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

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
Dnly of local yalue?"
Continuing he declared:
ct strikes me ii 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 diff
ferent counties. II was by this method
that Oahu got nearly $500, 900 for road
purposes and Hawaii 100000 for its
Hilo-Kilauea road, he explained.
DIR. A. s. Baker remarked that he
remembered Mr.. Cooke stopping be-
fore his home in Kona with several
broken spokes in an auto wheel Az
that time he thought Mr.. Cooke would
have been in favor OF territorial roads,
said the Kona representative. 1T
seems wrong to me to state that a
road is only of. local use. Certainly
ali the people who travel around the
island OF Hawaii use the main roads
OF South and North Kona, and they
shouldn't be built alone by Kona peo-
ple," he said in effect.
OPPOSED eY CASTLE.
A. L. Castle was another member
of the territorial senate who opposed
the resolution on the ground that its
assage 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 territorial
treasury to carry out the intention
of the resolution for several years
he added. And in conclusion he said
that while he had no objection to the
principle of the resolution he belieV'
ed its passage was unnecessary.
THE passage of this resolution is
a re-declaration of principle" empha'
sized L. A. Thurston, for many years
a supporter of the plan to have Ger
tain belt and tourist roads built and
maintained by the territory. Roads
Of territorial interest should at least
be constructed in part by territorial
Iunds. This resolution is expressly
limited to roads of general interest.
Each road project will necessarily
have to stand on its 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
to 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 on
Kauai would be of like territorial va
Iue, and that Kilauea and Mauna Loa
rvads were others. Mr.. Thurston haZ
arded the estimate that an auto road
could be built to the summit of Ma
una Loa for $4,000.
IN the old days in the states when
all roads we're built by the local com
nunities there were no state trunk
roads, and there were none when the
automobile came into general use,