Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-09-06
BYRONR. NEWTON
HERE TO SELECT
FEDERAL GROUND
tContinued nom page oneJ

him back to his hotel enthusiast.
over the beauties Of landscape and tn
charm of the climate. Naturally he i!
not talking Of conclusions on tie ST
question.
There has been some talk of moot
ing OF busin essmen under the ausnire
Of the Chamber of Commerce to dis
cuss with Mr.. Newton the federal sit
matter, bat up to this afternoon NJ
such meeting had been arranged. This
being a general holiday in the city
few offices were opened and rohahl'
nothing definite will re done alon'
this line until tomorrow.
History Of Federal Site Question.
The history of the varions fedora
building site moves and delays G
tends over more than seven years
Originally. the government chos" wh@
is known as the "Mahuka site" or
King and bishop streets. Later IN ~
tempt was made to enlarge this sit
by condemnation proceedings In Il
federal court to secure the Fort stree
frontage between King and MerrhsD
streets. The awards IN the condemns
ton proceedings were so highstha g v
eminent decided not to take the sit
at All 80 .'']S. = ..
Several bills had been moving along
in Congress with exasperating delays
Finally an entirely new deal was ar
ranged, Senator Warren of Wyoming
introduced what has become known
as the Warren bill," appropriating
$1,325,000 for a federal building site
and the big structure itself. This bill
passed the senate and on January IL
of this year passed the house. The
house put i'm an amendment limiting
the cost of the site to $250,600. The
conference report, whose terms were
finally adopted by both houses, in
creased the limit of cost of the site
to $275,000 instead Of $3.50, 900. Under
the terms of the bill, the entire han.
ding of the site and building are plac-
ed in the hands Of the treasury de-
partment, The conference report also
settled point which had caused some
trouble the reimbursement Of private
property. owners who had opened and
dedicated Bishop street at time
when the government still intended
to use the sMahuka site and wished
Bishop street to be made available.
These owners are to be reimbursed by
the setting aside Of $35 ,00Q Of the sum
realized from the sale of the Mahuka
site, which is still owned by the gov
eminent and which Is. to be sold, to
the highest bidder Che bin having fix
ed AN upset price of $165,0oo. Z,
president on March 8 log tits year.
Thus as the matter now stands, 81
$4,000 has been appropriated for
building and site; the site to. cost not
more than $275, 900, leaving $1.050, 600
for the building, 1t is estimated that
i'm architects fees and various ex-
penses about $4,000 win be used, 50
that the structure as 1t ultimately
stands will be a million'dollar build
ing. -
The site Question. 49,
Getting this generous appropriation
through Congress did not. however,
end the delays in securing the build
Ing. There remained the question of
q suitable site. There was long con-
over the "originaF and "en-:
largedn Mahuka sites: When the Ma
huka site was definitely abandoned,
the two chief sites at once became
the Irwin and Spreekels site-the IT.
win site being on Palace square, where
The = Hawaiian Opera House now
stands, and the Spreckels site at Ala
kea and Merchant streets. Governor
many individuals and civic
have Endorsed the Irwin
site as being the most available be-
cause most ideal in working out the
civic center idea" as we'll as for prac-
teal reasons of location and cost.
The Spreckels site likewise has not
lacked for strong advocates.
A special agent. was sent from
a few months ago. This
was E. C.. Ruebsam, and it was sup
posed here that he would have some
hing to say on the choice of sites,
but on his return from Washington
It developed that he was here as an
expert on foundations rather than on
iites and that If he made any recon-
as to sites such recon-
would probably have lit
lie influence in determining the course
If the treasury department. 4
Last spring the Star-Bulletin's Wash
ngton correspondent sent the first
Jews here that Assistant Secretary
Newton would come and make per
;onal inspection. He intended to
,ome with the congressional party but
he illness of Secretary McAdoo fore
ID him to give up his plans. The Star
Bulletins correspondent a few months
alter cabled that Mr.. Newton would
;ome in August or September, and
he next development in the long fed
.ral building campaign is the arrival