The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1861-10-03

E-AN-NAfAA"- 'AA - A~fN 'N'A A''N' ~ AAN c+G'
instead Of inward upon ourselves and most OF
our law making and money aPpropriatins las
been with the view Of making Honolulu a depot
for whalers, where they could be- supplied with a
few potatoes and plenty Of bad whisky. The
heavy expenditures for the new esVlanade. steam
tug and harbor dredging, though very credit
able Improvements. rose out Of the >upposition
that the commerce irequenting the port would
be greatly conyenienced thereby and 50 perhaps
it will, by and bye. rhog n comes. Thirty
thousand dollars may be required for the police
Of Oahu some years hence, when the then city
Of Honolulu i greatly increased in population
but don't it look rather heavy for lS60-l?
We had got thus far in our reflections on the
present state Of affairs. when the last Polmesiqu
appeared, in which we found the following some
what ominous paragraph
eve understand that His Maiesty's Government
has nearly completed their programme of retrench-
ment, 50 far al least n existing laws will permit. We
have not yet been officially advised 10 what extent,
nor in " at direction the srst move will be made,
but We have reason to believe that the changes pro-
posed will meet the approval OF the community. We
know that His Majesty, the King. and Fl. r. H..
Prince kamehamehl. have personally devoted the
most thorough attention and inquiry upon this sub
ject, and that they have been ably and faithfully
seconded by the other Ministers"
The people had almost given up in despair
that the Ministers had adopted for their motto,
" Rude or run = but a ray of hope now dawns.
HOpe-nOt that the crisis Will be wholly avoided,
but hope thae the Ministry have at last opened
their eyes to the stern fact, that there is an i'm
pending crisis approaching To see a thing
shows one steps advance towards action. Here
tofore, they have doubted all that has been said,
and laughed at our voice raised TO warn them
that some action was needed. They are ready
now, as we understand, to acknowledge the main
facts:
1st-Ihat the Government is running into debt.
2d-That greater revenue cannot be produced.
3i-That the only remedy is cUrtaiimeat of e.
peHscs.
If the Ministry have at last walked up to these
stern truths, and are prepared to move towards
providing a remedy, the public will feel inclined
to pardon the prolonged absence of the Minister
Of Finance, on a fishing excursion of three
months, and congratulate him on his return to
his official duties. The 50 programme alluded to,
has not been announced as yet, but ON inquiry we
find that the heads of several minor officers
only have been cut off. But. gentlemen, in max
ing up your 80 programme" let patriotism and
the public veal be your guides. Remember that
large leaks are as readily stopped as small ones,
and that when Il ship is sinking, it is the closing
of the large leaks that tells the best story.
In glancing over the last bill of appropriations
it is easy to see where retrenchment Ough to be
made, and can be without incommoding the
public service; but to make the reductions
called for requires more nerve than the Ministry
have ever yet shown. Outsiders, whose privilege
it is to grumble, can readily point out what
these retrenchments should be. Salaries con-
sumo by far the larger portion of the cxpendi-
lures, and it is among these that the saving will
be called for. For instance, the following cur
tlilments might he made:
RE, might be effected. saving At Instrumentation
f1L'E bErAEIMsNr' say 9; looVo +
duS,.s, men i sMs asr - ~
DErAKruExr FoRrIsS ArFAIRs-,oi he dispensed with
altogether, and duties performed by a clerk Of the
DErAETNEyr FISANcE-s,neral reduction of salaries
DEPARTMENT OF LAw-gen-raI reduction OF salaries
and adjustment 81 useless juigeships.-
DEPARTMENTS o. WAK AND PUBLIC lS>rErCrIoN- {
might both lie considerably curtailed in expenses, =
DEPARTMENT Isl. INrHoyENsNrS.-A judcious eN- :
peuliture in this Department for such works only :
a. tend u deyeope mainly the internal resources f
Of the group would show a saving, probably not n
less than lO,Oo F."
Regarding the police department, it has been d
.eported that the military are to serve soon on "
police duty, in which case the present police, ?
the attendant expenses, would be dispensed "
NIlu IHcEt Il ITO question III liit liC IlllI-
airy, if kept and paid, should perform some =,
but whether the change, if made, would /
work tremendously, remains to be demonstrated.
Is a general thing, in other countries, soldiers 7
on police duty are the cause of fire. :,
uent complaints and riots. y
1t may not be thought desirable TO make in I'll
department the curtailment indicated above, p
ut that amount can be cut Off without dccreas- ii
ng the efficiency of the government. There W
iouId be a general reduction IN salaries, to cor n
espond to the means at the disposal of the nj
overnment. Most of the salaries have been
lised, from time to time, by trickery and wire 81
ulling, and not on account of the merit or F.
required of the employees. For instance, {,
ny should n minister receive $4,000 a year, -
hose services in any other position would not -
1mmand $1,000; or why should clerks or "
coordinate officers receive $4,000 down to =,
l 200, who could not command in any other n
nployment more than two-thirds the amount rs
ld them? Or why should a Judge be salaried, or
hose duties amount to nothing? Or why an
lould three officers be employed on large sala- ca
es to perform the duties which one can and or
Ight to perform? Or why should the govern bu
ent enter the sphere of private industry, and ed
ldeavor TO control any branch of business to ne
lie injury of any class of its industrious sub
cts? These are plain questions, and they Go
ould be plainly answered and squarelY met. we
nd now that the programme is up for con- Gle
let the work of retrenchment be faith sta
Hy and ErUly done. Every loyal citizen, a
neither lie be an employee of the government or wi
It, will say aye to any impartial measures of br'
and such measures, whether they pr
lanate from the King as they ought TO, or u'
ON his ministers, will receive our most cordial "'