Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-03-24
BUSINESSMEN ASK UNCLE SAM TO
DECIDE kNOTTY SITE QUESTION

I L. s. Attorney McCarn, who was
present at the invitation Of the com.
mercial bodies and had been asked TO
speak, was the first to open the sub
jeCt. His talked created a very good
| impression He emphasized the fact
that he did not seek to get into the
federal site discussion. but that
! the treasury department, indirectly
Through the department Of justice, had
asked him to look al the matter from
| the standpoint CT the government.
'I'll say frankly" he said. that |
reported that the Mahuka site price
1.-The enlarged Mahuka site, you I'M
Iderstand-was excessive for the gov
eminent to pay unless that should be
| the only site available. But, gentle
men, | shall not oppose the Mahuka
site to the extent of arguing with you
or the government. I can't conscien-
I tiously say that it's worth $4,000 to
| go down there and move those build
! ings and get that site. And / give
you my personal opinion that the fed
| eral building will not be put on the
Mahuka site as a whole l don't be-
tlieve the strip on Fort street will be
taken and paid fort will be an in
fterminable job to get Congress to take
all the Mahuka site"
| Will Aid Action. vi
He also denied the published report
that he had suggested five or six
sites Il said there were two or more
ether lots available in case the gov
/ eminent wished to examine other
sites. | don't want to take any active
i part in settling the site unless the
government asks me to-" He went
on to say that the department of JUS
tice is anxious to see the matter set
! tied. When you've decided what you
want I'll join with you in getting it
through" he declared, and said that if
that was done he believes it will be
only a few weeks until action is Sc
cured in Washington. He also de-
clared amid applause that an appro-
priation of 100000 is not enough for
federal building in Honolulu and
that he would be glad to join with
the businessmen lin getting through
S25o.000 or 100000 more for build.
ing
Judge A. A. Wilder was the first
to follow Mr. McCarn. Judge Wilder
1 declared that while he was originally
lin favor of the Mahuka site he now
believes, as a matter of good faith,
lin sticking to the Mahuka site AS
one of the attorneys for E. o. Hall &
Son in the Mahuka site litigation"
Ehe said, IF the Mahuka site is not ia
ken | shall advise my client to sue
for the money expended in defending
the condemnation suits. / say stick
to the original Mahuka site and shoot
lit up into the air IL necessary"
/ He also told of his experiences in
Washington. discussions with various
officials. and of hearing the statement
there that honolulu can't seem to
lagree on anything. He said that Con-
Igressman Fitzgerald of New York,
chairman of the committee on appro-
tpriations, told him that Congress is
i going to spend more money than any
previous Congress has spent, and that
Senator Morris Sheppard of Texas had
expressed wish to do what he can
for Honolulu He also said that he
had given r. w. Single a letter Of
Introduction to Senator Sheppard and
warned Bob not to do any flim-flam-
ming cY I'd wise Sheppard up to him. ,
He had spoken to Secretary McAdoo
also, he said. 4.
Favors Original Site. ~ *.
/ L. Tenney Peck spoke vigorously in
favor of the Mahuka site, reviewing
the history of the various discussions
here for seven years past and bringing
out strongly the point that the govern
ment has taken the Mahuka site and
the business community has develop
ed and bought surrounding property
believing that the good faith of the
government is behind that site He
spoke of the First National Banks
purchase of piece of property partly
on this belief, of the Bishop street ex-
| tension, financed by public subscrip-
| ton so that the federal building might
have the street frontage desired by the
government .... -. ...
Il don't know that the idea of this
| enlarged site has ever been before
any public meeting" he said, "but the
good faith of the government is on
the original Mahuka site" II
George F: Davies spoke briefly but
much to the point in laying before the,
meeting the advantages and disad-
yantages of the various. sites that
have been proposed. Without ,ayow-
ing favor for any site exclusively, he
indicated that from the standpoint
both of utility and beauty the Irwin
site is the most available He weigh
ed very fairly the points for and
against each of the locations. stating
in his opinion that the Spreckels site
SIS the poorest of the four on account
of its, Inconvenience and lack of any
advantages to outweigh this" The Al
len site. he considered, is a compro-
mise site. In spoke in favor of sup
port for the Milford Robinson city
beautiful plan.
! d. L. Wilmington sale lie did not con-
slider the meeting was discussing sites