The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-03-16

Fiht Eeiusai W nikh nv NO.
dollar bond for the German refugee
merchant ships to keep the peace was
made late yesterday by H. Hackfeld 4
Co, agents for the vessels, in q com
munieation TO the board Of harbor com
missioners. a.
The German American firm returned
to the harbor board the proposed form
Of bond, accompanying II with com
munication to the effect that, acting
ON the advice Of its attorneys, Thomp
son, Milverton q Cathcart, it would no
sign the bond, as TO do so would b.
to bind il to agreements to which i
did not desire 10 be bound. The com
munication included the opinion Of thu
law firm TO the effect that the agent
for the German ships would be unwis'
TO sign the bond, as TO do so nigh
prevent them from doing something
they might want TO do.
The bond, as drawn by the attor
ney generals Office and proposed t.
Hackfeld q Co. by the harbor board
provided that the agents and owner
Of the German ships should be bount
In the sum Of 100000 for any dam
ACE to territorial or private propert.
or for loss Of life that might result
from the blowing up Of the vessels
their being sunk in the harbor or tn
channel, or any other cause traceabi,
to them. f N'
Agents Dodge Bond m -,s-
And the agents Of the German vessels
refuse to bind themselves or their own
ers. They profess themselves unwill
ing to bind themselves to make goot
losses which they may occasion.
They refuse 70 be placed in posi-
tion where they might be prevented
from some act they might want to per
form. W.
What win be the next step of th'
hoard OF harbor commissioners Is pro
blematical. Charles r. Forbes, chair
man of the board, said late last nigh
that he had not made up his mind wha
was TO be done. He said he would cal
meeting of the harbor commission
ere TODAY to consider the matter. HI
had talked with none of the othe
members, except Commissioner Wake
field. whom he had appraised over tn
telephone Of the refusal of the Ger
man company to bind itself to keeI
the peace. T..
In a statement last night jane
Wakefield, member of the board OF hal
Dor commissioners, declared that i'm
mediate action would be taken by tn
board to rid the harbOr of the menac
of the German ships. ".@& ....-
oThere are two things that can b
done with the ships,'' said Mr.. Wake
field. nThey can be moved to Peal
III Il nna - "a ~
Of these moves will be made believ'
at the meeting which the board wi
hold tomorrow morning. a. ...
The form of bond was submitted b
the haTbor commission to II. Hackfel
3 Co. last Monday afternoon to b
signed. The company asked for tim
In which to have its attorneys go owe
the matter. II was not until late ye
terday that Frank Thompson, head
the firm of legal advisers of Hackfel
q Co., rendered his opinion.
Questioned over the phone by I'll
Advertiser in regard TO the matte
Thompson said he had given the OPT
ion TO the company about five o'cloe
He refused TO state what II was, {
the ground that he had no right
do so.
Klobahn won't TAX .s.s ~. ....rE
Efforts TO locate Georg Rodiek, pre-
ident of II. Hackfeld 4 Co., were frui
less. l.. -. ~ .a,~,.., 80,
T.. w. Klebahn, who is in charge
the Hackfeld shipping business stat
that he had forwarded the decision
Mr. Forbes. He was disinelined
talk. Et-. ,rti u q
As related in The Advertiser "
terday, Commissioner James Wakefe
said that II Haekfeld & Co. refused
sign the bond, "the public could ma
its own differences, 'r.... Il.
And in the meantime, II has be
discovered that the German steamsh
Pommern, lying at one Of the ter
torial wharves, has been made real
10 be sunk within three minutesi
The committee appointed by I
board Of harbor commissioners
search the German vessels for {
plosives reported yesterday on I
Pommern and Setos, the only ships
had searched. II declared, over I
sianatures Of all its members, that I
hollis in the cover of the Pommerr
main suction check,valye had been
loosened aud removed that il won
take only two or three minutes' wo
torpmoye the check, open the seaeoc
and food the engine room aud holds.
II the vessel sank at her dock, .
shonld 20 down about fifteen feet, lea
ing her superstructure above wat
If, however, an attempt should
made to tow the vessel out through