Big Isle History for August 9

This Day in History is compiled by Brandon Haleamau for the Tribune-Herald using newspaper archives. Whenever possible, the news accounts provided in this column were taken verbatim from the newspaper.

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August 9, 1939

The program of entertainment for the ship personnel on board the Nippon and Kaiwo Maru ended last evening at the Yamatoza theater. The theater was filled to capacity during the three nights of the free entertainment for the visitors. Much credit is due the officers and active members of the Hilo Japanese association who worked hard to make the program a success. These people worked without any remuneration for their efforts, and donated both their time and money toward the program.

Highlights of the entertainment last evening were the skit featuring local old-timers including Minoru Murakami, Frank Arakawa, T.R. Saiki and Nobuji Tokushiro, assisted by Miss Fujie Maeda (Komaji); hula numbers by petite Sumie Hisanaga with music by Mrs. Rose Kuamoo and troupe; vocal solo by Miss Atsuko Kunimura with Mrs. George Kunitomo as accompanist at the piano; a three-act Japanese kabuki play by the Yamatoza theater troupe, starring Messrs. Susukida Kanda and Sadao Kawachi; vocal solos by Miss Tsuruko Maki and Miss Konobu Koshiyama, and a group of Okinawa folk dances. Hisato Isemoto, representing the Japanese association, gave the main address of the evening and also led the banzais at the end of the program. (198 wds.)

August 9, 1964

Kawaihae Grain Elevator Co. and Theo H. Davies & Co., Ltd. have joined forces in creating the firm of Kawaihae Elevator, Inc. Facilities of the new firm comprise five, 12,000-ton capacity elevators located at the harbor and a 30-acre, 22-pen feed lot about five miles south of here at Puako. The operation is reared to supply Big Island-fed beef for the Honolulu market. For the past two years the harbor elevators and the Puako feed lot have been operated by Robert L. Stanton and W. Edward Payton as partners. Recently field articles of incorporation that include Davies as major stockholder in the firm, broadens the concern’s base of operations, Payton explained. And he commented, “Now we’re going to be able to do a bigger and better job.”

Presently the new corporation has a total of $147,000 in common stock at $10 par value held by Stanton, Payton, their wives, and Davies & Co. Corn-feeding of cattle from Hamakua’s Kukaiau Ranch and other Big Island ranches is designed to maintain a steady flow of beef to many stores, such as GEM and Big Way Super Markets under the Kawaihae Certified Corn-Fed label. Payton and Stanton are continuing in charge of the company’s day-to-day operations here in South Kohala, and the firm will continue to feed cattle from all over the Big Island. (228 wds.)

August 9, 1989

The County Council’s Finance Committee has agreed to take a look at the role played by the Hawaii Redevelopment Agency and consider increasing its authority. The agency’s five commissioners recently told the Council that HRA’s role should either be expanded—so it could become the sole regulatory agency in downtown Hilo—or be disbanded. The commissioners said the agency should become “proactive” instead of “reactive,” actively encouraging and sometimes “mandating” downtown area rehabilitation.

Committee member Helene Hale, who said recently it may be time to dissolve HRA, yesterday did not repeat her call but said the county needs to look for alternative ways of financing HRA. Hale had described the agency as an “unnecessary layer of red tape that should be abolished,” especially since the federal funds that originally financed it have dried up. The operating funds for HRA—about $80,000 annually—have come from the county General Fund the past two years. But yesterday the veteran county politician voted along with the committee’s other four members to have the Council staff assemble recommendations and perhaps new guidelines for HRA, to be included in a Council review of the agency.

HRA Commissioner Fred Koehnen told committee members that the agency is at a crossroads and it is time for a change. (211 wds.) (August 9 total: 637)