Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-09-16
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the cundnicns a Ecach Walk. where
the finance committee indicated the
center of the proposed sewer extern
SIGN should be, were such as must
Immediately be met with the remedy
of sewerage disposal other than by
cesspOols. ...... ~.
With regard to Mr. Horner's objec-
tons to the belt road item, he is
forcing an issue that does not exist
when he assumes that the proposal
involves asking the people to vote
that the belt road is of more inn
portance than the district Of Homo
lulu. It's assumption interjeCts
NOS UIHlCsirc BILE element of sectional.
ism into the discussion. as we'll as.
in nv opinion. being far wide of the
trun situation Its authors dictum
thft the bond issue should be con
firtG to the district Of Honolulu" is
astonishing. in view of the four main
considerations, namely: !, that the
body polite OF this city and county
ie one and indivisible with respect 10
the enabling act for bond issues; 2,
that the belt road is a combined COM
meTcIal, industrial and tourist asset in
highest degree affecting prosperity of
town as we'll as country; 3, that the
taxes from sugar and pineapple plan
tationS, tTaversed by the belt road
OF connected Herewith by tributary
roads, are among the biggest sources
OF municipal revenue, and 4. that the
City district now has the frontage tax
system well launched. under which
great deal of street improvement may
be effected without aid from loan
funds. ..-.-
On the side would say that for
some time | have been studying the
de2iTability and justice of having a
law passed, on the principle of the
city district improvement statutes,
whereby owners of property benefited
by the main country highways should
be made to bear a proportion of the
cost Of the permanent construction
that now may fairly be taken rs the
fixed policy of all future road building
on Oahu. Such a law would be in
consonanct: with the practices govern,
ing state-aided highways on the main
land and the new road policies for
counties and rural sections of differ
ent states. Recent articles published
regarding such a law in Arkansas tell
of revolutionary progress there in the
building of permanent highways under
it, following the old-time, happy go
lucky system through which it is al
legged s1S,000,000 had been expended
on roads with nothing durable to show
for it, Arkansas has a constitutional
provision debarring counties from in
curing bonded Indebtedness, bat I'M
der this new law district improvement
bonds are legeli; ed. based, like those
of Hcnolulu's improvement laws, upon
a lien on the benefited property.
What has gone before is submitted
as a reply, also, to Mr.. Horner's pre-
sentation of list of city district
streets which he claims should have
been preferred to the belt road extern
sion in the loan scheme. AS he has
opposition, it is not necessary to dis !
cuss them here further than in the |
general explanation Of the course Ia |
ken by the finance committee, in pre-
pairing a plan for submission to the |
board, which here follows.
When, after it was decided that the |
original proposition of bond issue of |
$3.50, 900 must be reduced to one of. |
$4S0, 900, If the scheme was to be
pursued at all, the whole question was |
to the finance committee
for further consideration and report |
OF a definite plan. 1t was decided by
the committee that any loan items for
submission to plebiscite must be
specific in their nature. Lump amounts
for general purposes-such as belt
road extension" laid to frontage tax
water works extension"
not conform to the pro-
visions of the enabling act. There
fore each department that had for
merly presented its acquisitions for
a portion of the proposed loan funds
was requested to submit its choice of
q distinct unit of improvement de-
sired. tentative division of the whole
of the bond issue being pre-
sented to the departments. In reply
lie water end sewer departments sub
niitted the Nuuanu filtration plant and
.he Waikiki sewer extension; the road
department chose the extension of the
eoncrete roadway from the foot of the
Pail toward Kualoa Point, and the
committee on parks and Fairgrounds
he various items covering the pur-
chase of Atkinson and Pauoa parks
md improvements to Kapiolanl park
md the public baths.
DANIEL LOGAN.
.