The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-01-12
THE
CITY CHARTER

ION the approval of the Chief of Police.
The usual veto power of two-thirds
vested in Council on all city ordin-
ances.
A Director of Public Works and of
Public Safety, to be chosen by the
boards corresponding and to hold office
for one year.
A board of three Assessors, to be ap
pointed by the Mayor.
/ Two Trustees of Education, to nave
seats in the present Territorial School
Board.
Aldermen to have real or personal
property worth $1,000.
A Board of Health consisting Of the
Mayor and two physicians; Coroner,
! to be appointed for two years and to be
a physician.
/ A poll tax and a tax on real estate
and incomes.
| Mayor to appoint all other boards
necessary from among the Aldermen.
Police to be authorized to make ar
rests without warrants in case of vag-
rants and prostitutes, etc.
| Appeal from board of assessors to lie
with the Supreme Court only.
| To provide for a city prison; a city
clerk to be appointed by the mayor
/ and confirmed by the aldermen and
paid a salary.
! The council to meet every two weeks
on Wednesday at 8 p. M, and continue
/ in session until their work is complete.
| Mr.. Smith then read the outline pro-
posed by T. McCants Stewart, which
was based on the whole Island plan"
| The points briefly were:
| Chapter l. Boundaries-The entire
| Island of Oahu to be called the city
of Honolulu. Divided into wards same
as the present precinct divisions,
which would make seventeen wards.
| Chapter II. Legislative Department
! Board of aldermen. Two from each
/ ward To serve without pay; Follow
constitution and organic act in re-elec-
tion, etc. Every ex-mayor member
of council without vote; also, each
commissioner. Monthly meetings un-
! less on special call by mayor or five
men to be mayor in his absence, gen.
eral provision, etc. Follow constitu-
ton, etc"
Chapter III Executive Department
Mayor, two years, with salary. Pow
er to appoint at will and remove with
consent of council the following: Cor
poration counsel, commissioners of
finance, police, health, public works,
parks, water, taxes and assessments,
fire, education, charities and correction,
and elections.
Chapter ". Duties of officials.
/ Chapter V. Assessments and Taxes
Follow our system as far as advisa-
BILE, but include among objects of taxa
ton, gross earnings of all corpora
| tions.'
Chapter VI judicial Department
City court with two judges. District
! courts as now.
Chapter VII General provisions as
, to election and amendments by refer
endum.
! The third outline was prepared by
John G. Pratt, also of the charter draft
| committee, and who has had eXpe-
/ rience before in drawing and amend
| ing city charters. His points were:
| /. Island of Oahu the boundaries of
the city of Honolulu. except the United
States property, and that actually used
/ by the Territory.
I 2. Create a municipal government
| following as far as practicable present
form of established government, hav-
ing in lieu of Governor as chief execu-
tive officer, a mayor, to be chosen by
: the people, who, together with the per-
sons chosen from the present precincts
of the Island as councilmen to consti-
tute the executive and legislative body,
and called city council; the mayor
president of council; the council to
| have power to make all laws not in
conflict with the organic act or Con-
stitution of the United States. Bureaus
or departments to be similar to those
now existing, heads of departments ap-
pointed by mayor, and they in turn to
appoint their subordinates.
| An election for mayor and council to
! be held as soon as possible after pas
sage of this act, and all persons who
can vote at Territorial elections to vote
| at city elections. The present laws,
regulations and rules now controlling
| Territorial officers to be adopted as
| far as practicable for the city; sub
| ject to change or extension by the city
council after it is organized.
Mayor ana councilmen to be elected
for two years. Limitation on amount
that could be levied for taxation pur-
poses for any one year to a reasonable
amount Ali taxes of Oahu to be paid
to city treasurer at the county seat,
which would be in Honolulu, District
of Kona.
! w. o. Smith then spoke of the sub
ject matter of his written report, and
said that it was going to be a big
job to get up charter and have it
conform to existing Territorial and
United states laws, and it was abso-
llutely necessary to hire someone to do
| the detail work, and refer it back to
the committee for approval or change
before the draft would be ready to
submit to the general committee, even
in sections. He said it had required a
great deal of work and study to map
out these brief outlines, and as the
drawing of the charter progressed
there would be plenty of food for
thought and discussion, without both
ring with the detail work.
T. McCants Stewart supplemented
! the statements of Mr.. Smith by say
| ng: 1--WE want to simplify the charter
as much as possible. and also to keep
t as near as possible in conformity
with the present system of govern
nent. 1 take it the protest of the COM
nunity is not so much against the
government itself. as it is that the
-overnment that now exists is not suf-
clently representative and the officers
re not sufficiently responsible for their
Hicial acts to the people"
Speaking of the ease with which
resent laws could be slightly modified
nd made to apply to a city govern
ent. especially If the whole Islanr
ere taken into consideration. he said
he present high sheriff would be sue
Seeded by a chief of DOlice with nrac-