The Hawaiian gazette., 1885-02-04


but the unusual step was taken of drawing upon
the cash, general funds of the Board, and from
the school tax Of the district OF Honolulu TO meet
the amount required. The whole amount was
made up follows:
Drawn from EdueationN Department funds Iss5S.iS
Drawn from Honolulu School iax.---....--.. lSie3so
ro,al.............................. s5s,95s.;6
Reference TO p. Sc Of the report Of the Minister
of Finance TO the Legislature Of 1884 will show
that the balance of Government funds on hsnd on
March Slst, 1854 was S2.2e0.42. This in the opin-
unusual STEP referred to by them in their re-
port p.S.
On the sJbiect Of new school houses, Rev. Mr.
HYDE saws: Only four school houses, according
10 the report were built during the last years
and two only, in the previous biennial period
On pp. Il and Is of the report of the President
OF the Board of Education TO the Legislature Of
loS9 the following statement is officially made:
SCHOOL HOUSES.
During the past two years, there has been great
Improvement in the public school houses. Over
$4,000 have been expended for the building of new
houses, exclusive Of the amounts spent in repair.
Eighteen new houses have been built in various
districts for the use Of the Common schools. And
OF the lSi houses at present occupied by the Com
mon schools, II are In fair condition and we'll fur
nished. Many OF the remaining forty houses are
in the sparsely settled portions of the where
owing 10 the vacillatinc nature of the population
it has been deemed inexpedient TO erect permanent
school houses-
New buildings have been added TO the For
Street school and also TO the Royal school prem.
ises to accommodate the large increase of pupils in
these schools. These schools will now seat Tespec-
lively 800 and so. The unsightly and inconven-
lent desks in the different rooms of the Fort
Street school have been replaced by others of ap-
proved pattern and handsome appearance.
New houses have been erected at Makavao kau,
hohala. Maimea, Iihue, Maialua and koolauloa
for the Select schools of those places, so that now
the majority of the Select schools have convenient
and comfortable houses"
And on page 10 OF the report of the President of
the Board Of Education TO the Legislature of 1884
this language occurs.
SCHOOL HOUSES.
Within the past two years, important improve
ment has been made in the buildings occupied by
our Select schools. The condition of many of the
houses has been improved by repairs and addi-
tions; and large and convenient buildings have
been built for the Select schools of Hanalei and
Kappa, on Kauai; for Eva, Waianae, and Kane
ohe, on Oahu; for Hama on Maui, and for Lau-
pahoehoe. hukuih1ele and Honokaa on Hawaii.
These new buildings have two rooms. and all the
improvements which are necessary for we'll ap-
pointed school building. Two smaller houses have
been built for the Select Schools of Hiea and
Waiakea on Hawaii.
''Ihe majority Of the Common schools have
houses which are in fair condition. As this class
Of schools Is diminishing, very few new houses Will
be needed for them in the future
OF the unexpended balances of appropriations
Tor GUuCailOual purposes heN. Mr.. HYDE SAWS
The appropriations reported, land these are not
footed up amount as expended 10 only S7S, ,T54.-
as What has become of the balance The re-
port gives no information.
On page 80 Table B.-Of the report of the Min
lister of Finance TO the Legislature of 1884; aud
on page - of the report of the President of the
Board of Education, 10 the same body, il is shown
that the sum of Si5765.02 of the Legislative ap-
propriations of lSS2 for educational purposes re
mained unexpended on the Slst of March 1884.
For the information of those unacquainted with
the meaning of the expression 1t should be said,
that "UHcTpcHdsi' is intended to mean not er-
Esy6oi and therefore not duir otof, but reBiai,i-
itg fH the Government Treasury-i.e. the Finance
Experimentation. Mr.. Hyde asks Where are
these district fundsy" How much is the whole
amount expended and held in each district! it is
said that some districts have such q local fund,
amounting to SIX or seven thousand dollars"
To the first inquiry the reply is to be found in
the provisions of the law on the subject, to be
found in Sec. Is of Chapter 10 of Compiled Laws,
under the heading, department Of Education
which Sec. reads as follows:
Sec l6. The School Agents shall be ey-ofieio
treasurers of the school fund IN their respective
districts, and shall safely keep. and properly apply
said fund in such manner rs they shall be directed
by the Board of Education or the Inspector Gen.
eral; and for the faithful performances of their
duty, they shall give bonds, for such an amount
and with such surety, as the Board OF Education
shall approve ard require"
These districts funds are derived from the
school tax collected in each district under the
authority of Sec 8. p. III of Compiled Laws, for
tie support Of Pllic Schools and are placed in the
keeping of the several school agents by Sec. 66,
p. 100 of Compiled Laws. At the times the school
taxes are collected and paid over to the school
agents, the amount IL some districts 1.-THE more
populOus ones) may reach to several thousands of
dollars; but this amount is reduced each quarter
by the payment of teachers salaries, principally
those OF the common schools taught in Hawaiian
and other school expenses of the district and the
balances in the different districts as reported by
the several school agents, vary in consequence
each quarter until little or nothing remains at the
close of the year, when the school tax again be-
comes available. There Is not however one dis
fric in the Kingdom that is IN receipt of sufficient
funds from this source (school taxi annually to
meet all of its school expenses, on the present
basis of expenditures, hence the necessity of Leg
islative appropriations for the purpose.
OF the general school fund in the Hawaiian
Treasury, the following notice appears in Rev Mr..
Hyde's communication under consideration.
The amount of the general school fund in the
Hawaiian Treasury, bearing u per cent interest
is reported at Sl4 $780, yielding for the two years
S969l.40. But this has been seriously diminished,
it appears, by an order of the Supreme Court to
pay $500 for II. Cornwell,
This is reported, as having been realized upon
to the amount, $3.50 by the Board and, yet the
whole S+460O is reported to be still in the Treas
ury, March 81, 1854"
Ii was thought that the foot note on p. 80 of the
report of the President of the Board of Education
to the Legislature of 1884, explanatory of the
transaction. would have been sufficiently plain.
but for the further calculation of the matter il
may be stated, that all bonds of the Government.
including those for the school fund.- issued for
a term Of years, stated on the face of each bond,
and such bonds are not payable or redeemable at
the Hawaiian Treasury until maturity, i. e. the
term for which they were issued shall have e1-
pired. The final decision of the Supreme Court
IN the Waikapu (Cornwell) land case having been
given against the Board of Education, it became
necessary to meet the Judgment of the Court by
realizing on the bonds IN which the proceeds of
the sale of the Waikapu lands had beenainvested
at the time of such sale, and accordingly, those
bonds of the school fund having the shortest
term 10 run, were hypothecated for the amount of
the judgment; they not being payable or redeem
atle at the Hawaiian Treasury until time
gfe the 5lst of March 1884, the date of the Pres
ident Of the Board of Educatiun's report to the
last Legislature; hence that amount $500 was
included as part of the school fund at the Hd-
,raiipJ Treasury on that date, which twas.
Concerning the sales of school books Rev. Mr.
Hyde saws There is another fund arising from
the purchase and sale of books; but figures
are given to make cleaF the balance held to the
credit of this fund
On p. 81 of the report of the President of The
Board OF Education TO the Legislature of 1884, it
is shown that for the two yers which ended March
Slst. 1854, the sum OF S9i1SOsO was realized from
the sales of school books, and the sum of S9,3904
expended for that object during the period named;
leaving a difference of S3S9-96 of sales over pur-
chases on that account The object of the Board
OF EuucdtlOn Is not 10 make prOnl on the SAFES OF
books, but 10 place them within easy reach of all.
See 30 of the report of the President of the Board
of Education TO the Legislature of 1850 as follows
:The English school books used in the public
schools, are imported by the Board of Education
and supplied at prices Just sufficient TO cover their
cost, not including either duties or interest The
same is the case with books in Hawaiian, whether
printed at homo abroad the cost only is charged
the object of the Board being to place all school
books as much Within the reach of all classes as
possible
On the subject of lliteracy in the public schools
Rev. Mr.. Hyde says: ave might have an educa-
iiOnal map of the islands, showing in concrete
form the different degrees of illteracy different
districts
If such map had been prepared at time when
il would have included only the population of the
country for whom the educational system was
originally devised, there is little doubt that the
reputation this Kingdom has borne in the past for
its low per oertage of iliteracy, would have been
sustained. But when the present mixed and chang
ing character of its population incident to the fire.
quent influx Of large numbers of an ignorant class,
for some time past, who from the nature of things.
necessarily form the principal immigration eie-
ment TO these Islands, Is considered IN connection
with the gradual decrease Of the native population
whose numbers have had so important bearing
on the per centage of ilteracy in the country, il
IS certain that a higher percentage of liliteracy
must result, and that not chargeable to the educa-
toual system IN operation The utility Of such
charts in our present circumstances may be fairly