Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-01-07
HuO NOW HAS A
BUILDING LAW

HlI.O. Ian II The m 81 import
ar ar'inI. taken by thc I'D board or
supervisors a. its las st ,>i III. if HOI
ne mos, important action tU:icn 4UC-
IIg its entire career. was the paIaaZ.-
I'll ;ne iii" Building ordinance which
Nrnt t::rCUGh al the session this
'rOrIIng. The ordinance Va pa,seI
lrgard!, >, e the protests IIaGe by a
number OF pcOminenr chIZen, Wnoz ai
tempted 10 have action pos pOnoG= OH
Iue ground that they wee nos, IA
cIIiaT with tho terms Of the new -iaw,
although il has been on lille in<1h"
t0Unnty clerks office for a numb, l.:
Of weeks. and has been jaHen~up in
both the IIilO newspapers nnHbel
Of times.
The ordinance is in exact accord
with the motion passed at Ma5lic
hearing some time ago. al wliGA it
vas rec commended that the COuntEzaAs
tOrney and county engineer should
draw up an ordinance which SHOULD
he along the lines Of the Honolulu
law, save that buildings Of classes
Il and & should he allowed and class
n
When the vote came Austin. Kau-
hane and Beckley voted lor Tic pas
sage while Purdy. KOOmCa and Ly-
man were against it, Lyman stating
that he voted no only because he
thought, in view of the statements
n ade by John Scott and others, tha,
there had been a misunderstanding,
that a pOstpOnement would DE best.
This tie vote left the ma;;er up TO
Chairman Lewis for a final decision
and his vote in the affirmative pass
ed the ordinance.
The first speaker against the ordi-
rance was Attorney Wise, who stated
that in his opinion the ordinance was
bad, and that if q section of the Front
street district should be burned down
through a fire starting from the vi
cinity of the Hilo Mercantile lumber
yard, it would never be 0uIit up I'M
der such a law He said ne thought
that an ordinance affecting the blocks
bounded by Pitman, King, Front and
Shipman streets would he ali right.
hut the place was too small for the
restrictions which would be placed on
it by the larger fire limits, with the
ordinance which was proposed. --
The reply was made that a build
ing ordinance such as suggested
would have the effect of preventing
any such fire and that it was needed
for just that purpose.
John Scott said that he was in ia
vor of a building ordinance. but was
not familiar with, the terms of the
one proposed He stated that he had
been in Honolulu when the board first
took the matter up and that lie knew
nothing of the contents OF the law at
all.
Attorney Harry Irwin stated that
he was against the ordinance and re-
presented number of people who
were, as it would prevent building
in Hilo. He thought that the action
of the board should be postponed till
the public had been given more time
10 consider the matter.
Chairman Lewis ran over the en-
tire history of the building ordinance,
showing that every opportunity had
been given the general pubic to learn
the nature of the bill and ii those in
terested had failed to inform them
selves in regard to the matter. it was
their own fault. He stated that the
matter had been taken up N public
meeting and the general action had
been approved by those present, after
which the ordinance had been drafted
and that since that time the terms