The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1914-03-24


iority Of the chamber Of commerce and
the representatives of firms in the mer.
) chants association, agreed to disagree
yesterday over the question Of a site
for the federai building, but made one
long forward step In reaching a unani-
nous agreement excepting for one vote
ITO stop fighting over il and leave the
matter Of the location of the proposed
federal building wholly in the hands
Of whatever representative Of the treas.
ury department may be sent to Honolu.
IL or whomeyer in Honolulu might be
delegated by the treasury department
to fix Upon a site.
The meeting was representative of
the business interests Of the city in
every way. Out of total combined
membership Of the chamber and the
association of 1877, one hundred and four
answered to the roll call. Sixty.iiye per
cent of the members Of the chamber
listened to the various addresses and
voted on the resolution. Forty-seven
per cent of the merchants association
membership voted. In addition there
were present some thirty or forty rep
resentatives Of the professions and
others in Honolulu not allied with the
strictly commercial interests.
Two sites Discussed.
Although there are FIVE proposed sites
suggested, only two were considered by
yesterdays speakers--the original Ma
huka site and the Civic Center site fac
ing on Palace Square. There was no
division called for, but from the APP
plnuse heard il is probable that a ma
lority Of those present would have fav-
0red the Mahuka site in a vote. The
n advocates Of the Irwin site were many,
however, and we're represented by sew
eraI influential and practical speakers.
W. r. harrington, president Of the
merchants association, was nominated
for the chair, with j. T. Warren as see.
rotary. United States Attorney McCarn
was called upon first to explain the sit
: nation as Washington viewed it. -
\ "a Mccarn's Opinion.
Mr.. McCarn disclafmed any idea of
either recommending particular site
or Of advising Honolulans as to which
site they should prefer. His connection
with the matter, he said, had been to
inform Washington regarding his own
opinion of the values Of the sites to
the government. He had been asked
especially to investigate and report on
the condemnation awards for the Fort
street extension to the Mahuka site.
His report. he said, was that, the land
was not worth to the government what
. haA all g. l..
He further, as his personal opinion, sta,
ted that the government would prob.
ably never take the condemned property
over and that il was practically useless
to 60 to congress for an appropriation
to cover the differences between the
money In sight and the total of the
awards. H. e..
Anxious For Settlement. ~
The question of the government 3
moral responsibility to repay to the
property owners the cost of the defense
of the condemnation suits and the
amounts they had expended to make
the Mahuka site possible, relying on
the good faith of the government, was
another question, he said. He believed
the government would be found willing
TO do full justice.
The department is anxious to have
the matter of site definitely eonclu
ded, said Mr.. McCarn, and this anxiety
had hurried him to Honolulu. "lf the
question of the site could be concluded
- believe that everything else would be
put under way within a few weeks, and
work upon the federal building start
ed, I" he said. He agreed with the rest
Of the citizens that Honolulu requires
an impressive, handsome federal build,
ing, erected where IL will make the
best appearance and be reasonably adj
jaeent to the business district. He, be
lieyed that congress could be induced
TO vote an additional amount for d
building, but nothing moro f6f a site
Want Court COST Repaid.
Judge Wilder stated that the Fort
street owners his firm had represented
III the condemnation suits would sue the
government for the costs they had had
to pay, II they followed his advice, be
cause they had been forced into the
courts knowing that there were moi
funds appropriated sufficient TO meet
the awards Personally he had always
boon an advocate of the Civic Center
site, but now he was for the Original
Mahuka site as the one way TO gel
action. t ~
Judge Wilder referred to r.. w. Shin
gle s mission to Washington and stated
that he had given Mr.. Single letter
10 senatorial schoolmate on the under
standing that he would stay with the
Mahukh site proposal and do ono film
famming I..3 f.5
Seventh Anniversary.
l., Tehney Peck drew attention to the
fact that the meeting was being held
practically on the seventh anniversary
= Of the first federal site meeting, al
which the community had endorsed the
Mahuka site and as result of which
the treasury department agent, IL. A
Taylor, had recommended the site anS
the government had bought IL. after
some thirty thonsand dollars had been
expended by private citizens to open