The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-02-29

Following is the full text OF Com.
missioner Wakeheld's scheme OF
waterfront Improvement submitted to
the harbor commission yesterday aft
erHoon:
The development Of the government
wharves in Honolulu harbor should re
ceive our very careful and immediate
consideration, because the commercial
future OF our harbor is brim full OF
promise of big things.
Mr.. Campbell has very courteously
provided each of the commissioners
with a large map of the Honolulu
wharves and harbor, and, in studying
out the possibility of development and
Improvement of wharf conditions to
give the commerce of the port ade-
quate and economical service, / am
brought Immediately to the conclusion
that after we have changed conditions
on the Mauna Loa wharf and convert
ed the waste space there into large
wharf sheds and warehouses, for the
proper handling of large cargoes, we
have nothing left but the stretch of
waterfront from the undredged side OF
the Alakea wharf slip round to the
Waikiki side of the Matson wharf
Fortunately this frontage is of consid-
cradle extent, and is backed by good
area of property which either belongs
to the Territory or must be secured by
the Territory to enable the commits
; sion to plan for the most complete use
of this section of the harbor 'front.'
which is actually the most valuable
frontage We have, and which in real
ity at present is made the least use Of
The maps which We have received
from our chairman show that it was
the plan in 1908 to complete the dredg-
ing of the Alakea slip, and to dredge
a further slip at the foot of Fort
street running up to Allen street, TAX
ing in the site of the present custom
house building. At the time this plan
was formed 1t was probably a wise
and useful manner of utilizing the
space, but conditions Of cargo carry
ing have changed so radically the last
four or five years that the plan Of
1908, which provided slips and more
berthing accommodations and less
wharf space, Is at this time in my
judgment very inferior, and much less
suited, to actual present carrying con-
ditions than plan that will give one
berthing accommodation less, but will
enormously increase the wharf and
warehouse capacity for the handling of
: big cargoes with economy and dis
patch to ship owners and consignees
of cargoes.
1908 plan will give berthing accom-
mediation to three vessels, one on the
present unfinished side of the Alakea
slip, and two in the proposed new slip,
but, while these two berths would be
secured at an enormous expense of
dredging, as matter of fact only &C
cOmmodation for the discharge of one
boat would be secured, if a vessel was
discharging on the Alakea slip to the
proposed wharf No. 3.
At the present time the government
wharves can at their maximum capac-
ity only take care of $500 tons of
freight at any one time, both incoming
and outgoing; and the 1908 plan would
when completed only give additional
freight accommodation for 5000 tons
of cargo, and this tonnage distributed
over two wharves. The result would
be that the government would only
own one wharf, the Mauna Loa, which
would accommodate entirely one of
the large cargoes that are coming into
this port, and which are more likely
to increase in size and in their fire.
quency of arrival than lessen.
AS substitute for the 1908 plan l
would suggest the following: That the
dredging of the Alakea slip be com
pleted to give access to bulihead
wharf No. 3. Run direct line from
the extreme end Of the Alakea slip to
the mskai end of the Oceanic wharf.
This would give a second bulkhead
wharf about $50 feet long, for conven.
ience call it No. 4, which we could
construct at a very small cost, and
which would give the Territory about
100000 square feet of land available
for wharf and warehouse space, which
would be materially increased when
the land on which the present custom
house stands is available for territor-
ial purposes.
l would then suggest that the pres
ent wharf and warehouse used by the
Oceanic S. S. Co. be charged by re-
construction and Encouragement, GOV
ering the vacant lot that has been
used in the past for the storage OF
coal, and continuing the buildings to
include the area now occupied by the
shed on the Fort street wharf
This proposal would practically dou-
b1a the paDapitv and cOnvanfnnra for