Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-09-16
AN ANSWER ON THE BOND ISSUE.

with Mr.. HorneP's attack on the bond
ing proposition OF the finance com.
Inittee in the board OF supervisors,
replied as best could on the spur of
! The moment. AS nothing | said was
reported excepting a solitary remark
on merely collateral issue, and as
air. Horncr'S views have been pub.
iisAed by you in full in the form of a
letter, submit a few comments Oh
his seTera! grounds of opposition to
The scheme as q whole
Tue first item is S150,0OO for in
stdilation and equipment in Nuuanu
Valley or filtration plant and aCces-
SORES thereto. Mr.. Homer admits
tEat the filtration plant is probably
needed" but questions if it is "suf-
ficientiy o. urgently needed at this
time" Admission and query are pre-
coded by general argument that
neither water nCr sewer extension is
required other than where it is de-
sired in connection with permanent
fEtreet construction-the idea of course
being that Of savoiding the wasteful.
ness Of tearing up costly roadwork to
lay water and sewer mains. .. ..
Continuing on the water question,
after a depression to that of roads,
Mr.. Horner gives figures for water
mains such as he considers all that
are immediately required. These are
in Puunui district, Kalakaua avenue,
Beretaflia street and Liliha street, to-
gether with $4,000 to complete, the
meteTing of the business section of
the city, the aggregate of items being
S5l,7S5. In passing. ! would observe
thet these items, other than meter
ing, are probably not beyond the re-
sources of financing without loan
funds before December 81. 1917, and,
judging by what has been accom-.
plished in extensions the past year
and the increase of revenue at present
reported by the water department,
even meter installation may be ac-
complished out of surplus receipts
At all events, Superintendent Murray
has indicated, by his choice OF objects
for the initial loan, that he is content
to leave the metering problem to the
chance of a second loan or to the
possibility of other relief measures at
the hands of either the legislature or
the board of supervisors, or both.
In disputing the present urgency of
Nuuanu filtering plant, Mr.. Horner
says that out of the 100000 gallons
of daily consumption there will be
only about 100000 gallons of this
that will in any way be affected by
the installation of the filtration plant
in Nuuanu Valley at cost of $780,
0D0.' Well, that amounts to more than
faaea tvl1 inh Cfa
worth while putting into fit condition
for domestic use. Besides, Nuuanu
water is the only supply requiring
filtration 1t is we'll known, more
over, that various sources of surface
water are proposed to be tapped for
increasing the supply in reservoir No.
4. known as ''the big DAM" both to
give that reservoir its full measure
of usefulness to consumers and to
furnish power for the lighting plant |
ant the artesian water pumping plants |
That for the future requirements |
of the city it will be necessary to |
utilize all available surface water re-
sources has been urged by most of |
the experts, official and otherwise, |
who have investigated the water Ques- |
ton The latest deliverance on this
point is by G. K. Harrison, the terri
terial photographer, in his report for
the fiscal year ended June 80 last.
Discussing the alarming drain upon
the artesian water basin of the metro
politan district, with its sc active wells
public and private - discharging
about 35 million gallons day, he
declares that one of the two following
courses of procedure must be followed:
Il. The requirement or control of all
aFtesian wells in the Honolulu basin
between Fort Shafter and Diamond
Head by the territory. ~. 2. The
transmission and storage
of surface flow"
From the warning of the sanitary f
In 1912, of the constant
lowering of the artesian water level,
and what have read and heard from
experts Including the exhaustive pa
per by A. c. Alexander-the necessity
surface flow should not be regarded
as merely an alternative to public
ownership or control of the artesian
waters. Both the artesian and the
surface resources win have to be
utilized. And, as Mr.. Alexander dem
onstrated from actual data that the
artesian level, besides being affected
by the drafts upon the wells, is gov
erned by the amount of rainfall in
the environing watersheds, greatest
scientific care will have to be exer-
cised to decide just how far the de-
of surface flow in the
and valleys on the town
side of the range may safely go, SO
as to avoid impairment of the artesian
supply.
Mr.. Horner says: Certainly the
of the sewer works in the
Waikiki district is not Immediately !
Dr. urgently needed at this time. That !
IAN be cared for at some later date" i
In this stand think he is without !
support from any of the authorities,
past or present The sanitary COM
mission in 1912 said: "The Manoa,
oalolo and Kaimuki sections should j
De severed at, once and connected to !
4 station mar Fort noIucSp Th;c