The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-01-15
THE PLEA OF ECONOMY.

II We ara privileged 10 UNDERSTAND
| the argument Of the Bulletin in favor
Iof the county and city system. il is
that Honolulu may be governed more
lcheaply by three sets Of officials than
J BIZ one As things stand we are ID have
a Territorial administration such as
Congress has established and II must
be supported. II that administration
costs TOO much, as the Bulletin and its
morning echo aver, then the remedy is
10 set up two extra administrations and
nay their bills also Nothing could be
clearer. The theory is as lucid as that
set forth in the nursery rhyme:
There was q man in CUR town,
| And he Was wondrous wise.
He jumped into q bramble bush
And scratched out both his eyes.
and when ne found his eyes were out
He turned with might and main,
And Jumped into the brambie bush
and scratched them in again.
But touching the question OF cost is
il true that the Territorial aduinistra-
ton Is so expensive as 10 be just
cause OF complaints The taxes are
1916 On the 1860 valuation and careful
search OF The World Almanac for 1901
enumera ting 10 American cities. only
shows four that possess a lower rate
Council Bluffs. Iowa, (debt s1e7, 500:
Grand Rapids, Mich, debt &, 957 9g5)
Seattle. Wash. debt 53,53T, 33sl; Fort
Wayne, Ind, debt ss29. 60). The other
cities have tax rates which run as high
as s.. on the 800 and all OF them are
burdened with indebtedness. Any one
who viii take the trouble TO study
pages $50 and $50 OF The World Al
manac for the current year and con-
trast the statistics there set down with
the tax rate Of Honolulu viii not fail
TO see that~the oysrnment We have Is
perhaps the most economical one in4ts
distribution Of tax burdens which exists
under the American flag.
Could II be made more economical SO
far as the salary list affects it? To
some degree. But that is to be done
anyhow. The existence Of the present
salary list except where the pay OF Of
fcials is fixed by the organic act, is a
hold-oyer from the Republic and will
be abridged with the advice and con-
sent Of the Governor, when the first
Territorial Legislature meets. By this
time two months hence there viii be no
oyerpaid officials on the civil list OF this
Territory. Hawaii. officially considered,
VIII be on rock bottom Are We TO un-
derstand that thoughtfulness for the
taxpayer prompts the suggestion that
the costly structures Of city and county
goyernment-three sets Of officials 10 DO
the work of one-shalI then be raised,
for the sake of economy, on this foun-
dation?
The use Of the word economy" as an
excuse for paying more salaries and
setting up superfiuous forms Of govern
ment, is sheer humbug. The city and
county scheme means doubled or
trebled taxation-and for what? For
nothing more than TO enable the job
chasers to get their hands into the
treasury: TO help contractors cinch the
public; to reward the men who grind
the political machines; 10 repeat the
absurdities and offenses which blot the
record Of SO many American municipal
systems. In all the forecasts Of the
city and county politicians there is no
promise Of retrenchment. Everything
in the program Is an item OF extrava-
gance- More ofice-holders, more con-
tracts. vast schemes Of paving and
building. the whole philosophy IN short
of addition, division and silence
II is against this which the Adver-
tissr, as an organ of good government,
protests. It does not say that there
should never be organized cities and
counties, but it does say that the time
is not opportune for them that the
rule of cities and counties would now
pass into predatory hands; that, it is
wiser and safer TO go TO every iegiti-
mate length to prevent the increase of
governing machinery until the electorate
so gains in quality that the men who
pay the taxes may direct their expendi-
ture- These are propositions which,
We believe, all considerable taxpayers
save those who want city and county
government for purposes of revenge,
agree with TO the letter