The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-04-19
N CANDIESS IS ROASTED
SCATHING REPORT OF A HOUSE
COMMITTEE.
The Late Captain Kings Administra-
tion Criticized and Rowelrs Removal
From Office Recommended.

The Home Rule hammer fell heavily
on Superintendent of Public Works Me
Candless and assistant RoweH TINS
morning in thet House. Even the late
2 Captain James A. Kings administra-
tion was severely scored, though the
committee placed the burden for it's
alleged wrongs on Rowell. The rOastS
came in a report of the committee to
which was referred the Pail road inves-
tigation. The committee found that
the sum of $4,000 has been spent on
contract awarded the first time for
S29,975, that c. b. Dwight, the man to-
whom the contract was first awarded,
had been required to give bond or
only 81, 900 and that he had not been
compelled to forfeit even that bond
when he failed to do the work. His
bond was far lower than any other the
highest being $1,000, while the fact that
Dwights bid was $2g975, just within the
appropriation of 100000 leads the COM
mittee to declare that Dwight knew i'm
advance what others were bidding.
The report says:
Your committee feels a natural de-
licacy in discussing a matter involving
the conduct of a person since dead. The
late Captain ]. A. King, the then min
lister of the interior, only followed the
common practice and undoubtedly act
ing on the advice of his subordinate
and with the consent of his associates
in the government PERMITTED the bond
to lapse He was what some members
of the government service today claim
to be, an honest man and one possessed
of that purity of thought which promp-
ted him to invest all others with the
sterling qualities which distinguished
him.
Your committee believes that the
interests of the Department of Public
Works and of the community at large,
would be subserved by the separation
Ill a NtWNt~ ~NusTN-
tive service of that department and We
recommend accordingly.
I'VE recommend further that penal
clause covering malfeasance in office.
be added to the general laws, that the
amount of a bond required with a con-
tract for public work should be not less
than 40 per cent of the contract price
of the work and that or more suretieS
be on such bond.
"The gross negligence shown in max
ing estimate of the cost of work of this
kind, thrt has too frequently been dis
played in the disparity between, the es-
Inmates and actual competitive tender.
leads your committee to suggest that
when estimates are submitted they
should deal with the proposed work in
detail and should be based upon COM
parson of expenditures for similar pur-
poses within and fofthe biennial period
last passed. The department IL proper
ly conducted should have an enormous
amount of this detail information on
hand, so arranged as to be readily
available for reference. 1t is impossible
to believe that with such care as would
be ordinarily exercised by any business
man. information of this character
would not have been used in checking
upon proposed new work. and the Decu-
liar features of the work under discus
sion would have been eliminated"
The committee expresses itself as
! n ma at the nrnpppdinRg in COnneC-
tion with the Pail contract and de-
| clares that it was gross neglect of pub
! lie interests to keep Rowell in office
after he had done as he had. Then the
report proceeds to pay respects to NC
! Candless. 1t refers to McCandless as
an opponent and enemy of Rowell until
McCandless was offered the portfolio he
holds, when, the committee saws. "Mr.
McCandless permitted his anxiety to
hold office to overcome both his preju-
dice and his judgment and at the man
date of a superior who was the friend
of w. E. Rowell, took office under a
promise direct or implied that the por-
tege of his superior should not be dis
turbed in the enjoyment OF his sine
cure"
The report Is sgred by John Emme-
Iuth. chairman of The committee. ]. X.
Kekaula and T. x Kaauwai A min
ority report that h"iefly objects to the
language used w"s endorsed on the
majority report, &C follows:
eve concur with the facts found by
the ma aiority of the committee and with
the finding and recommendations In re-
gard to general clause and bonds but
we cannot concur in the wording OF
the report and the personal portions re-
ferring to various ofHcials.
GO. IT DrCKTV.
"W. II. HOOGS."