Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-11-17
ANTON|OCASTRO
EXAMINES LOAN
FUND WITNESSES
Commissioner Takes Leading
Part in Morning Hearing
on PiCanCo Bid

=. After holding session for more than
an hour today TO continue the meet
ing of last Wednesday and listen TO
protests on the bid of Picaneo &
Comes. contra ctors, and bidders On the
Hillebrand glen water project, loan
fund commissioners again adjourned
without taking action on the matter.
Chief among the features of the
meetin. perhaps was the appearance
OF A. p. Castro. one of the commits
sioners, crcss-eXamining in detail each
OF the witnesses whom James T Tay,
lor, protesting bidder, brought for
testimony before the territorial body
Castro Asks Questions
Many of CastrO's questions came
near to the border line of being lead
ing, and it WIS when Castro, with
flushed face. ASKED William Cullen,
witness, whether or not he himself
that Chairman Charles R. Forbes
spoke up. ..:.... -. ..'..
Il do not Think we care to 20 that
far into the legal side of this fropo-
sition,,' he said, Castro having Just
previously pressed mis- question upon
Cullen, asking him if he were sure of
his statement as to citizenship.
Picanco's answer to numerous as
sertions that he could not do the work
for $1S,535, was that he estimated the
job to cost SIS 600. while: H. H. Eos
ter. one of Picanco's witnesses, testi-
fled that his estimation Of the cost
was $4,000 He said that Taylor had
given MIN an estimate of quantities,
telling him that he would not bid on
the work himself -.
Taylor qualified this Abatement by
saying he had informal Foster as
soon as he made up his mind to bid,
and refused to give him any figures.
Taylor declared late in the meeting
that Picanco & Comes had not filed
as corporation with the territorial
treasurer. ...
Howell Is Witness .....
Hugh Howell of Maui, who had
merely dropped into the meeting after
the opening of bids on the Lahaina
swamp, proved a star witness, stat
ing his views in a clear cut manner.
and backing them with incidents to
prove them. ... ...-
Howells testimony was based on
work he had seen the Picanco broth
ers do II years ago on Maui, as he
stated, and added that he did not try
to say what they have or have not
done since then He testified that
their mechanical work is good but
that they had seemed unable to
manage jobs Oh which they had con-
tracts. Ill., =
They were not satisfactory at that
time" he said, ''and were both dila-
tory and incompetent in road grading
jobs they had under me as engineer
in the department of public works.
Harris, their bondsman, paid $4,000 out
of his own pocBet for it. They were
nearly a year behind time.
Thick and Fast r..
Here Castro poured a flood of
questions at the witness as rapidly
as answers could be given. Here are
samples of them.
Ibid you ever have bondsman pay
for any of your jobs? Wouldn't man
be able to reform in II years? Pican-
CO isn't an idiot. is he?
Similar questions were driven at l..
NJ. Whitehouse, former city and coun-
ty engineer, whom Taylor had called,
to substantiate his own statements,
and likewise at other witnesses.
The commissioners will meet again
next Monday to visit Puunui district,
and it is possible that they may an
nounce the award at that time. They
have not yet received answer from
the board of agriculture and forestry
to a request for privilege to enter the
Hillehrand district -.