Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-04-18

Juggling Of appropriations, ig.
noring the laws letter and intent,
persistent favorisism in many cases.
vate Laisiness concern of which he
later became an employe, gross care
lessness, lack of study OF conditions,
all resulting in the loss of thousands
of dollars 10 the territory and leav-
ing at least three public projects as
monuments OF uselessness-these
form the gist of the lengthy report
made yesterday afternoon by the pub
lie lands committee of the house Of
representatives on the administration
of Marston Campbell as superintend-
ent of the department OF public
works.
The three principal projects inyes-
tigated by the committee were the
Alewa reservoir. the Mahukona
wharf on Hawaii and the Hanalei
wharf on Kauai The report states
that each Of these, when Campbell
retired, was absolutely worthless,
though nearly ST., 700 had been spent
on the Mahukona wharf. $4,000 on
the Hanalei wharf.
The interesting document also dis
cusses at some length the matter Of
specifications. and in this also the.
investigators bitterly arraign the for
mer public works superintendent, re-
ferring to his actions as Juggling Of
appropriations, which has been
condemned time and. time again by
legislatures of this territory, but APP
parently as far as the superintendent
of public works was concerned, it
was of such trifiing Importance as not
to warrant consideration. . These
statements are supported by citations
of specific cases.
caustic Comment.
At times the. report is satirical in
its comment. Referring to the Hama
lei wharf, it says, after the pier has.
Eeen completed and the money paid
the contractor, 1t cannot be used at
high tide, its. sole apparent value be-
ing "the accommodation of fishing
parties both by day and on moon
light nights.
OF Mahukona wharf, on which was
spent $4,000, the report says that
now "al1 that is left is a pile of wave
swept stones, mute monument to
the efficiency of the public works de-
partnent under the uperintendency
of Marston Campbell
OF the Alewa reservoir the report
sets forth Zone reservoir was con-
strncted upon plans and specifications
so faulty and Inadequate that it would
not hold water when completed, and
has entailed an expenditure of over.
one hundred per cent over and above
the original cost imam effort to make
1t serve the purpose for which it was
intended. In support Of this state
ment your committee presents In de-
tail the facts relative to the struc-
lures above referred to.
Personal Attack, Says Campbell.
This report Is simply personal
attack on me and bears the imprint Of
personal spite in every line,' COM
mented Marston Campbell this morn
ing, discussing the attack made on
him to the house, The committee
quite evidently started work with
prejudice, determined to get some
thing on me, and they spent As days
in working up everything they could
get.
AS matter of fact, had the COM
mittee looked fairly into the question,
they would have known the wharf
work is expressly under the authority
and direction of the board of harbor
commissioners and would have taken
this phase into consideration. / am
out Of Office now and out of personal
spite work this report has been con-.
cocted.
.The most absurd thing in the re-
port is that after all the attacks on
me and allegations of all sorts of
things, the report winds up with rec
concentrations that the water meter
system be carried out policy that
/ have fought for consistently and
that will eventually come"
Aiewa Reservoir.
Taking up the subject. of the Alewa
reservoir the report continues:
According to the evidence adduced
before this committee, Instructions
were given by the Superintendent of
Public Works, to f. M. Friesell, an
engineer in the Honolulu Water
Works, a bureau under the depart
ment of public works, to design
reservoir for Alewa Heights with a
of not less than four. hum
dred thousand nor more than five hun
dred thousand gallons, and without
any limit being stated as to cost.
.Friesell,. pursuant to said instruc-
lions prepared a plan calling for
circular reservoir to be constructed
Of reinforced concrete. The shape of
the reservoir was acceptable to the
of public works, but
the method of construction was dis
and in place thereof, under
the directions of said superintendent,
there was substituted construction
which called for wall and floor of
stone, the spaces between each stone
10 be filed with clean crushed
stones" and rammed and grouted with
i grout of one part cement to one
part sand.
These plans were also inspected
by Mr. Rieks, another engineer in the
and his opinion from the
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