The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-10-30
WHAT DOES
HAWAII WANT
Of RAILROADS

Hilo, and build railroads to it, you
will establish q point for direct ship
ment and decentralize Honolulu?
What should the good people Of Ho-
nolulu care whether ports are estab-
lished on the other islands, towns
built up or improvements made? The
inhabitants of all the islands other
than Oahu must realize that they are
in the backwoods, and must remain
so; that the Territory can afford only
one city, and that is, and always has
been Honolulu, and it must remaiT
So If any of these country people
want occasionally to enjoy the giddy
pleasures and delights of a metropo.
lis, let them take one of the palatidl
inter-island steamers and come to
Honolulu, and then go back and be
satisfied
| believe, Mr.. Editor that the other
islands of this group should be pre-.
served in all their native beauty and
simplicity. What a pity it is, for in
stance, to have the beautiful land
scape along the Hamakua coast
married by railroad tracks, unsightly
bridges and fills that are being con-
structed in that region! All that
should ever disturb the restful quiet
of these solitudes is the whistle Of
an occasional inter-island steamer.
Some people have the audacity to
say that railroad building is necos-
sary to build up the country, and
dilate on what has been done on the
mainland and elsewhere along these
lines. They forget that conditions
here are very different from what
they are in the states, in fact many
conditions are so different I almost
think it a mistake we were ever an
neXed In the states there were vast
areas to be settled up, many different
products to be grown, and rail trans
portation, ! will admit, was to some
extent a necessity. Here there is
only one industry, and the planta-
tons are principally owned in Homo
lulu; they are all developed, and pup
lie railroads are not going to make
the soil any richer, or the sugar out
should not waste time and money in
trying to make anything else pay but
sugar-it can't be done The inter
island wisely recognized this great
truth many years ago, and showed
the courage of it's convictions in max
ing the rates so high on general farm
products that the same can, in most
instances, be landed in Honolulu more
cheaply from California than from the
other islands
This talk about giving more rapid
dispatch to steamers at outposts is
all buncombe, and simply an excuse
for the railroads to get TO the water
front which should not be permitted,
I say concentrate your energies at
Honolulu. Make the most of the
splendid facilities afforded by the
government wharves, and if the rail
road does not come through and put
in modern appliances for handling
sugar, condemn it's wharves, turn
them over to the County of Oahu,
and let the Board of Supervisors
show them how to do it. If vessels
are given proper dispatch at Homo,
lulu, there is no need of improved
facilities at the outside landings And
suppose the steamers do occasionally
have to go without a full load, that's
their lookout. Anyway, what sense is
there in a steamer sailing with shor
cargo if by waiting a few days longer
she could get a full load? Finally, j.
there is not time at the Outports,
what's the matter with bringing the
sugar to Honolulu? That is the real,
logical remedy, especially as | am told
the government generously stores the
ouStll III llOIhlbo vi lNo W i4'tl NNp'
The railroad octopus, by the way,
charges so cents per ton, but the big
steamers pay it, so it makes no diff
ference to the plantations. Concen-
trate in Honolulu, and let these other
would-be ports sleep undisturbed by
the march of modern progress.
The inhabitants of the village of
Hilo see the situation in it's right
light. They fully realize that Homo
lulu, by virtue of all that has gone
before it, is now and must remain
indefinitely, the only town of any CON
sequence in these islands. The Boacd
of Trade of Hilo has adopted the safe
and sane policy of discoWaging rail
road construction, wharf facilities
and the like, because they know per
fectly well that these are not consist
ent with the established order Of
III in orc