The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-08-07
LOCAL ADMINISTRATION


II Honolulu last year had been a mu.
nicipality of the kind now proposed
the expense OF fighting the plagu,
within city limits might have fallen or
our own taxpayers: yet the rest Of the
Island population was as much con-
lcerned as we In all precautionary
measures. TO have borne the cost
locally must have meant a city debt OF
nearly o million dollars. 1t was our
good luck and that OF the entire group
THAT the general government of Hawaii
was vested with the duties and charS-
ed with the expenses of safeguarding
the public The work was better done
on that account and 1t left no unjust
burdens. Furthermore 1t strongly
largued for the virtue of centralized
lpower In a land like this.
Precisely the same rule would apply
to Hilo or any other community on
these Islands where plaques could get
n foothold. TO deal with such invu-
sions, wherever they occur. central
Iauthority and central treasury are
best.
| 1t is advisable. Furthermore to have
internal public works looked after by
| ,
particularly road systems, may be uni
form and be so directed as to secure
| the greatest utility to the greatest
number. In the East 1t Is now pro-
posed to take highway Improvement
out of the hands of counties and vii
llages and vest 1t in State boards. This
is because the system OF local control
has resulted in good roads in one town
ship, indifferent ones in the next and
bad ones in the township further on:
| or, more often, In a variation of road
values in a single township. as be-
tween the sub-districts worked. If we
leave things as they are in Hawaii the
group will be gridironed with uniform
| ly good highways; II, on the other
hand, we insist on the New York or
California plan, our road system Will
| be q failure. Once let Il rural neigh
| borhood have county, township and
| village payroll to meet out OF its habit
ual scarcity of funds and nothing will
| be left,-unless a big bonding scheme
| Is resorted to-for needed public works
| Nor will there be much left for ade-
quate police protection. On these ISL
ands, infested AZ they are with ASH
atics, the village constable or deputy
sheriff would be no safeguard what
ever. There must be n large and we'll
trained force, acknowledging com
mon head and capable of being concen-
trated at any threatened point. This
may look like extreme Capitalization
but where the elements of anarchy are
present as they assuredly are where
Asiatics make majority over whites,
lIyn ~ 10.
guard to be coveted, not a danger to
be feared.
| Let us compare Capitalization with
decentralization in the light of a cur
rent example. When the Island post
office system was headed by Mr.. Dat,
every hamlet in Hawaii had It's mail
delivery. Now that each hamlet is ex-
pected, in way, to support it's own
post office, a large number of offices
have been given up. II the country
people We're to vote on the respective
systems the old one would carry by a
| big majority, especially If 1t included
| the centralized postal savings bank
idea which has now been discarded.
Take again the matter OF education.
Hawaii now has n uniform system sup
ported by the Territory and the results
are a theme Of pride to every good citl-
zen. The system is highly and benef-
| lcently centralized. To change 1t
might, indeed, be of some advantage To
Honolulu where so large Il percentage
of the aggregate school tax is raised,
but it would be ruinous to the schools
elsewhere in the group. When taxes
mount up the average villager hires
| cheaper teachers and thereby makes
his schools less desirable. 1t is better
to have them provided for him.
All the illustrations go to show that
our Government is well enough as II is
for the taxpayers In especial. 1t
gives the greatest efficiency with the
least friction and at the least cost and
that is the true end of public admins
tration. To change It according to
the schemes of the Purchasers, would
be to jeopardize efficiency and double,
treble or quadruple expenses. No one
among the office making group has
shown where there are any false notes
in this argument; all that comes In re-
ply Is cheap repartee about "Ameri-
canism" and about would-b "monar-
chies." Yet we have shown over and
over again that the American Idea is as
clear IN the District of Columbia sys-
tenn ms 1t is in any other; and as for
the monarchy" nothing comes so near
1t as the latest thing in American Inu-
inequalities where one-man power sits
enthroned in the Mayors chair. 4 city
charter like the new one OF San Fran
cisco. would give Honolulu local
King; and any charter less centralized
In its terms would give us the rule OF
the local boss. To really earnest OPP
ponent OF monarchy" what can there
be attractive In either plan?
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The success OF a free silver campaign