The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-11-28
Commissioners Hope To 'Seejpub.
lie Once More In Possession
of Beach Front
MEMBER CALLS EXISTING
CONDITION MOST ILLEGAL
Body WIN Ask Legislators For
Funds To Establish Patrol
and Peoples Rights

Property OWNERS Of waikiki who
have usurped the beach and barred the
public from the enjoyment Of the
greater part Of IL are to be forced by
the harbor board to return to the PEG.
pie what belongs to the people, accord.
ing to statements made yesterday by
members Of the board. :
Included in the budget being pre-.
pared by the harbor board for pres.
entation to the Legislature is an item
for n beach patrol. The establishment
Of this patrol, harbor commissioners
said yesterday, will be the first step
toward returning to the public the
right of access to all of tine beach in.
stead of merely little strip in front
of two of the hotels as at present.
For years there have been. com.
plants, steadily gaining in volume and
insistence, that property owners along
Waikiki beach have taken from the
public the right to use most Of the
beach. Illegally, II is claimed, but by
common consent, property owners have
built retaining walls TO prevent the
sea from washing away their land. ,
Few, If any, Of the, people of Hon
olulu objected to that, thinking, in
fact, that it was a good thing to have
the Entertainments of the tide curbed.
Everybody Kapu
Bat a few years ago some Of the
property owners began Directing to
persons passing along the tops of the
retaining walls. Some went to the ex-
tent Of building wire or wooden fences
out over the walls, notwithstanding
the fact that since the walls were built
the water, especially at high tide,
comes far up on them and it is impossi.
BILE for pedestrians to pass along the
beach under the wall, as there is no
beach left.
b, Several instances have been reported
Of Waikiki beach property owners
driving OF with threats persons who
attempted to go up or down the beach
by, walking on the walls.
awe have had this matter in mind
long time" said one member of the
harbor board yesterday There is no
question but that the public has a right
to the entire beach and that persons
who have property bordering on the
beach and who prevent or try to pre-.
went the public from traversing the
beach, whether on the walls or below,
are acting illegally
Beach Patrol Needed
"But we have been able. to take no
action for the reason that we have had
No nd %
patrol as we are required by law to
do. We are including in. our budget
for the legislature, however, a request
for an appropriation sufficient to en-
able US to establish such patrol, and
when we get it, we will start the patrol
at once, and we n see to 1t that every
part of the beach is accessible to the
general public as it once was, and as
the law intends it shall be.
1.-THE Supreme Court of the United
States has reoe ntly rendered a deci,
sion which seems to make it plain that
those property owners who have built
retaining walls the bases of which are
below high tide have no legal right to
prevent people. passing along the beach
from walking on the tops Of the walls,
though, of course, no. one has a right
to cross private property in order to
get to- the beach" > " -
There are several places :, along the
beach whore buildings have been con
structed out over the water and it is
impossible for pedestrians to pass by
without swimming. A person who tried
recently to go from the outrigger Club
to Browns channel at about half tide
was obliged to swim for more than a
hundred yards and wade thigh deep
for a considerably greater, distance. In
places 1t was even impossible to get
upon the retaining walls except from
the hand side, which is private prop
erty. ~