force the
+ water up onto the top floors of the
4 tall buildings of the business district. y
q Big Reservoir Work.
Mr. Campbell then went on to state
that the Nuuanu reservoir is now all but
T. completed and that many of the com
plants which have heretofore been
:. made with regard to the quality of the
: wtaer supplied the city will soon be
e OF the past.
V In speaking of the waterfront and
6 wharfage facilities, Mr.. Campbell eX
hibited some maps to show what has
9 been done in the way of improving the
harbor in the last ten years. He then
delivered brief talk explanatory OF
the plans which he has for future i'm
e provements and told what he would
e like to see accomplished.
"a At the close of Mr.. Campbell s ad
dress F. b. McStocker moved that the
- chamber of commerce pass a vote Of
ID thanks to the superintendent of public
works. The vote was passed amid grea
enthusiasm.
Bottomley a Trustee.
," AT the beginning of the meeting thu
o, resignation of +. f. Bishop as trustee
was received and accepted. Mr. Bishop
stated that he was unable to attend TIN
:, trustees meetings regularly and tina
"a as Mr.. Ivers of the same firm is ais
- trustee he felt that he. should resign
:; The bylaws left the chamber no op
|, tion but to accept.
\, The name of A. w. r. Bottomley wa
~ then suggested to fill the vacancy o.
y. the board and by unanimous consen
~ Mr.. Bottomley was elected, no othe
70 name being mentioned
y Zeno X. Myers, who goes 10 Hilo I
60 accept the management of the new Ha
10 waiian Trust Company, resigned as
10 member of the chamber. His resigna
)n t;nn ,.,oo ocaantad with rapTpt.