Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1884-04-05

lace palm, samples Of which have r.
Gently been on exhibition among W..
The schools mentioned are amply
furnished with The conditions favorable
10 such experiments Why not utilize
them VI oncef
UfsE Avn DfUgHUfsg.
Apropoa Of the suggestion IN one ~
ouf editorials that commissioner oil
agriculture be- appointed, why might not
. similar office include the bindrcd
duties pertaining TO immigratIon' This
would abolish the board of immigration,
TO tho benefit Of the public, would II
notp
50 far ~ possible, u u moi wise m
every department " government toI
place the responsible duties now en-
trusted ~ boards, in The hands u com.
pctcnt men who shall be personally
amenablc fot the administration oil
their dulies1
"Wher, large Discretionary powers
are vested, and large sums ol money
are 10 be expended, ag for instance by
the board Of education, II would bc
wfsc probably 10 retain the services oil
a board But the board of immigra
ton, and the board of health might
better both be abolished, perhaps A !
competent medical inspector general
would serve the public interests quite ~
effectively as any board that could be
constituted"
"Ihe defect IN the board system is
the defect that eminent jurisls complain |
OF IN the jury system Some inferior
men will be IN every board and, in mat
tcrs Of policy and expenditure and the
highest national interests, an Inferior
mans vote cancels superior mans !
vote too frequently The scope for
dcmagogism is great in boards, and one
man very often bosses the machine
And the personal sense OF responsibility
for every vote is not so keen as would
be that Of single officer whose every
public action is weighed"
We think the two Thoughtful gentle |
men from whom we quote go little too
far in their censure Of the board system.
II is true that nothing could well be
less respectable than the board system
as practiccd here. But a slight modi6.
cation Of the system might give Us just
what VIC need.
To illustrate The ideal board oil
health ought to consist Of agood .busi- |
ness man, practical engineer and one
or two qualified physicians But i'll
those competent and 1t is TO be sup
posed J reputable individuals arc to be !
under the thumb Of any person who
has crotchets or is corrupt, the board |
might as well not be and the one man !
power in the right hands would be
vast improvement. Now there are scy-
eral ways TO guard against such con
dition Of things as confronts US in any
consideration Of the health affairs Of
the Hawaiian Kingdom. One way is |
to pass law whereby no man in these
Hawaiian Islands may hold two public |
Offices at the same tlme-no matter |
whether they be salaricd officers or not |
Deprive the cutie fish of several Of his
cupules and he is a less dangerous |
monster If Mr.. Gibson had neither
a place ON any Of the various boards |
which he now bestrides like liiiipution |
COLOSSUS above nest of ermites, or if
he had not even the more or less i'm
portant power of appointing the mem
bers Of those boards, his opportunities
for harm doing would be far less and
the nation would not be contemplating
the humiliating spectacle Of three com
paratively ignorant pretenders in the
three positions most important to the
public health-so far as the government
is concerned.
Then as to the board OF immigration
1t may be true, as we have already sug-
gested, that one good man could ar
range all the details pertaining to the
complex and overwhelming subject of
immigration better than board could. |
But weight must be accorded to the |
opinion of those who insist that it |
would be folly to trust to the wisdom of |
one man the various questions within
the great question of immigration-the
adjustment of the relation between en-
ployer and employed, the relative value
of different kinds OF labor to the coun-
try generally and to the planting class,
the effect of unrestricted male immi- |
grafton, the just regulation of the
tramp class, etc.
But if three or ilve men may deter
mine the true satisfaction OF the more
pressings equations of our immigration
problem, it is just as important as in
the board-ofhealth matter that those
three or five men should have the conf
dence OF the public, that there should
be no improper interference with their
deliberations or their work, and that
their time should not be circumscribed
by other official duties.
How choose boards There are
various ways in which good boards
might be selected They ought to be
strictly non-partisan. BUTT all members
are elected, they can nos be non par
tisan. And il all be appointed by the
government they cannot be non parti-
san In considering the appointment,
OF a police commission, a Press cores
pondant twri,ing last summer) sug-
gested representative board 10 be
chosen as follows one member ap-
pointed by the minister Of the interior
and the attorney general jointly, one to
be appointed by the Honolulu Chamber