The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-07-22
Hawaii County To Have
A Real Road Expert

Correspondence OF The STAR
HILO, Hawaii, July 21.-The passing
O. a motion, which was introduced by
Alfred Carter and seconded by Robert
Hind, that Chairman Horner, of the
Felt Roard Commission, should be
authorized to write to Washington for
an expert road maker to handle the
work of this island under the loan
fund was the sum total of business
transacted at the afternoon meeting
Of the Board which was held in the
county offices yesterday. AT the
morning meeting the only business
transacted was the appointment of
Albert Horner as Chairman of the
Board and Jim Lewis as Secretary,
with the passage of a motion, at the
instance of Carter, to the effecl yhat
all meetings of the Board should be
public.
The motion of Carter that Federal
man should be obtained for the work
carries with it the authorization of a
salary of 100000 per month and travel
ing expenses for the new engineer
The chief topic of the meeting was in
regard to the two ideas which have
been expressed, the one being that
County Engineer Southworth should
lie in charge of the work and the other
favoring the employment of a road
specialist from Washington. The
meeting lasted for about an hour and a
half, fully half of which time was taken
up by Southworth in a long address
i'll which he gave his record, defended
his professional reputation and asked
that the Board should give him a
chance, before appointing anyone from
the outside, also explaining number
81 maps which he had placed on the
walls OF the room.
Campbell Spoke.
/ The meeting was called to order by
Chairman Homer, who first asked
Manager John T. Moir, of Onomea
Limitation if he had any suggestions
to make, the latter stating that he
you'd like to hear from the Board
in regard to their plans first as their
views might coincide with his. The
Chairman them called on Marston
Campbell, who dweit considerably
upon the responsibility of the Com
Inissioners to the Secretary of the
Interior and the President He stated
that repairs on the roads would not
be proper, but that the reconstruction
of road which was in such condition
as that between here and Hakalau
would be legitimate. He said that
100000, as authorized in the loan bill
was only one third of the amount that
he had estimated as necessary for a
belt road around this island, where
the conditions were extraordinary, on
account of the heavy rains, mentioning
the fact that for the past 1872 days
there had not been a day in the Ha,
makua district without some rainfall
Want an Expert,
Alfred Carter was the next speaker
and brought up the most important
matter, saying hat he thought it was
up to him to take the bulls by the
horns. He stated that he believed
that the funds should be used for con
struction work as distinguished from
repair work but that the commission
should work slowly until they knew
just where they were In regard to
an engineer he stated that he barely
knew Southworth personally but that
for the big work in hand he, person
ally, wanted man who had more road
experience and had taken it upon him,
self to write personally to Washington
to find out if they could get a man