The Hawaiian gazette., 1914-12-29

1 OF any Summing WouiO care 10 Onef
their services under those cireum.
stances. In fact don't see why we
should be in position where il Is nee
essary TO call upon outside engineering
talent TO direct the Improvement OF the
city. The best investment the city
could make, and the one that would
net the taxpayers the best return, would
be the salaries Of frst-elass engineers
to plan the city work, providing that
work could be carried on without poll
teal interference.
Must Employ Frontage TAX
The supervisors should wake up 20
the fact that the present amount allot-
ted to roads in this county is not suf-
ficient to permit of any new city street
improvement, and the amount available
in the next two years should be allot.
ted to the different districts as street
maintenance funds only; and the road
department should be organized as a
street maintenance department only.
Any attempt to use the present road
funds for new city street work viii
be at the expense of the upkeep of the
present street pavements which need
all the money available for proper
maintenance; any surplus that could
possibly be spared should be extended
on the county roads such as belt road,
Tantalus road, Punchbowl, Diamond
Head roads, and the roads in Wahiawa
and other country districts.
A Practical Problem
Then comes the question: How are
we to finance the much needed, new
street pavements in HONOLULU Now
Mr.. Supervisor, you are up against one
of the real problems Of your admins
tration. You can't build roads such
as are required by modern traffic with
the amount of funds which you have
available, and in attempting to do so,
your administration, as far as roads is
concerned, will be just about as inef-
ficient as the administration Of the past
boards have been, and our city streets
will continue to remain in the present
unimproved condition.
The people in Manoa have been the
first to grasp the situation and in their
efforts to operate the Street Improve
ment Acts passed by the last legisla-
ture, are endeayoring to demonstrate to
the city at large how to finance and
construct new street improvements at
the least cost to the property owners.
A Practical Solution ss,t
1t is proposed to improve all the
streets within this district, consisting
Of approximately $50 acres, with about
eight miles of streets, by the eonstruc,
ION of storm sewers, the grading and
curbing of all streets, and paving with
asphalt macadam. This Improvement
win be made at an approximate cost of
two cents per square foot, paid by the
property owners, with ten years to pay
it I'M BY this method of street inn
proyement you get the benefit of your
improvements Immediately and you get
what you pay for. The work must be
contracted for, and must be carefully
planned ahead Of time.
This method of Improvement, or one
similar, is the only method by which
the streets Of Honolulu can be inn
proved, and the sooner il is put into
general operation the sooner Honolulu
will be taken out Of the village class
and put on a sound city basis.
Think This over s<.g
just stop and think for moment
the amount Of money viii be required
in the next few years TO properly pave
only the main thoroughfares such as
King street from Shafter to Kapiolani
Park; Beretania street, from Palama to
Kaimuki; Nuuanu street, from Bere.
tania to the Pail, and the waterfront
streets. Ft
Over twenty miles Of main thorough.
fares which, if properly paved, will cost
in the neighborhood of 100000 per mile,
or total of $i,600,000.
Where is this money coming from
From the $250000 annual road fundl
The property owners must pay for
these improvements as is done in other
cities, and unless program of prop
erty assessment for street Improvement
is adopted at once by the incoming
board, our Republican administration,
of which we pride ourselves so much,
win have to be covered up with ex,
cuses at the next election.
Very truly yours,
II STUART JOHNSON,
Member, American Society of Civil
Engineers.