Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-09-20
LETTERS
HoNoLuLu's WATER SUPPLY

Editor Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
Sir: 1t adds materially to the value
of ones opinions in print when the
author knows what he is talking about.
| This essential element of intelligent
discussion is lacking in the communi-
| cation of an" in your issue of Sep
! TENDER is. His opening sentence al
leges what is not fact. that the
| last legislature authorized the ap-
pointment of commission to consider
| a water supply for Honolulu"
What the last legislature did was
to pass an act ito provide for the
appointment of a commission to eX-
anime into the water resources and
water laws of the territory"
While M" expresses Impotence
that the commission he thinks into ex-
| istence has not yet reported, the
statute requires the actually existing
commission ito make such recon,
mendations and draft such legislation
as may by it be deemed necessary to
serve the best interests of the people
of the Territory of Hawaii, and en-
body the same in report to the gov
ernor on or before January l, 1917
AS SOIAml0OlO1y VIC VI
must be lawyer, Governor Pinknam
appointed G. K. harrison, T. F. Sedg-i
wick and Arthur G. Smith, the first
being territorial superintendent of
photography, the second a water ex-l
pert of the public works department
and the third deputy encouragement.
Mr.. harrison as official photographer,
with the cooperation Of the federal
geological service, has in fact been
conducting investigations Of the ma
ture prescribed for the commission for
some years past That the commits
sion is steadfastly pursuing its func-
lions is indicated by Superintendent
Larrison's report for July last, in
which he says:
The services or Assistant En-
gineers R. c. Rice and r. D. Klise dur.
ing the month were entirely devoted !
to work for the territorial water COM
mission. A considerable part of the
time Of the superintendent, who is
chairman Of this commission, was also |
expended on this work
The only legislation directly af- |
fecting the Honolulu water supply en-
acted last session is act 1913 amending |
the loan act Of 1911 as amended in
1913 and by act 80 of 1915, whereby |
S105, 494.09 is allotted out Of loan |
funds for water works and sewers, /
Honolulu" The loan funds are ad. |
ministered, for the city and county Of |
Honolulu, by the Oahu loan fund COM
This body has already ap-I
portioned some Of the amount allotted
as above to various improvements of |
the water and sewer systems. Just |
now it is Withholding decision upon
the question OF impounding the water
Of Hillebrand Glen and conducting II
to Nuuanu reservoir No 4, for the
purpose Of increasing the supply
therein for domestic consumption and
the latter purpose it should
be generally known that the station
is now being doubled in capacity of
street lighting, the installation of the
new unit therefor being close to com.
pletion. With the utilization Of all
the sources OF surface water which 1t
is believed may be made to serve the
big reservoir the power, ii is cal
will be sufficient to operate
the various artesian we'll pumping
plants at much saving of expense in
addition to making Honolulu one of
the best lighted cities anywhere
M appears to take for granted
that there is actually a serious ques-
ton pending on the abandonment of
he whole Nuuanu water system. 1t is
hard to imagine that such a question
,an be entertained for an instant. in .
rolving as it does the discardfng Of a
STORAGE basin capable Of holding e39.-
100. 900 gallons Of water, created only
xix years ago at a cost Of $29S. $3.50,
osether with the scrapping OF Homo