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

IIIlp. Ian. T. The m"~r import
an 'fI"n taken hy lhc cd board .!
~up"lNIsOra Al il last s"SHiOu, if no,
he most iTportan' action tantn our
ing is entire career. was the raSsac,.
Lt tn" Hlio building ordinance which
VtNr InT"uGh at IL" SESSION tn.
r"rnlLC. r." o".inanc" Wa Passed
regardless # the protests maze by d
NUN Der Of prominent cit:Z' H., vac Al
tempted to have action rns l.Un:", On
1hc ground thai they wee net ia
TiIiar with tie terms Of t:tr How Jaw,
although il las been on 10 in th,-
county clerks office Cor numbt
Of weeks. and has been taken up in
both the Iii!O newspapers d numbs I
If limos.
The ordinance is in enact accord
with tic motion passed at public
re airing sore time ago, al winch j.
VAS recommended that the county a.
tOITey AMI county engineer should
Draw up an ordinance which ShOlff
he along the lines of the Honolulu
law, save that buildings Of classes
and G should be allowed anu Class
A structures should not he required
When the vote came Austin. kau
lane and Beckley voted Ior tie pas
sage while Purdy, KOomoa and Ly-
man were against it, Lyman stating
that he voted no only because he
thought, in view of the statements
IT ade by John Scott and others, thai
there had been a misunderst anding.
that pOstponement wouia Oe best.
This tie vote left the mater 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 section of the Front
street district should be burned down
through fire starting from the vi
cinity Of the Hilo Mercantile lumber
yard, it would never. be built up un-
der such a law. He said lie thought
that an ordinance affecting the blocks
bounded by Pitman. King, Front and
Shipman streets would be ali right,
but 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 he knew
nothing of the contents Of the law at
all.
Attorney Harry Irwin stated that
he was against the ordinance and re-
presented a number of people who
we're, 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
to consider the matter.
Chairman Lewis ran over the en-
tire history of the building ordinance,
showing that every opportunity had
been given the general public to learn
the nature of the bill anu If 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