The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-05-16
Signatures to Federal
Site Petitions by
Thousands.
THE BISHOP ESTATE
Does Not Intend to Make
Protest if Change
Is Desired.
lTrom sntnrday,a Advertiser.l

(From Saturdays Advertiser.)
"How many signatures are there
now on the federal b1ilding site petit
tions7 / done know. They are com
ing in so fast 1 haven't had time to
count them There must be consid-
erably over three thousand, perhaps
four thousand Some of the main lists
1 haven't got back yet"
Progress in demonstrating the great
change in public opinion regarding the
proper location for Honolulu's s federal
building is thus reported by A. L. c.
Atkinson, who has taken hold of the
work of registering those who desire to
convince the treasury department, and
through the officials of that department
TO convince congress, that Honolulu
desires to get into line with the prog
ress of the age.
'fI find that Honolulans, with very
few exceptions, have considered this
matter in its various phases and have
become convinced of a number of
things" says Mr.. Atkinson. First,
they appreciate now the value of the
opportunity offered at the civic center,
already planned and ready to be taken
advantage of; they appreciate the fact
that Honolulu is bound to grow rapidly
and that there is no danger of the
Mahuka site being wasted or that any
of the money that has been spent to
open Bishop street has been thrown
away, no matter where the federal
building goes; they appreciate the fact
that it would be folly to keep silent
- of
ber of our best business blocks to ac-
commodate the federal building on the
Mahuka site, when the acquiring of
the Irwin site world result in the tear
ing down of lot of shacks, which we
would be we'll rid of; they are wide
awake to the fact that the location of
the federal building in the very center
of the business part of the city would
act as drawback to business on each
of the four streets facing the building,
as a federal building does not draw
business any more than the postoffce
now creates business center; they are
also convinced of the fact that the gov
ernment faces a long lawsuit if the
Mahuka site is retained, with the pros
pect of the suit delaying the COM
mencement of work until perhaps 1920.
"For these various reasons and from
the fact that the arguments in favor
of the Irwin site have not been met,
except with the expressed fear of a
delay, the community is getting solidly
behind the idea Of the change There
is a sort of opposition voiced in certain
quarters, of course, based apparently
on the fact that the ones circulating
the petitions are being paid for their
work. Just what amount of argument
may be concealed in this l do not
know. There is a good deal said in
this one particular matter that is not
true; the great part of it, in fact, is
only misbegotten Stiffness, and 1, for
one, do not intend to pay any atten'
tion to it.
Sample Signatures.
Mr.. Atkinson has pile of signed
petitions several inches high. One Of
them, picked from the top of the heap
is fair sample. It contains a large
number of names, including the fol
lowing:
Rev. H. w. Chamberlain, Prof Perley
L. Horne, G. g. Bartlett, Rev. W. N
Lono, Carl b. Andrews William Henry
high sheriff of the Territory; Tempt,
Bourke, w. A. Wood, George B. Hen
ucIbuui ~ a. Lynn, D. luWdIu WotNall
Thomas Jeffs, w. +. Mossman Jr., w
H. Thornton, Joe Frias, J. II. Boyd
Fenelon +. Bowling, David Richard
Father Ulrich, A. D. Fairweather, Prof
]. NJ. Young, Philip Peck, Max Schlem
mer, Jack Weday, G.. NJ. Lincoln, An
drew Bright, J. Walter Doyle, A. Her
rick Brown, Father Valentin and D1
". G. Rogers.
A fairly representative list of goo,
citizens there.
Bishop Estate Neutral.
About the same fate awaited a repor
published yesterday that the Bishol
Estate would fight the proposed chang
as came to the announcement that tn
Governor opposed the change. +. S
Dodge, manager of the estate, seen yes
terday, states that SO far as he is aWar
the corporation intends to take n
action in the matter at all, one wa
or the other.
He was not aware that the estat
would eight by every legal means po.
sible the transfer Of any of the proJ
erty it had made over to the govern
ment for site purposes"
Mr.. Dodge stated that the BishO
Museum had disposed Of about one,thir
Of the property in the block known a
the Mahuka site, and that in order {
add its property to others in the sam
block had sold al a reduced value. III
museum had also been a contribute
toward the opening up Of Bishop stree
DO order that the Mahuka site Nigh
become certainty.
M Dodge also stated that be Del
sonaliy went 10 Washington with rel
erenee 70 the site matter, with IN
Bishop park opposite the Young build
Ing, ae second choice for a site havin
secured from the Brewer Estate . rlgi