Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-04-22
DISCREDIT
ON HIS 0N N
REPORT

The house of representatives this
morning witnessed the unusual spec
.tacle of a committee chairman repudi-
ating his own reporter at least one
which he and his conferes had signed
and which the house officially was led
to believe had been prepared by the
chairman and committee members.
The representative Sat up and
gasped in establishment when Repre-
sentative Evan da Silva, in response to
a query from DR.. Irwin, replied that
he never had any evidence at hand
concerning certain matters which had
been sagely discussed in the public
lands committees report on the Hiio
railway land transactions.
DR.. Irwin wanted to know about the
evidence from which de- Silva appar-
emily had drawn his conclusions, as
set forth in the report.
81 didn't have any evidence at hand.
was the latter's reply. II haven't any
now. That report. was prepared by
our lawyer. made demand for the
evidence three different times but
haven't got It yet. And want to say,
for the benefit of the members of this
house" but what he wanted to say
was never impaired to his astounded
colleagues, for the speaker interrupt
ed him at this point, informing him
that DR. Irwin still had the floor.
Da Silva made no further effort to
clear away the mystery OF how he and
all the other members of the entire
public lands committee happened to-
sign the exhaustive report.
On motion by DR.. Irwin, the report
of the committee was placed on file,l
and so far as the present house of re-
representatives. is concerned, the labors
of the committee in the investigation
of the much-qnestioned land transac-
lions between the territory and the
Hilo Railway has come to nanght..
Attorney w. T. Rawlins was the
land committees attorney, and II was
he who prepared the lengthy document
that da Silva repudiated today. Or.
George H. Huddy is chairman Of the
public lands committee, but the Hilo
Railway lands affair had been referred
directly to a subcommittee of that
body, of which da Silva was appointed
chairman.
AS outlined in the Star Bulletin on
Monday, April IA, this subcommittee
report completely exonerated the gov
ernor and the land commissioner OF
any Juggling or Illegal transfer of land
to the Hilo Railway Company; that
the railway company acted in good
faith; that all such conveyances can
not be annulled, or even impaired by
future legislation; ending with con-
clusion that about the only restrictive
legislation the subject could be an
of the law, to- compel pub
dc notice of such transfers in future
and to limit areas which may be
granted railroads and similar public
utility corporations which seek en-
by land grants.
1t found that the acquisition by the
company of the Hilo postoffice site
was perfectly proper and unassailable
legally.
When the subcommittee report |
was called up for consideration, DR.. |
Irwin, on whose resolution the .investi-
cation had been undertaken, began |
what promised to be lengthy discus
ZION of the committee findings.
This investigation was not called |
for in spirit of animosity," he ex-
planned. Struggling public utility en-
.erprises need some encouragement |
md are entitled to help. But / thought |
the transfers in this case were made |
TOO quietly; too inconspicuously, and,
that the company had been
given Tar more land than it really |
needed for terminal and ordinary IA
cilities.
Mr.. Speaker, 1t seems to me, in re- |
7iewing this report, that the inquiry |
conducted by the committee has been
a very slipshod affair. Some of its
do not agree with the con-
fessions made by the Hiio Railway
Comnany. In a long article published |