Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-03-21
In Comprehensive Statement
Sent to Star-BuIIetin From
Oregon He. Explains History
of Deal
SAYS ROW STIRRED UP
FOR PERSONAL REASONS
Declares That Lorrin A. Thurs
ton is Trying to "Snipe'
Governor Pinkham and Him
self

l. L
well known businessman Of the island
OF Hawaii, answers with q vigorous
denial the various charges Of fayorit
ism and irreguIarIty In connection
with the land deal at Waiakea be.
tween the territory and himself.
In comprehensive statement sent
to the star-Builetin from Baker, ore.
oon, where he 10 now In business az
an engineering contractor, Senator
Metxner discusses the subject in detail
and declares that the charges were
stirred up by Lorrin A. Thurston for
reasons Of personal anlmosity against
the senator himself and Governor
Pinkham.
Senator Metzger says:
Baker, Ore, March 6, 1916.
Editor Honolulu Star Bulletin,
Honolulu, Hawaii.
Sir: Under the caption, Land
Swap Stirs Ire Of Patient People of
Hilo. the Advertiser on February 16
printed a twocolumn "Mail Special, :
dated Hlio, February IA, that was no
doubt calculated to just raise the very
old Ned. II purported to be an ex-
pose BY "bombshelp' of q land deal
at Waiakea between the territory and
myself and was written by the very
able hand Of Lorrin A. Thurston, as a
foIlow-np attack made by him at a
Hilo Board OF Trade meeting on Feb.
ruafy g. The bombsheIl dropped on
The board hy Nr. Thurstou was one
flthc 119 variety, charged with hear.
say accredited to Norman Lyman and
othtrNise filled with misstafements
Of fact insinuations and innnendoes--
and everyone knows that when Ii
comes to the manufacture OF this sort
OF implement Lorrin A. takes off his
hat to no one In the land--did not
have sufficient weight and solid sub
stance TO get more than q few lines OF
indirect mention in the Hilo papers,
SO. no doubt suffering extreme pique
at this, and the opportunity being
open to shoot again from cover at two
enemies at the same time, Governor
Pinkham and myself, II just had to be
done, and We find the author, after
several days Of deliberatiye frame-uL
busting his bomb on the Honolulu
community through the medium of his
own paper. That Is a great system:
Owning q newspaper and writing
mail special" bombsheIl correspon.
deuce to IL You can just make 1t ap
pear that the enemy is being blown
10 fragments. II is what q few own
ers regard as "the power of the
press.
But. when Mr.. Thurston takes his
pen tn hand and sits down to his con
genial task Of writing bombs, he viii
make most any OF. aur sexplodees" SIT
up and take notice The mail spe
ciaF was presented in the writer's
happiest vein; II was a great pleasur.
and he was just In his best element
but nevertheless he studiously ano
carefully laid out the material in his
compelling item one. item two
style.
Statement Of Facts.
few years ago I should have paio
no attention to charges concerning
me that were utterly false, but know
better now than to pass all OF them
up without protest, so here is brief
statement of facts covering all essen.
tials having to do with my quarry
land deal with the territory, including
little other history that goes hand
in hand:
| leased the land In question, 90.31
acres tnot I40. as stated in special)
from Waiakea Mil Company in Feb
ruary. 1910. for the purpose Of open.
ing up quarry In a part of 1t, in
order to protect myself from the ex.
tortionate rate forced from me by the
Hilo Railroad for hauling from Kapo
no. In this was not entirely success
ful, for under Mr. Thurston's skilful
manipulations the railroad picked my
bones at the rate of 80 cents per ton
for hauling from there, while at the
same time IL performed for others a
substantially similar service for SO
cents and later offered to do the iden-
tical same work for others for 40
cents. The land is both pahoehoe
and a-a, the latter being covered In
places by rather dense vegetation.
About 35 acres Of this tract lies mau-
ka Of the railroad track.
Opened up Quarry Site.
spent about $4,000 in prospecting
and In opening up a quarry at the
Olaa end OF this land, and in consery-
ing and keeping it open in good work,
ing shape, and this is the principal
reason why the quarry is of any par
ticnlar value, for there is much other
land near by that would make good
quarEies, some even better than this,
il the expenditure necessary to open
them up were made. At the least cal
culation there Is $4,000 acres more Of
- rr7o-lin,,r.s -, nega .evona