The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-12-26
PLAN TO ASSESS
ON Street work
Legislature May Be Called Upon
10 Aot-Annual Budget
is cramped.
LFron aailrdar'a AdvsrtIaor.l }


ments should be assessed 70 abutting
property instead Of being pnid for out
Of the general revenues Of the city aud
chuuty OF Honolulu, Is the opinion Of
o. Swain, Of tho merchants association,
who attended the meeting Of tho board
Of supervisors representing tho Rsso.
citation. Ho stated positively that he
intended to have a bill introduced at
the next legislature providing for such
assessments, MS the only measure which
win relieve the present system of look
ing after ninety miles Of streets with
fund which is inadequate, particularly |
IL permanent pRvements are to be laid.
The matter was brought to a head by
remarks made by r. W. shingle, j. NJ.
Dowsett and Others with relation to the
proposed widening of Hotel street, EVA
of Fort, each speaker stating that
values would increase at that inter
section, and that portion of the money |
to be paid for the acquisition of the
strip needed-about $32, ,000-could pos.
sibly be obtained from the Territory.
This money could be secured by the
Territory disposing of some of its
properties within the county and de-
voting some of the revenue so derived
toward che acquisition of needed strips
in Honolulu for street widening. On
,he other hand tho lands so disposed of
would pass into the taxable list and
be source of revenue to the Territory
and county.
Little Left for Streets.
The supervisors suggested at the
Thursday night meeting, that, with its
fixed expenses and salaries and the ne
cessity for certain street widening and
the building of new roads, very little
would be left for the ninety miles of
streets. This was already a terrific
burden. The city was spreading out
continuously, necessitating even larger
expenditures than ever to build and |
maintain roads, while automobiles have
increased the cost of street main |
tenance, it was stated.
1t was to meet this situation that |
Mr.. Swain made his proposition to |
assess betterments for streets against
abutting properties. The matter is Ger.
tain to come before the legislature,
which, however, is more than year of, |
and many of the streets of the city are
gradually wearing down and going to
rack and ruin.
Expensive Roads Detorioratsng.
One of the most expensive roads in
the city, connecting Punahou with
Manoa, which was built few years
ago under the direction of Sam John
son, then road supervisor, is now gradu.
ally wearing down. It would have gone
to ruin long before this had it not been
one of the famous roads built by Mr..
johnson. 1t was well built, the best of
material and workmanship going into it,
and it has stood the heavy wear and
tear of traffic as well as torrential rain.
falls. The surface, however, has gone.
The original surface was too thin
and should have been repeated few
months after 1t was built. 1t has never
been touched from the day it was hn-
ished, to this. The last board of SUPER
visors was repeatedly asked to reoil
it, but not a drop was put upon it.
This is a $4,000 road and will soon
be in need of such extensive repairs
that at least third of that amount
viii be necessary to reshape it.
The same is true of another expen-
sive piece of road in Manoa This is
the road running from Kamehameha
avenue to Oahu avenue and known as
Lower Manoa road. This was not pro-
perly surfaced, and the wind blows the
top off, after the heavy rains have
loosened the dressing, Since the road
was finished, road gangs have cleaned
the weeds from the cutters but once.
The result is that the weeds bank the
water into the roadway and in many
places it is now rutting out and shows
ing signs of deterioration. 1t took a
year to complete this roadway.
Only the fact that the majority of
the streets in the Makiki district
built mainly by Sam Johnson-were
well oiled at hrst and had repeated
dressings of oil, is 1t that this district
is still in the possession of good streets,
and there is little necessity for keeping
gangs of men at work on them.
Low Explained Figures.
The explanation of the expenditure
of the funds of the city for the present
year--the frst OF the present board OF
supervisors---was made by Supervisor
Low Thursday night The figures treat
with the general fund revenue only. The
| A6AANH thN GbtluiAtCb VI tnG
supervisors for 1919, the general fund
being estimated at s7l5,700. The fig.
ures of the budget show in detail the
amount of the general fund that will be
required for all salaries and charges
fixed by law, as we'll as the amount re.
quired for the maintenance Of the po-
lice, fire, sanitation and health, gaTb-
age and electric light departments, hut
does not provide for any new work.
The Ggures, as compiled At the instance
Of tho supervisors, show that ths Fixed
expenses and charges will amount 70 an
equivalent Of ninety,one and one.half
per cent, leaving eight and one
half l'sT cent. for new work.
The liked ehRFges, required by Law,
starting from HizzoneT's salary Of
$4,000, and his clerks, 1880. including
the county attorney, auditor, treasurer,
clerk, sheriff aud the county deputy
sheriis, district magipirafes, clerks,
uienographers, Interpreters u the eli.
fuit rouns, iauoT lifense luspeetoF