Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-02-09
Supervisor Single Points Out
Which Substitute Proposal
is Not Feasible

:
| Weaver. and other property-owners
along Pauahi street. in the downtown
business section, have blocked the
Pauahi street Improvement project.
They insist that the city shall make
big improvement district in which
this street is included, and that unless
that is done they will oppose the pro-
ject Since 10 per cent Of the owners
filed protests last night, the improve
ment IS dead for the present
Supervisor Single, chairman Of the
roads committee, in reply to the sub
stitute plan outlined by Attorney
Weaver showed conclusively that the
city is financially unable to carry out
what these property-owners insist up
! On. The board stands pat and will
not improve Pauahi street except on
the frontage-tax basis
| Attorney Weaver on behalf of the
| Directing property-owners outlined
the substitute plan as follows:
! The downtown section is taken to
include from the waterfront to the
/ mauka line of Beretania street, and
from the Waikiki side of Alakea
street westward to the junction Of
King and Beretania streets, and a line
drawn from there to the lower end
of River street Paving is estimated
upon the same basis as Pauahi street
as a standard.
The city has about $4,000 square
feet of streets to pave. Out of this
| the street car company is obliged to
pave about S50,000 square feet, leav-
ing about 1,05S.0OO square feet to be
! paved by the city.
| He Estimates Cost.
Estimating the cost of concrete
| pavement, as was the cost on the
short Pauahi street job, at $1S5 a
square yard, including surfacing.
there being siX-inch concrete base
and two-inch surface, the cost of the
! paving only would be $21S,000. Add
to this the cost of storm sewers, $685.
! 900: engineering and incidentals, $685.
! 600 more, making a total Of $26S,0O0.
The estimated number of feet Of
| property which must bear this assess
ment would be 100000 square feet.
| The assessment against each square
| foot would be Al cents TO be paid in
| ten years time, if the bond issue be
for ten years The property owner
would then have a permanent i'm
provement for the payment of Al of
cent per square foot per year
Advantages of Scheme.
THE scheme would have the adj
vantage of being one applicable to an
intelligent plan for the whole of the
center of the city, The various
grades and sewers and, other utilities
could be planned for at one time in
one general plan. The Chamber of
Commerce plan could be considered in
making out this plan. / t.a-
THE relation which this payment
bears to the funds of the city shows
that it is not an impracticable pay
ment for the city to make with its in
come considered. The city receives
$3.50, 700 for permanent Improvements
in 1916. The city also receives $780,.
0G0 from the road tax. There is a
fund of $4,000 from which the cost
could be paid.
Return For Taxes.
IF the city undertook TO pay one
third of the cost of the street. and
required each property owner on each
side of the street, to pay one-third
each, there is an equality Of burden.
The property owner would then get
small return for his general taxes
paid on downtown streets.
1.-THE city would be required to pay |
only $4,000" .-.. -
Replying. to Attorney Weaver, Su-
pervisor Single explained to the
board that the scheme as proposed by
Mr.. Weaver was not feasible because
of financial reasons. .
According to Weaver, the city must
pay at least $4,000 in addition to 9TH
er amounts for intersections of |
streets, etc, which probably would
run the city's share up to nearly |
100000. The permanent improve
ment fund of the city for 1915,
amounting to $4,000, will be re-
quired to carry through the city's OBJ
legations in the Manoa, Lusitana,
Kalakaua, Beretania, King street ex-
tension and Puunui Improvement
projects, as wen as other permanent
improvements in the country districts
to be paid out of this fund. The road
tax fund for Honolulu proper during
1916 had already been appropriated.
So there would not be available any
thing like the amount of money re-
quired during 1916.
The present board goes out of Of
flee on June 80, 1917, and therefore |
could count on only one-half of the |
permanent improvement fund, to wit, |
SIS 900. and one-half of the Honolulu |
road tax, to wit, 100000. in order
that the incoming board could have |
its equal proportion of the revenues |
to work on during the last half of |
1917.
The sum of $4,000 available in. the |
permanent fund would not be suffi' |
cient to meet Judge Viewers pro-