The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-09-14

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thought has been given by individuals
in the country districts, during the past
eighteen months, to the general affairs
| OF the state, than has been devoted to
them certainly for the past decade, and
| probably for the past twenty years.
Original legislation has been put forward
by country members, not for the benefit
only of the district they may happen to
represent, but for the advantage Of the
whole body polite.
The advantages gained from this leg
islation are already becoming apparent.
Take, for instance, the working of the
road boards. The bill was, as far as one
can remember, originally born in Ha-
makua. The idea originated among the
planters of that district. There was a
great deal of adverse comment upon it
and numbers of people prophesied that
the new system could never be carried
out, that it must infallibly break down.
As for the bulk of the Honolulu people,
they cared very little about the matter.
What to them were the stonemade
roads of Kona, the rotten bridges of
Hilo, or the glories of mud lane.
The bill was carried at the extra ses-
sion of last year, so that the road boards
have been at work very little over seven
or eight months. Mark the result.
Those who have visited every part of the
Islands report a wonderful improvement
in the roads. The money available for this
purpose is now at once expended, and
expended to some good purpose. The
taxpayers see that an effort is really be-
ing made to give them value for their
money in this direction. Everything
cannot be done in day, and roads that
have been for years Systematically neg
lected could not be put in order in an
instant, as it were by the touch of a
fairy's wand. But every one can see
that the work is being pushed on, and
that the members of the various road
boards, having the interests of their dis
tricts at heart, are doing their best to
bring order out of chaos. The whole
work is advancing, taxpayers can afford
to wait until the funds are available for
their particular bit of road.
Of the intelligent work done on the
roads, take, for example, the district of
Hamakua. From Kukuihaele to the
border of Ookala, where the district ends
and Hilo commences, the roads have
been thoroughly graded. This has been
no slight work, but the result is that a
can be driven through the dis
triCt, where formerly there were places
that it was hard work for saddle horse
to scramble up and down. Some excel
lent work, too, has been done in the
gulches. Those who have been over the
road will remember that the road at the
bottom Of each gulch was a small sea of
mud, which scarcely ever dried up. A
practical man, a member of the road
board, set to work to consider why this
should be, and it did not take him long
to find out that if the mass of trees which
overhung the road were cleared away,
the suns rays would prevent any fur
Their sloughs of despond. The trees have
been felled and the mud has disap-
peared.
On Maui the same satisfaction is ex-
pressed. The road through Kula is ex-
cellent, the Maalaea Bay road is in good
and even the district of Hama
reports itself as satisfied
ANY one who goes round the Island of
Oahu will report favorably upon the
roads. They are in good condition.
The same may be said of the Island of
Kauai.
In all these cases money has been ex-
pended by the people for the good of
the people. 1t is clearly shown by prac-
teal result how much better decentraliz-
alton is than the viciuos system of CEN
which was the keynote of
the past. 1t shows the country districts
what they can do for themselves if they
will only put their shoulders to the
wheel. The lessons to be learned by
them is the necessity of constant vigi- |
ance if they wish to retain the manage |
nent of their own affairs, instead of |
having them managed by those who |
care not jot whether Country school |
keeps or not.
The Prince of Wales as a Walter.