Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-07-07
JUSTIFIED IN TAKING THE REINS.

Honolulu experience with the Local improvement
district plan OF paving is the universal experience
American cities.
Conditions here, {" far as city improvements g"
arc not fundamentally different from those in ANY
other American CITY
Here. as everywhere. there are plenty OF ndivdu-
al protests plenty Of individual kickere The kicker
and the knocker are not solitary they ubiquitous
+, Here. even mirc than in usual degree. the
. leadership must be taken by the city offi-
Gals. There is little, if any. definite public
sentiment on specific details OF improvements,
The public knows in general way that it is Disguised
at poor paving. at grass-groWn main streets at dust
and dirt and filth and mud BY electing its mayors,
boards of supervisors and other officials it has placed
its acceptance upon the promises they made ueny,
during the campaign, to better conditions substan-
tally if elected.
With the advice and investigation Of employed
experts at its command the city council or the board
or whatever it is called-speating OF cities gen
eraly--is expected to be able to initiate improve
mentS. Leadership is expected of the result getting
kind.
The Puunu road situation illustrates the point that
sonetimes-often, in fact-the elected officials must
take the reins in their own hands on local improve
meTts and adopt the course which appears to be of
greatest public value. So far the reinS have been
held alternately by the Country Club directors and the
Piiunui Improvement Club committees. There are
objections to the plans each side has submitted. The
Piiinui Club is the most representative of owners,
but members Of the board declare that the Circle
Drive plan which it favors, involves more expense
than can be afforded now particularly the county
is asked to pay share. Yet the City Planning Com
mission the city engineer and the road committee
more or less heartily in favor of the Circle Drive
scheme -., 49,. .+r.
This is case where the Star-Bulletin believes the
board would be justified in working out scheme Of
its own and insisting that if the property
can't agree on plan of theirs the city plan should
prevail or no Improvement be made. .s
The delays thus far prove that the boardwises to
give Puunu every chance to get together If, as is
that many small property owners will suffer such
assessments that they may refuse to join the petition
i is nanfesty the province of the board to take the
reiIs and draft a more equitable plan.
Al few days ago the St Paul Dispatch carried an
editorial worth reproducing in this connection:
II II hopes to carry out an orderly and successful
program of paving improvement the council must
adopt firm and judicial course. The perfection OF
system will mean individual hardship in cases;
this is unavoidable. The occasional property owner
win find difficult proposition to pay the assess
ment which expresses the benefit to his property
The Improvement comes to him almost as confis-
cation His protest is natural He is Joined by Others
in opposition to the paving for other and less sub
stantal and showing is made TO the council
which might in cases its judgment But
streets must be paved The march OF improvement
necessary urban development and the purposes OF
the public cannot be stayed. The wishes or the ne
cessties Of the few cannot be permitted to stand in
fhesM Of obvious public demands 1t is up to the
Judgment Of the council and calls for frmness and
sureness ia carrying paving policy that has met
general public approval.
ST Paul, too, has its local Improvement troubles