Kaiser Rests

When Henry Kaiser moved to Hawaii in 1954 and bought a $187,000 Kahala beach home, his announced intention was "to rest." While resting, he built a swimming pool beside his house in six days, suggested that the government build an island off Waikiki and announced a plan to put $110 million into new resorts. Last week H.J. began to back his words with actions. After a quick trip to Los Angeles to line up financing, consult with Architect Welton Becket and a representative of Conrad Hilton, Kaiser plunked down $491,000 for more beachfront, thus became Waikiki's biggest landowner (16 1/2 acres).

Then old Henry started taking bids for a 535-room hotel, 35 honeymoon cottages (each with private pool), 200 low-budget hotel rooms and 100 cabanas on his new beach site. If and when the government builds H.J. his island, he will rent it from the government and spend another $50 million there for hotels, an aquarium, convention hall and theater. Even then he does not intend really to rest. On the Kona coast 200 miles southeast of Waikiki, Kaiser plans to spend $40 million for hotels, a yacht basin, hillside homes, fishing boats. Said he: "There's a need for more vacation facilities--a human need. When I was 22 I decided Florida would never develop a tourist business and passed up a chance to be in on the ground floor there. Then I went on to figure that Palm Springs and Las Vegas were desert sand traps and always would be. I don't want to miss the boat again."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.