The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1857-08-13

| modification and changes, especially in the out
| lay, are imperatively called for, and a judicial or
| ganization framed to correspond with our national
means. With no less work done, an annual
saving of so, 900 can be made in this depart
ment alone.
But the item which will call forth most OBJ
~servation on account of the utter waste and folly
attending it, is that for the Department of War
the sum of twenty-eight thousand, two hum
dred and ninety-one dollars and thirteen cents.
To His Excellency Robert Crichton Wyllie, Min
lister of Foreign Relations and Secretary at War,
belongs all the honor that may attach to any
waste of public funds in this department. 1t
was at his earnest appeal that it was originated,
and it is through his agency that there has been.
an annual expenditure of the public revenues to
keep up a military shcw and bubble. 1t is at
his earnest appeal that the sum of $4,000 to
S6O, 900 has been annually asked, nay. demanded,
from the Legislature, which sum would have been
voted and spent, but for a stern and unyielding
body of representatives.
Let us 90 back and see what amount has been
wasted since the organization of the War De
partment under its present head. Commencing
with April, 1852, we fine that the following sums
have been spent in the War Department alone:
April i TO December 81, 1859, $3.50 "a
January / to December 81, 1853, l2loo 5!
January i TO December 81, 1854, 2s,zLl u
January 1 TO December 81. 1855, SS,Ssa %
January j TO March 81, 1856, H,2So 9.
April i, 1856, to March 81, 1857, 2,2sl 10
Total, s1a4,l76 81
Here we have a sum total of one hundred and
twenty-four thousand, one hundred and seventy
six dollars expended, and for what? Were there
1T sLox cold hn
pointed to were the national honor at home or
abroad raised one iota were the sovereignty of
the King made in any degree frmer, all good
citizens would say, aye and amen, to the expend-
iture. But no such benefit can be pointed ont.
1t is Just as though that sum had been taken and
thrown into the sea- dead loss TO the nation.
The sum spent as above $685. 91 l3) during
the past twelve months would have placed a
noble steameret our wharves to-day, had it been
spent for this object when voted. And the en-
tire sum would have procured at least three
steamers and built wharves for them at each port
that they might visit throughout the group.
There are the facts. Is any one among the
crowd so blind that he cannot see why the amount
appropriated for necessary Improvements is annu-
ally reduced to less than one-half? Are the min
lstIy ~ CdliOuS tldt LHey dnIlO ~ "Hclc hOo
the fault; or seeing, will not, dare not, step for
ward and work a reform? If such is the case, it
is time that the voice of the people were raised
in one loud chorus to demand their rights, and
to show that no ministerial policy can be pur-
sued but such as has in view the development of
the national resources, and the maintenance of
the public honor and credit at home and abroad.
Steel. watch Spring. and Education.
Mr.. ED~IToR:-Among the many interesting
little items in your last paper is one which puts
my calculating machine out of joint-that about
the watch Inspiring. Itsays l5-l00 off grain of steel
make l spring and that a pound of steel will make
$4,000 springs, Now my arithmetic says there
are 256 grains in a pound of steel, and the sim
pie formula ESQ < 15-l00=1706a will show the
number of springs which a pound of steel will
make the value of which, at I'd each, will
be e14 q nearly, instead If g4I6 which is cor
rect?
The above is perhaps a more practical ~illustra-
ton of the existing want of a good school in Homo
lulu than any that could be obtained, ifsought for.
Where the writer of it finds his authority for
stating that I. 256 grains constitute a pound of
steel, we don't know, but if he possesses such an
aTltIlHelic, ptTHdpc IL ouShb W preserve % "
text book in the archives of the Department of
Public instruction. We think any Z" calculating
machine would be disjointed with such reckon
ing.
In order that the subject which called out the
above communication may be understood, we re-
PRINT the 90 item" alluded to:
The spring Of a watch weighs 0.l5 of a grain; a
pound Of iron Tor steel) makes 10000. The pound
Of steel costs I'd. u single spring, 3D.; 80 that 50,-
600 springs produce e4l6.
Steel is weighed by Avoirdupois weight-six-
teen ounces to the pound. By reference to
Davies University Arithmetic, page %, a state
ment will be seen that 1000 grains con titute a
pound. This is the arithmetical computation,
and the only proper one. The above item"
makes six and two-thirds springs weigh a grain,
which would make $4,000 springs, instead of
so. 600.
The more common and less scientific, and of
course less correct, way of obtaining the number
of grains in a pound of steel is to reduce sixteen
ounces to p~ennyweights and grains: Is x 20 x
24=7680 grains: which sum multiplied by 81,
(being the number of springs to each grain) gives
a product Of 81 200 springs to a pound of steel.
The man who prepared the ''item'' was probably
a practical operator and allowed a little leeway
for loss of filings, &C., and took so 200 in round
numbers. As stated before, the latter is the more
common, but not the correct mode of compu-
ting. With the above statement, The cost needs
no remarks.
Presentation OF Colors.