Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-09-18
Resolution Indorsing Territorial
Roads is Finally Passed
BY Convention
CONTINUED from page IL

(ContlnueQ from page Ii
Hawaii and Maui delegates, although
they had considerable backing from
Honolulu delegates. -: =
Representative c. H. Cooke opened
his argument against the resolution
by asking:
"How are we going to determine
the roads that are beneficial to the
entire territory from those which are
pnly of local yalue?" =:s ....-.
Continuing he declared: 49,.
at strikes me It would be better
Tor our counties to build their own
roads. This subject was gone into
In the last legislature when the ter.
ritorial highways bill was considered.
Mr.. Cooke then gave an outline
Of the substitute action which was
taken by the legislature for the build
ing of roads, as result Of the recon-
mendation of the territorial tax com
mission and the changes made in the
allotment of the tax monies to the dill
ferent counties. II was by this method
that Oahu got nearly $500. 900 for road
purposes and Hawaii 100000 for It's
Hilo-Kilauea road, he explained.
DR.. A. s. Baker remarked that he
remembered Mr.. Cooke stopping be-
fore his home in Kona with several
broken spokes in an auto wheel. AT
that time he thought Mr.. Cooke would
have been In favor of territorial roads,
sadd the Kona representative. III
seems wrong to me to state that a
road is only of local use. Certainly
all the people who travel around the
island of Hawaii use the main ROADS
of South and North Kona, anc they
shouldn't be built alone by Kona peo
pIe." he said in effect.
OPPOSED BY CASTLE.
A. L. Castle was another member
of the territorial senate who opposed
the resolution on the ground that It's
assaee now would have no meaning
or purpose as the whole subject had
been considered by the legislature
and before a public meeting. There
would be no money in the terrltorla
treasury to carry out the intention
of the resolution for several years
he added. And in conclusion he saio
that while he had no objection to the
principIe of the resolution he beliey
ed its passage was unnecessary.
THE passage of this resolution II
q re-declaration of principle, empha
sized L. A. Thurston. for many years
O supporter of the plan to have Ger
tain belt and tourist roads built anc
maintained by the territory. Roads
of territorial interest should at Least
be constructed in part by territorial
Tunds. This resolution is expressly
limited to roads of general interest.
Each road project will necessarily
have to stand on it's own merits"
Mr.. Thurston said that in answer
ing Mr.. Cookies question as to how
the territorial roads would be deter
mined, he would cite specific exam
pies of specific roads. He referred
10 a Haleakala summit road as one
which would not be one of purely bust
ness advantage to Maui people, but
would be used by the people of the
whole territory and all visitors. He
said that a Waimea canyon road or
Kauai would be Of like territorial va
Iue, and that Kilauea and Mauna Los
RAIDS were others. Mr.. Thurston haz
a-ded the estimate that an auto road
could be built to the summit of Ma
una Loa for $150,000.
in the old days in the states wher
all roads were built by the local com
munities there were no state trunl
roads, and there were none when the
automobile came into general use,'