The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-06-29
THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY.
Twenty-Sixth Day.
THURSDAY. June %.

[
The House met at 10 O'Clock, the Presi-
dent, Hon. w R. Castle, in the chair.
| Minutes read and confirmed.
| PETITIONS.
Rep. F. Brown presented petition from
| the Road Board of KoOlaupOkO for an ap-
preparation of $4,000 for a 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 ap-
| preparation to open a road at Niuhelewai.
| Referred to Committee on Public Lands,
etc.
Rep Daniels presented two petitions,
with 50 signatures, from Honuaula, Q for
$500, for road and (2) for $500 for land
| ing at MAIZENA, Referred to Committee on
Public Lands, etc.
Rep. C. Brown presented 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. II. 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 untitnesS OF
| its present inCumbents.
The point in issue is whether the evil
,h hAo rod Xyr roo nrlST Or a
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 miSChieVOuS 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, i'll 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,
wharves, 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, - 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 minority of committee attach but
little importance to half yearly inSpectOral
visits of Governors. No Governor can
spread himself out with effect over the |
territory mapped out for him by the en- |
thusiasm of a ma Ority 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
Gals. The Prison Inspection Act Just |
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
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 a
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-pOItical and
should be exercised by a person whose
office is not affected by change of Gov
eminent.
With regard to the assessors and colIec-
tors of taxes, they should not be too mach
under local influence, and should be per-
nanent officers, under stated salareS ap-
pointed and responsible to the Cabinet
The minority of the committee think
hat the theory of local self-gOVernment |
will be better supported by the abolition of
he office of Governor than by retaining it,
Many are in favor of retaining the office
lnder a reconstructed law. While thev
ire not of that opinion, theV feel that If |
he glaring abuses of the office are done
away with, it ceases to be question of
principle and becomes one of expediency.
: there are those who want governors
cry much and a good many more
hat, notwithstanding their private opin-
Ons on the subject, would just as soon let
hem have their own way, the minority of
he committee feel that the bill proposed
~ the majority, with some amendments.
5 a suitable bill to carry out this view.
The report, of which the foregoing is an /
bstract, is signed w A. Kinney, D. II.
Hitchcock.
The majority and minority reports were
,rdere0 10 he translated