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THE MAUI NEWS
SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 1910
The Naval
Appropriation
Refuses lo Authorize Naval
Reorganization.
Wellington, April 21 The naval
appropriation dill passed by the
House last Friday, carries aliout
$128,000,000, or approximately !!,
000, (XX) less tlian the amount pro
vided for the current fiscal year.
Several items involving hca-vy ex
penditures were eliminated. An
amendment offered by Representa
tive Hudson, providing for the con
struction of live 'torpedo luiat des
troyers at a cost of $,X( (),( X) each,
was defeated. Provision is made for
two battleships at ifli.tXifi.IKH) each,
a,nd also for two fleet colliers at
$1,000,000 each. Hut the refusal
of the House to authorize a trial of
the naval . reorganization plan re
commended , by Secretary Meyer,
and concerning which' there have
been months of discussion, was per
haps the most striking feature of the
proceedings.
The Meyer proposal seems to have
Ixxm dropped from the appropri
ation hill with little ceremony. Yet
it does not follow from this that a
trial of the scheme will lie wholly
denied.. The action of the House
seems to have lieen anticipated .by
the secretary's supporters, for Re
presentative Iioudenslagcr of New
Jersey took occasion, before the
naval appropriation bill came up for
consideration, to introduce a bill
giving the secretary of the navy
specific, authority to try his plan.
It is lielieved that a vote taken
purely on the merits of the ease,
and not influenced as was the vote
of Friday by technical consider
ations, will prove favorable to the
Meyer recommendations.
It would seem that if we are ever
to attempt a reorganization of the
system now obtaining in the navy
department, which dates back to
1842, when the naval expenditures
amounted to fS.OOO.ODO, or a little
more than the present cost of a
single battleship, now is the time.
The reorganization scheme must be
carried out, if carried out at all, in
a period of peace. Peace exists to
day in its fullest sense and there is
every prospect of its indefinite con
tinuance. What Secretary Meyer
asks is simply an opportunity to
.show that the present system of
doing things in the navy, and espe
cially in the designing, construction
and administrative branches of the
service, can be greatly changed in
the interest of economy and effici
ency. Thin opportunity he ought
to have. Those who are striving to
prevent the granting of it are taking
upon themselves a very grave res-
ponsibility.
Great Irrigation
Plan for Turkey.
Bagdad, Turkey The extension
irrigation scheme here, the purpose
being "the reclamation of Mesopo
tamia," promises to revolutionize
commerce and shift trade balances
and traffic in this part of the world.
Some 4000 coolies and the necessary
engineers are already at work on the
initial projects in northern Mesojio
tamiiV and agricultural - benefits art
expected to follow in two or three
years. N
About 12,o00,CXJ0 acres of land are
to be irrigated and reclaimed, and
the work is expected to occupy six
or seven years. The information is
obtained from official reports made
to the Turkish government which
have not heretofore been made pub
lic. The cost for reclaiming over
1,000,000 acres is estimated to be
$18 an acre, while the value of the
land when reclaimed is fixed at 135
an acre and the rent at 8-.
Tn connection with this irrigation
project, the constriction of a rail
road from Hagdail to Damascus is
contemplated at a cost of 1.12,000,
000, and the Turkish government
now has tliat under consideration.
A New Problem .
Faces Governor Frear.
The question of what is to be done
with the Russians now camped at
Iwilei is what is now engrossing the
attention of the Governor and sev
eral of his department heads. It is
recognized by the Territorial officials
that the situation demands that
something be 'done, but the difficul
ty appears to be to find some way
out of the trouble.
Governor Frear slated yesterday
afternoon that ever since Monday
the Russian problem has been the
subject of serious consideration. Rut
as to whether or not he and those
conferring with him have as yet hit
upon any line of action, he was any
thing but voluble. Every question
along that lino was evaded with the
skill of the' trained lawyer, and he
countered question with question as
if he had been born among the rocky
hills of New England instead of in
California.
Yesterday morning Governor
Frear and Secretary Motl-Smith
visited the Iwilei camp to see for
themselves the conditions that exist
there. It appears from their des
cription that conditions have some
what improved since President Mott
Smith of the Hoard of Health has
had 'installed temporary sanitary
conveniences, but it is a recognizee
fact that the immigrants' camp is
still looked upon as a menace to the
iblic healtli, and that something
must be done to abate the nuisance.
Governor Frear suggested that the
Russians might be jailed for vag
rancy, out also suggested that it
might not be possible to get convic
tions against them, and even if con
victions should be had, the question
would still remain, how to care for
all of them in the jail, especially as
it is not probable that they would
be any more anxious to work tlian
they arc now. '
What line of action will be taken
is problumatical, bat the adminis
tration recognizes the fact that some
thing must lie done to safeguard the
public health. , "
TheCollector
Is to Resign.
Honolulu, April 22. There will
be almost a clean sweep in the office
of the United States internal revenue
department here as a result of the
visit of Special Agent W.H. Thomas,
who is now. here and Jjas been .in
vestigating the local department.
Collector W. F. Drake will resign,
and with him may go, it is said,
Deputies Walter F. Drake and Ralph
S. Johnstone. There will be practi
cally an entire new force in the de
partment, if Drake, resigns as a re
sult of discoveries made by Special
Agent W. B. Thomas of the treasury
department.
Thomas has lieen here several
times during the past ten years on
annual tours as an expert. He
arrived here about thr.ee weeks ago
on the usual routine tour. His ex
aminations of the Imoks of the local
internal revenue office at once led
him to the" conclusion that things
were far from satisfactory, and for
the last two .days the matter has
been licfore the federal grand jury.
The books and cash accounts of the
department were found to be in such
condition that the department's
special agent will, it is said, demand
that Collector Drake and his office
associates resign at ence.
Special Agent W. H. Thomas was
a witness before the federal grand
jury for a long time yesterday, and
it is understood that the jury will
have a reportio make on the matter.
The infernal revenue department
is the strictest of all the federal
government departments, aiid it de
mauds of its employes a strictness
in bookkeeping accuracy that is not
exceeded by any institution in the
world. Every year special agents
call round at the various oflie.es and
inspect the books, and in that di
partmcnt of the government inac
curacies, delinouencics in entries or
incompleteness in entries are crimes.
Advertiser.
pubway
Extension
New Vork City's Expenditures
Reach Many Millions.
The New York lioard of estimate
on Friday last voted $60,000,000 for
subways, $13,000,000 for immediate
construction. In connection with
this, a resolution was passed pledg
ing to appropriate for subways the
817,000,000 which will be released
when the subway lionds amounting
to that sum shall be taken from
consideration of the debt limit. The
entire $('.0,000,000, therefore, will
soon be available, and it is the in
tention that it shall he devoted to
beginning not only the Broadway
liCxington avenue line, but also the
Broadway-Lafayette line, in Brook
lynthe Canal-street spur in Man
hattan, and other contracts of the
Fourth avenue .subway in Brooklyn.
This is only the beginning of a
series of expenditures on subway ex
tension, it should be remembered,
which will reach hundreds of mil
lions in tin; next few years. .
The country in general has not
quite kept pace with New' York city
in the nutter of accepting stupen
dous outlays uiion municipal im
provements as a matter of course.
The country at large still insists
upon regarding it as remarkable
that the metropolis should go in
now for undertakings that would
have been approached with
timidity by the national govern
ment two generations .ago. This
view is largely due to the fact that,
while thoroughly informed in the
premises, the country as a whole is
yet unable to grasp the full meaning
of some New York city statistics of
the present day; for instance: That
from New York as it now is three'
cities of the size of Chicago, Phila
delphia and Pittsburg could lie cut
out; that nearly 10 per cent of the
world's power is centered there;
that its bank clearings am greater
than 'London's by 837,000,000;
that it is gaining in population more
rapklly than any other of the great
ports of the world, and that with
its growth in population and wealth
there is a corresponding increase in
its revenue, a fact that gives it the
financial standing not merely of a
great city but of a great principal
ity. -
In good season, no doubt, we
shall get used to New York's Off
hand method of dealing with mil
lions, but we may need to ask for
time.
Thomas R. Lucas
Dies Suddenly.
Honolululu, April IS). Thomas
R. Lucas died suddenly at his home
on Heretania avenue this morning.
He had lieen In poor health for a
year or two past, a trip to the Seat
tle fair and a period of treatment in
the Queen's Hospital . after his re
turn havnlg failed to restore Jus
former vigor, although for some
months past he has len attending
to business. Having a .large fund
of natural courage and cheerfulness
which was reflected in his demeanor,
his condition to those meeting him
casually was apparently much im
proved and the news of his death
was a iainful surprise to his friends
down town. He was just past fifty
eight years of age,' and had been a
citizen of Honolulu most of his life.
Mr. Lucas was a member of the
firm of Lucas Brothers, contractors
and builders and proprietors of the
long established Honolulu Planing
Mill, the other mcnilicrs Itcing
Charles and John Lucas.
Thomas Richard Lucas was Uu n
in San Francisco on April 7, lS.r)2,
the son of the late Mr. and Mrs.
George Lucas, both of whom died
in Honolulu, lie leaves surviving
a wife (nee Huddy), one daughter
and four soils Miss Gallic Lucas
and George, All ert, .Thomas R. Jr.
and Norman Lucas ami six grand
children: also one sister and five
The Ex-Queen
Confirms Trust.
Ex-Queen Liliuokalani has once
more exercised the feminine as well
as royal prerogative of changing her
mind and has decided to give up
her fight to revoke the trust deed
executed by her on I)eccinlcr 2,
1!K)!). Yesterday afternoon there
was filed at the bureau of convey
ances a document in which the
Queen once more establishes the
trust on the same terms as licfore.
It is, in other words, a revocation
of the revocation.
What reason caused the Queen to
take this new step docs not appear,
but it is possible that she or her at
torneys have concluded that it would
be iniiossihie legally to break the
trust, as the trustees had announced
their intention of fighting the mat
ter through the, courts. Or the
Queen may have concluded that she
did the wisest thing originally when
she executed the deed of trust turn
ing over the. care of her property to
W. O. Smith, A. S. Cleghorn and
Curtis P. Iaukea.
The imjKirtant part of the docu
ment field yestcrdey is as follows:
Now therefore, 1 the said Liliuo
kalani, in consideration of the pre
mises, do hereby give,- grant, con
vey, assign, transfer, set over and
deliver unto the said Archibald S.
('leghorn, Curtis P. Iaukea and
William O. Smith, as trustees under
said deed of trust of December 2,
1909, all and singular the property
and interest whatsoever described
and referred to in said deed of trust
which by the terms of said deed
were and are thereby intended to be
conveyed to and Held by said trus
tees, the same to have and hold up
on all aiid singular the trusts in said
deed expressed.
And for the same consideration I
do also hereby grant, assign, trans
fer and reconvey unto the said J.
D. Ainioku (now known as John
Ainioku Dominis) and J. K. Aea
respectively, all the right, title and
estate whatsoever which they or
cither of them may have conveyed
or assigned to me by virtue of their
having executed said instrument of
January 21, 1910.
. It being hereby intended that the
said deed of trust shall in all res
pects stand in full force and effect
as by its terms it purports to lc,
and that the said John Ainioku
Dominis and J. K. Aea shall le and
become beneficiaries thereunder ac
cording to the terms thereof, all in
manner as though the said instru
ment of January 21, 1910 had not
been executed.
In witness. whereof, I have here
unto set my hand and seal at Hono
lulu this 20th day of April, 1910.
LILIUOKALANI.
brothers Mrs. Dunbar and Charles,
John, George, AHert anil William
Lucas.
Generally in charge of the build
ing operations of his firm, Mr.
Lucas was characterized by great
energy and conscientious attention
to details Many piblic and private
buildings in this city attest his tho
roughness as well as his firm's en
terprise. Mr Lucas was a man of
public spirit. He was a member of
the legislature of 1890, in which he
made a good record of practical
work. Irately he was heard to ex
press his intention of seeking tfie
Democratic nomination for the
I louse' it the coming election. He
was a memlfcr of every Democratic
convention since annexation. Like
all actiye spirits of the time he was
a mendier of the old volunteer fire
departmentr He was also a mem
lcr of Excelsior Ixwlge I. O. O. F.
Sharing greatly in the family trait
of generosity "Tommy" Lucas, as
he was familiarly called, enjoyed an
unusual degree of popularity, lie
will le greatly missed.
Arrangements for tin' funeral are
not yet completed, but it will prob
ably take place tomorrow afternoon.
Do not throw away your
old books. Send them to
the Maul Publishing Co.,
Printers and Book-binders.
Barnard Knocks
Ha I ley's Comet.
Halley's comet, that great myste
rious luminary of the heavens,
which has been "touted" (to speak
in low earthly terms), --for now these
many months, is not so much after
all. It miilit have been treat once.
but the chances are that it will prove
a disapM)iiitment when it gets clear
ly within the range of vision in an
other week or so. These new and
surprising ideas were made public
today (April 5) by Prof. E. E. Bar
nard of the Yerkes observatory,
Williams Bay, Wis. The professor,
ranked as one of the foremost comet
scholars of the day. furthermore
clare that comet A of 1910 and
Halley's comet had upset all our
theories -ot the composition and
peculiar action' of comets' tails.
The astronomic 1 scholar is at
present engaged in pre rations for
renewed observations of Halley's
comet, which he says is duo to re
appear in the morning sky from be
hind the sun ai, 'H a" week from
today.
It is doubtful, hower, accord
ing to the professor, whether the
wanderer will be visible to the nak
ed eye until it reaches its perihelion
or point nearest the sun about April
20.
A striking feature of the profes
sor's talk was a story of how comet's
are supposed to lie dragged into our
solar system from other space. -Most
of them, it seems, dash right in andJ
turn around the sun and dash right
out again. Others, however, are li
terally captured by the planet Jupi
ter, which acts as the policeman of
the system. In this, event they
whirl around the sun until they are
quite used up there remains only
a whirling flock or ironlike meteor
ites, some of which occasionally hit
tin; earth. Of this class of captured
comets is Halley's which, as far as
can be found out, is less brilliant
each time it reappears.
Iam disappointed in Halley's
comet," said Prof. Barnard, frank
ly. "Of course, it may develop as
it nears the sun and surprise us by
doing some marvelous things, but
you never can tell. Up to date it is
neither as bright nor is its tail as
long as we had hoped for. You see,
in previous rcixn-ts of it we were led
to believe that it was really a great
comet. Now it may have lieen and
probably was when it shown down
on the English channel as the "boats
of William the C'inqucror crossed
over, but since then it has been los
ing power.'
"How does this come about?"
the professor was asked.
In answer he drew a box of pho
tographic plates toward him. Hold
ing them up before a lamp he show
ed how' waving lines of light shoot
out from the nudes of the comet
and stream behind it in the form of
a tail.
Sometimes these tails are straight,
sometimes they are spiral, some
times they they are curved. Occa
sionally a part of the tail will break
off and float away in space as pho
tographs taken successively a few
hours apart show.
"Now wo have leaned," explain
ed Professor Barnard "that as the
mass of a lody grows smaller its
surface relatively increases. And
when it gets vaporous enough the
rays of the sun appear ""to tear
through it like a strong wind hurl
ing out particles of its matters in
the form of a tail.".
"Thus the tail of a comet is
changing every minute. ' continued
Prof. Barnard. "It is never twice
the same and it always a sign that
the. comet is wasting -away into
space. - This is what has happened
to Halley's comet. It lias spun
around in the light of the sun for so
long that there is getting to Ik? less
and less of it. It is really inferior
now to coiueis wiiicn win raiiK a
great comets."
Are there many of these so-call
ed great comets? '
Well, there was the comet of
181:1 and Donati's.of 1S,VS and tin
SeptemU r comet of 1SS2 and Cog
gins comet ol jh, 1, ami the comet
of 1S81, and comet A of 1910
Argentina Lays
xv- .
Claim to
Buenos Aires, Argentina
ing the publication of letter?
issued by the authority of lY
ish colonial office under -wl'
South Orkney islands are
under the administration
k . -.
governor ol the J alkland
the newspapers of. thisyeity,
been indulging in a gejXcral protein.
claiming that the islands irreosses
sioiis of Argentina. '
The South Orkney islands1 were
discovered by Captain Powell li'.tJ"
slovp Dovk in 1821 aii'f, l'n?
considered British territii
since. The Argentine ar
have lieen allowed to use i
the erection of weather stat.ioiw..
about two years ago they advanced a
claim of possession. The prodainn
tion was first published in the Falk
land Island Gazette of March,-1910.
That's about all for TVT last cen
tury." w
"What happens to a coUHPfvizl
ly after it. In comes mote and mo.
wasted?1' "Why. it finally lx comefc
merely a pack of meteors as nearly
as we can judge. All the aaseous
matter is forced out of it. In 1833,
for instance, there was a shower of
meteors- In lSnfi another happened.
Computations showed that a
pack of meteors was swing"" "
the sun in (C regular r
meteors were suppo-
mains of a comet. JPut in
film Wfil'ri fliln nrTiifi-t ll...
a small shower. Calculation
ed, however, thai the packhau
swerved from its course a li'
that only the edge of it st"
earth. Next time it Drobabl .
touch us at all." ;
All these meteors suppose
the solid matter of whioh'J H
of the comet is composed
We think "ao, but i
know." We think tl'
comet fs.solicj,
so transpiu
niffit tin-
happen if tn, .
struck the carth V
opinion a good duf
Meteors, you know
iron, but there is n
Halley's comet, for"
Jr likely to sweep" V
leneath us a
miles. ' r f
"Where do comets coir
ginally?" ' S -
We do . n t lnow .
they come in lfolfr ot""
are drawn in by tfr
the sun. They swing i
parabola and shoot away
solar system, that is. f-.v
happens hi le.caughtuy I.
of one of the larger planets V
verted so much that they lioooi.
permanent part of this system.
"But most'of this is pure theory,, i
Comet A ami Halley's comet thua"
far have 'pretfy well upset our, r
tions. Hal' T tomet was fir.1--'
svrved last ImII it was not hIi"-
wltli its own liuht. It shown in"- v "
1., ...Ul. .1 7-tl li.rllt of th
sun.
n jus 1,
un s ii
r
hind the sun
sort of activity ,
setup in
ip mitfl.iiil Sim.
o with'ftj e" ii li
, we tliiui, will
n it U-gan to . -s
shine
light. This act- f
i.....r ... i. ...ill
niij, d noun, 'nn increase con
tinually until iv'passcs its jhc-
lion. Comet
too,
ar
change greatly
So really we c
't neart
Halley's-
next tw
News.
Tt Mar
Dcsions
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