Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-04-17
Editor Honolulu Star-BulIetfn

use Fifth avenue, Kaimukf. as a trai
to reach their homes in the vale,
makai, took the advice Of some mis-
guided soul to the effect that the!
might get some return for the taxes
they pay In the line OF a couple o
loads Of any old material other thar
hot air and cuss words dumped on Il
the aforementioned Fifth avenue. Ac
cordingly. this little band of taxps yer.
who dared TO live and breathe in thu
same degree Of longitude with a fea
board of supervisors, petitioned
through the writer. In the nos
humble manner possible, the hoard e
do something, be it ever 50 little, t:
the aforesaid Fifth avenue, so that il
might be travelled in safety. The pc
tition was ignored as far as the peti
TONERS could learn. We will mention
| just as side issue that the street re-
pairing gangs were IA Eainuki at the
time. and the silence on the part oil
the board was taken as n sign that
something might be done
Some time after that work on th>
streets of Kaimuki vas called off and
we, the aforesaid buach Of benighteo
citizens, became Disguised with oul
treatment, We Digit to be ashamed
of ourselves to let our disgust be
shown because We are probably the
only people in the world who ever got
disguised with a board of supervisors
However, We penned the following let
ter to the board: .....-
So Honolulu, March -, 1917.
To the Board Of Supervis ,rs, az and
County OF Honolulu.
Sirs: Some months ago, being so
licited by the many residents living in
the valley reached ira Fifth avenue
Kaimuki, petitioned the board OF
supervisors of this city anu county to
do something I'll the way c: repair to
that bridal path" leading maSai from
Waialae road and known cb the map
as Fifth avenue. The board did not
do anything to that thonoughfare.
claiming that there was no money "a
stereotyped phrase that is becoming
very tiresome to the Dublicl, but the
late storm did, and il very, much re-
sembles that picture in oGr old geog-
raphies that shows the comparative
heights of the mountains IF the world.
The board did promise, however, to
send couple Of men out there with
sledges to break off the projecting
rocks so that an auto might pass over
1t without smashing it's differential.
The men with the sledges have never
appeared. or If they did they probably
came to the conclusion, as other street
repairers do I'm Kaimuki, that Il look.
ed too hard a job, SO they 60 where
II is easier work
II the board doesn't hurry up sad
do something to that avenue it will
get so bad that the assessor can't
get up that way to collect the taxes.
Yesterday morning noticed gang
of r0admen working on that short
piece Of road leading from King stre *
mauka by the old baseball grounds.
From what / have seen of road con.
struction in this city for the last 80
years consider myself as good a
Judge of road work as the next maj.
and do not consider that piece of
road In question to be in bad shape
at all. II Fffth'ayenue was in one-half
of one per cent as good condition as
the piece OF road referred to above We
would have no kick, and would con.
slider ourselves lucky mortals. The
repairs referred to near the baseball
grounds will benefit nobody except a
few. Orientals who live near the lower
end, while 80 to so white families, who
are spending thousands of dollars
yearly on improvements, enhancing
the city's value and beautifying 1t at
the same time. must needs wallow
through bog known on the map as
Fifth avenue.
! The eternal unfitness OF things In
this city makes one feel like agreeing
with q communication In the evening
paper. signed Another Taxpayer"
that Il is about time to have a change.
c. F. MERRILL. .
The above did bring communica-
ton from the board to the effect that
the board had laid my communities.
ton, on the table"
That was encouraging. 1t was evil.
dence that the board had laid some
thing some place, even If 1t was not
on Fifth avenue
In the meantime II was given out
that no more road work would be done
on the streets of Kaimuki. The money
for street work in that district had
petered out. presumably good por.
ton Of it on streets contingent to Will
helmina Rise, where nobody lives, the
grass grows up through the street
work and the dogs bark at stranger.
Fifth avenue continued to project
itself more each day into the skyline,
and a broody, disconsolate air seemed
to pregnate the homes Of those living
beyond. all brought about by the de-
plorable condition of Fifth avnaIe. it
being so bad that their friends would
not drive their autos over it, and
walking Irer il at night, was out of
the question, as the one and only
street lamp nearstne bad lands" was
broken and useless. This condition of
affairs was responsible for the fnIloR.
ing letter to the board: Il.
Honolulu, March 2S, 1917 ii
To the Board Of Supervisors. City and
Is County of Honolulu
Sirs: As You have done nothing in