The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-03-09
Err
REPORT.
Republicans Listen
To It Last
Night.

III
the chair. Ed Towse was elected
secretary pro TEN. The following mem
bers were present: Dr. G. H. Hubby,
Smith, j. A. Gilman, Caas. Wilson, Co
]. H. Boyd, L. L. McCandless, w. c.
Roe, A. v. Gear, Fritz Wilhelm and
Chas. Motley.
w. O. Smith, as chairman of the sub
committee on draft, submitted the fol-
lowing written report:
Colonel j. H. Fisher. Chairman Char
ter Committee.
Sir: The undersigned members of the
subcommittee appointed to prepare a
draft of charter, or act Of Incorporation,
for the City and County of Honolulu.
respectfully present their report.
| After their appointment. on the 10Th of
December last, the committee proceeded
! to consider plans for municipal govern
ment which in their opinion would be
| suited to existing conditions, and to map
lout the work. The facts that there were
no special statutes of the Territory gov
erning the establishment of such organi-
cations; and no such governments had
heretofore been created in these Islands /;
and the conditions were unique, present
ed features which In some respects added
to the difficulties of the case.
After a discussion of the provisions
which We're deemed of chief Importance,
! the committee engaged G. A Davis, Esq,
member of the committee, to prepare
draft of the proposed Act; and T. Nc
! Giants Stewart, Esq, another member, on
his own behalf also prepared a draft.
Both of these drafts We're before the
committee, and from them the draft now
submitted to the General Committee has
been prepared, and we herewith present
the same for consideration.
The drafts prepared BY both of these
gentlemen followed the same general
plan in most particulars, but different in
detail. The draft prepared by Mr.. Stew
art was, however, largely followed.
| The draft now presented, after defining
the boundaries of the City and County Of
Honolulu, and of the wards and pre-
cincts, prescribes the fern of govern
ment and then provides somewhat in de-
tail for the powers and duties of officers.
It will be observed that an effort has
| been made to follow, in many respects,
the provisions of the existing laws of
| the Territory.
| Upon the following subjects the provi-
sion of the present laws have been fol-
| lowed as far as seemed practicable,
namely:
Department of Finance.
Auditor and Public Accounting.
| = Police Department and Coroners.
Sales and Leases of Public Lands.
| Highways.
| Department of Water Works
Fire Department.
| Department of Taxes and Assessments.
| Department of Public instruction.
Department of Health
Election Laws.
The committee believe 1t better, so far
! as feasible, to follow the methods and
regulations with which the community is
! familiar, rather than unnecessarily to
| MD Sria ~,
Among the new subjects presented are
| provisions for:
Department of Buildings.
| Department of Parks.
Law Department and Corporation
| Counsel. r'.''
| Granting of Franchises.
| District and City Courts.
! Income Tax. ,,.t
The draft of the Act presented Is open
| to criticism. The members of the COM
mittee do not consider it finished work.
Had there been more time, and the cir
cumstances less urgent, we would have
again revised it, corrected some errors
which have crept IN, and altered some
what the order of the subjects. A more
clear division of the topics could have
been made and an index prepared.
| The work has been pursued under diff
| culties. The time for meetings has been
taken from busy hours and at night. The
1
meetings besides many conferences.
| Before closing this report, We would
| call attention to the provision in section
| 81 of the draft page 20), relating to the
administrative department, that there
shall be the following administrative de-
partments in said City, or as many of
said departments as the Mayor and
| Board of Aldermen may organize by ap-
pointing the heads thereof" -. The
purpose being not to compel the City to
| take over certain departments until pre-
| pared to do so. For instance, 1t might
not be convenient or advisable, immedi-
ately upon the Act becoming operative,
to take over the Department of Public
! instruction.
Anticipating the criticism that too much
of detail has been attempted; that some
! of the matters incorporated should be
left to he covered by ordinances of the
Board of Aldermen. we would state that
before the Board of Aldermen will have
| opportunity to prepare and adopt ordi-
nances it is desirable that there should
be sufficient provision for the administers
ton of government; and, furthermore, II
would appear desirable that most of the
provisions presented should be defined by
| the Territorial Legislature and not left
to he changed at will by the Board.
Respectfully submitted,
WILLIAM o. SMITH,
Chairman.
GEO. A. DAVIS.
T. M'CANTS STEWART,