The Hawaiian gazette., 1888-07-03
Twenty-sixth Day.
THURSDAY, June IS.
morning.

dent, Hon. W. R. Castle, in the chair.
Minutes read and confirmed.
PETITIONS.
Rep. F. Brown presented a petition from
the Road Board OF Koolaupoko for an ap-
preparation of $4,000 for bridge and wall
at Kaneohe stream, Referred to Commit
tee on Public Lands. etc.
Rep. C. Brown presented a petition, with
50 signatures, from Honolulu, for an APP
preparation to open a road at Niuhelewai.
Referred to Committee on Public Lands,
etc.
Rep. Daniels presented two petitions,
with IS signatures, from Honuaula, ~ for
$500, for road and 81 for $500 for land
ing at Maizena,. Referred to Committee on
Public Lands, etc.
Rep. c. Brown presented a petition from
the Road Board of Koolauloa for an appro-
priation of $4,000 for building bridges and
repairing roads and bridges in that dis
trict. Referred to the Committee on Pub
! lie Lands, etc.
Rep. Nakaleka presented petition from
! w H. Wahilani, PRAYING that his son be
allowed to remain in Honolulu, months,
for medical treatment. Referred TO the
| Minister of Interior.
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.
Rep. Kinney read the report of the min
ority of the Judiciary Committee to abolish
| the office of Governor. The minority are
| aware that most persons agree that the
| Office of Governor as at present constituted
| is Improbable and there is about the same
unanimity of opinion as to the unhtness of
| its present incumbents.
The point in issue is whether the evil
! should be cured by reconstructing or abol-
ishing the office OF Governor.
The abolition of the Office will save in
salaries $1,000 month. Most of the duties
| of the Office are obsolete, and the few left
that are of any value are not properly at
tended to and not likely to be as the office
| is now constituted.
If the office is reconstructed so as to Sc
| cure suitable incumbents and to compel
! attention to their duties, and the useless
! and mischieyous powers which have made
| the office for some time past simply
centre for political intrigue are done away
with, the tragmentary duties remaining to
the office should, in the natural order of
| things, be transferred to some other office,
unless some new duties can be attached to
the Office that make it worth while retain
ing the same. The majority of the COM
mittee saw this, for their bill provides for
number of additional duties which are
varied and would require man OF many
parts to fill. 1t provides that Governors
! Shall personally inspect school houses,
| court houses, jails, pounds, roads, bridges.
! HharveS, landings, public hospitals, and all
| other public property and make sugges-
tons to the Minister of Interior in regard
to the same. An analysis of these duties
shows that there are many officials under
! pay who are required to perform them or
many of them.
The minority of committee here take,
| for example, the inspection Of school
houses, and cite existing laws to show that
the duties of school agents, the Inspector
General, local school boards, teachers in
the schools, and the Board of Education
comprise the care of school houses. And
| further, 1--WE have a Superintendent of
Public Works. with his assistants, men
skilled in their business, whose duties GER
| tainly can be invoked without additional
| cost to the Government in behalf of the
much cared for school houses" If the
Government is not now paying enough for
| the discharge of this duty, it is not be-
| cause there are not enough officials charged
with its performance.
The majority of committee attach bur
| little importance to half yearly inspectoral
visits of Governors. No Governor can
spread himself out with effect over the
!
| thusiasm of ajority of the committee
to find him something to do. If sufficient
provision is not already made for inspec-
| ton of officials and official work, this OBJ
| ject will be better reached by placing the
| checks on an official in his own district
| where the results of his incapacity or mis-
conduct are felt.
The principle of the school laws can be
| extended with benefit to other district off.
! InGnnptInn ACT net
passed authorizes prison inspectors to in
| spect and correct abuses and make rules
| for the jails throughout the Kingdom.
Local self-government should gradually
! be built up in every district and one of the
| first steps to this end is to abolish the Office
OF Governor.
A Governor not in accord with the Min
lstry might do much mischief in under
mining their policy without their being
able to place the author of it. Constitu-
| tional history shows that it is best for a
responsible Ministry good or bad to have
| full and direct control over all political
officers except those appointed by the peo-
pie, The Governor is the representative of
the Government and should change with
change of Ministry. The Governors office
is necessarily political one; but the ma
| jority of the committee impose upon him
many duties which are non-polItical and
should be exercised by a person whose
Office is not affected by change of Gov
eminent.
5 With regard to the assessors and collec-
tors of taxes, they should not be too much
under local influence, and should be per-
manent officers, under stated salaries, ap-
| pointed and responsible to the Cabinet.
The minority of the committee think
that the theory of local self-government
will be better supported by the abolition of
the Office of Governor than by retaining it.
! Many are in favor of retaining the Office
under a reconstructed law. While thev
are not of that opinion, they feel that il
the glaring abuses of the Office are done
away with, it ceases to be question of
principle and becomes one of expediency.
IF there are those who want governors
very much and a good many more
that, notwithstanding their private opin-
ions on the subject, would just as soon let
them have their own way, the minority Of
the committee feel that the bill proposed
by the majority, with some amendments,
is a suitable bill to carry out this view.
The report, of which the foregoing is an
abstract, is signed w. A. Kinney, D. H.
| Hitchcock.
The majority and minority reports were
ordered to be translated.
Rep. F. Brown reported three bills
| printed.
Rep. Kinney announced the printed re-