Daily Honolulu press. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1886, 1886-01-16
How Economics Gan be Made.


The narrow-minded and venal men
of the Government seem to be sorely
perplexed and bewildered at the solid
principles sketched out by me in the
document which will be my platform
if | run for the next Legislature.
They are SO demoralized by the posi-
ton taking by me that, not having any
good argument to oppose me, they try
to ridicule my ideas, and especially
they think they have made the wonder
ful discovery OF valuable point in
what they call the inconsequence of adj
vocating apparently contradictory meas
ures, reducing the expenditures, and
yet undertaking lots of improvements
requiring money. They then triumph
antly want me to say how lean con
ciliate those apparent contradictions,
and where could find money enough
to spend on Improvements whilst re-
ducing expenditures.
Now, then, my answer to those poor
ignorant financiers, who have never
been able to keep the promises made
by them, is indeed very easy. And to
begin with, l shall only have to borrow
some OF the ways and means advocated
by man whose authority they cannot
secure.
Z" REDUCTION OF SALARIES" !"
" For what service does any Foreign
Minister of the King require of this
poor country five thousand dollars a
year? We think that Hawaiians are
now somewhat enlightened, and
they can read and understand the
political situation as they run, and that
they know that, when hardly any mans
business here is worth $500 year,
that officers who have hardly anything
to do should be content with much
less than that sum. Two Ministers
managed the public affairs of this coun-
try when there we're 100000 people,
and we think that 0Nr competent
ministrial head might suffice, now that
there are only $4,000 and with a cor
responding reduction in the personal
and emoluments of our bureaucracy,
except among the real working mem
bers, we might hope to reduce our ex-
penditure, at least $Ioo, 900, to be
employed in doing something for the
real life of the land Therefore, we
say reduce salaries, reduce Ministers,
reduce official emolument generally" "
WALTER MURRAY GIBSON.
(Ka Nuhou Hawaii, December >, 1889
And for there to be no mistake
about it, here is another question:
"Our public expenditure ought and
must be reduced at least IS per cent
we could certainly get along with 80
per cent less of Ministers.
WALTER MURRAY GIBSON.
(Ka Nuhou Hawaii, December g. 1s7s.)
:" DO not these phases seem to have
been written yesterday to apply to our
present situation2"
That Mr. w. NJ Gibson still thinks
that two Ministers, and even one, cou d
run the Kingdom satisfactorily Ito him
sel0, is abundantly proven by his con
slant efforts of concentrating all the
Government into his own person, only
he has forgotten all about the neces-
sity of reducing public expenditures,
and has allowed his co-Ministers and
all the bureaucracy" generally to draw
salaries, much more fat, now that there
are only 10000 natives, than those he
complained OF when the natives were
over $4,000.
Now, for another source of economy
Under the title Of "the army that need,
the money" we find the following ex
cellent idea; "Sixty thousand dollars fol
the idle army in town had better be
devoted to the suffering army on Molo
kai. ."-(W. M. Gibson. Nuh0N, July IS
1875"
That's good though the army ii
town is no longer idle, but mount:
guard to calm the fears of those who
expect at every moment to be quicker
out of Office by the long-sufering
public. Now, then, if from two more
borrowed suggestions, can realize
more than $I5o, 900, will not my oppo
nents credit me with having enough
brains for arriving at saving twice thai
amount And with five hundred thous
and dollars well expended, a good dea
of useful work could be accomplished
especially by one who has no near rela
tive to give the work to at arbitrary
figures. Could | not also realize {
large amount by cutting the rope off o
SO many sycophants who are nov
allowed to suck the blood of the nation
by the economical editor of 1882
But this is nothing yet, and many