The Hawaiian gazette., 1914-04-14
BUHDNG
| lSITEIs UP TO
jpR0BERTs
Veteran Emplcye Of Supervising
Architect e once Admits He Is
in Honolulu to Investigate and
Make Report on Preferred To-
cation for Government struc-
ture. III y

f..
tFrom Sunday Advertiser.)
J. w. Roberts, veteran employe Of
the supervising arehiteets Office Of the
treasury department, stated to The Adj
vertiser yesterday that he is in Homo.
lulu for the purpose Of selecting a sits
for the new federal building.
81 do not know anything in regard
to the situatiop,sa he said, "eKcspt
that | must study the question Of the
proper location from every angle,
When I haze Formulated my conclus.
ions ] shall report direct to the secre-
tary Of the Tresdury and whether any
information is given out as TO- what
my recommendation are rests entirely
in his discretion
Mr.. Roberts has n good working
knowledge of Hawaiian affairs, having
been here ten Years ago, and in Homo
lulu and IIilo during October and No.
vember, 1913. He said that his in
strnetions did not definitely state
whether the COVE nment would require
all departments to be located In one
building. His assumption was that il
the government so intended, the orig
inal Mahuka site, now owned by the
government, would be too small, unless
an eight story building was erected.
He said he thought that the present To-
cation of the custom house was n sat
isfaetory one for that branch Of the
service. The government owns the
land, and the Offices are convenient to
the shipping center.
Requirements Are Varied.
He said that the requirements Of the
government, are so varied that large
foor space must be provided. The
postoffiee, custom house, the district
court and United States Marshal have
60 be arranged for, but so must many
other branches OF the service. GONE
of these are the Internal Revenue,
Lighthouse Inspectors, kevenne cutie.
Service, Army Engineers, Weather
Bureau, Quarantine Service, Infmigra
ton, Education, Labor Bureau, Horti-
cultural Quarantine, Animal Inspec-
ton, Geodstic Survey, Forestry, Geo
logical Survey, Pure Food Laborator-
les, Photographic work, Hulls and
Boilers and score of others.
He said that he had no definite in
strnetions as to how many departments
were TO be provided with quarters but
that the treasury department world
undoubtedly depend much on his long
experience in work Of this character.
Mr.. Roberts said in this connection,
that he has been locating public build.
i4gt sites for more than thirty years,
the last seventeen years having been
passed on the Paddle Coast. A g.eat
many things besides the Immediate re.
quirefienis Of the service have 70 be
taken into consideration, he said. 1t
has been n general practice IN the case
Of small ,eities where the appropriation
for purchase OF site and erection Of
building does not exceed 500, O03 10
limit tho cost Of che site to about 6f
teen per cent OF the total cost In
larger cities and with larger gross ap,
preparations the percentage for sits
has in some instances been larger. As
an example the land on which tae San
Francisco postoiiice is built cost forty
percent Of the whole appropriation.
Declares Valuations Excessive.
However, Mr., Roberts said he was
Inclined TO believe that the valuations
placed on the Fort street extension Of
the Mahuka site are excessive, al
though he had not carefully considered
the matter. AS an OFF hand Judgment
il seemed to him, he said, that the gov.
eminent could hardly afford to pay so
large sum FOR a site alone, consider
ing the total amount appropriated and
the requirements. 5t WI
Mr., Roberts said that he expected
to give all of his time this week TO
this subject and he hoped he would be
able 10 formulate his conclusions aud
report to Washington within ten days.
He passed all day yesterday at Quar-,
antine Island Inspecting the reconstruc.
tion plans which have been under way
there and which are not yet completed.
The Honolulu quarantine station is to
be one Of the most important and
complete establishments of its kind, as
the developments of the next Ave or
ten years, following the 9ompletlon of
the Panama Canal, may result IN ma.
terial Encouragement of the lines of
ocean traffic. Mr.. Roberts stated that
he was Of the opinion that Hawaii is
destined to play rather an Important
part in American affairs.
He said that insofar as his instrue-
tions indicate the federal building site
and the quarantine station improve
mentsare the only affairs requiring his
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