Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-03-31


build new roads under the new stat
ute OF 1918, and urges in the strong
est terms that this policy be extended
to the end that the big blocks of the
city be cut up. so that the garbage
and waste therefrom can be removed
expeditiously and at a minimum cost
to the city"
Supervisors Pacheco and Wolter, il
should have been mentioned. were
present and declared themselves in
favor of free system all over. but
could not promise any action in that
regard in the near future Nothing
was in fact done by the board toward
the object in making up its succeed
ing budget. that for the current half
year term. III.
Road Frontage Tax
Not long after the passage of the
road frontage tax laws, the board of
supervisors held a public meeting to
hear the views of citizens on the ques-
ton Of promptly bringing the enact
ments into play. Your president and
vice-president along with representa-
tiyes Of several Improvement clubs
attended the meeting and, besides ad-
yocating the utilization Of these laws
without delay replied to pretexts Of
fered by some of the supervisors for
deferring action. The chairman OF
the road committee gave tacit an
nouncement OF policy favorable to
the expressed sentiment of the citi-
zens present. indicating purpose to
apply the laws to two improvements
OF the Respective classes-that for
street opening to the extension OF
Bishop street and that for paving to
the extension of School street-in or
der to obtain an early test Of the va
lidity of each statute
More unfortunate selections of
works could hardly have been made,
as events proved Bishop street ex-
tension was found to be hampered
with certain agreement whereby the
Territorial Hotel Company, one of the
largest beneficiaries to have been as
sessed, was assured against any spe-
cial levy of the kind School street
extension fronted upon properties
whose owners loudly protested that
assessment of the cost of the work
thereon would mean confiscation,
There is reason to believe, indeed,
that our activity in favor of the 'front.'
age tax was one of the principal
causes for Kalihi Improvement Clubs
persistence in declining to retoin this
central organization. However, the
encouragement vouchsafed by the
chairman of the municipal road COM
mittee of belief that the laws were go
ing to be put in operation caused your
executive committee to rest on its
oars until municipal inaction lasted
SO long as to dispei such fond belief.
Ultimately the matter was again TAX
en- up, being made special order Of
business for "a general meeting on
November %. How the subject was
dealt with on that occasion is record
ed in the minutes read this evening.
As the representations made by the
committee then appointed appear to
have had little effect upon supervise
rial action, this matter of the frontage
tax has, at the instance of the Manoa
club, been made a special order of
business for this meeting.
It is respectfully submitted that a
grave omission of dutysis chargeable
to the board of9supervisors on account
of their failure to carry out the win
of the legislature respecting the open
ing and the permanent improvement
of roads and streets. Had the road
policy Of the board been shaped in,
consonance with the enactments in
question, Immediately after their ap-
prevail by the governor, the present
deplorable condition of the municipal
treasury would not exist, while the
mileage of new and improved streets
respectively would have been increas-
ed to an extent far beyond any pre-
vious record for equal time This is
as plain as the sum of two and two.
If the supervisors had made the paw
ing of streets in the business section
conditioned upon the property 'front.'
age thereon bearing, say, one-half the
cost, either the proprietors would
Jump at the chance of the betterment
or deseryedly go without it until the
opportunity again knocked at their,
doors. And If residence sections had
been offered, say, two-thirds of the
cost of paving certain streets, the
owners of frontage thereon being as
sessed the remaining third, would
there not, have been a great amount
of improvement where today residents
are loudly complaining of neglect? In
the first case the city would have saw
ed one-half and in the second case
one-third of its available funds for
roads, and outlying sections would
have permanent work instead of eph~
emeral patchwork, while the money
saved would have obviated the pres
ent treasury crisis - with some over
for still more road work. | have
presumed here a one-half basis of as
sessment for business section streets
and one-third basis for suburban
streets alphabetically any division
would serve the argument and COM
port with the statutes - for the rea-
son that the supervisors have, to my
mind, unduly magnified difficulty by
promising exclusive assessment of
the whole cost of improvements en-
frontage or district As matter Of
fact they obtained some contribution
of cost on Fort street from property