The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-09-11
IN NEED
Of MONEY
Island GuamHas
Spent Revenue
Too Fast.
SCHOOLS CLOSED,
COURTS WILL. BE
Superintendent of Schools Hiatt,
SoIace Passenger, Talks OF
the Matter

H. H. Hiatt, Nebraska man, who
has been in Guam for a year engaged
in opening up American schools, is
passenger aboard the naval transport
Solace, which arrived from the Philip
pines and Guam yesterday. People on
board the transport tell stories which
Indicate that Guam is practically bank
rupt. The schools have been closed be-
cause of lack of money, and when the
Solace left the island it was expected
that the courts would have to suspend
work for similar cause within a few
weeks, and all public work would be
stopped.
Concerning the Guam schools Mr..
Hiatt has an interesting story to tell.
He went out to Guam to establish
American schools about a year ago.
The schools, as are everything else in
Guam, are under the supervision of the
Navy Department. AS no appropria-
ton has yet been made for Guam, and
as the one tried for in the naval supply
bill failed in Congress, the schools and
all other public departments have to
depend on the tax returns of the island
for their support During the early
part of the past fiscal year Governor
Schroeder expected that Congress would
vote $3.50, 900 toward the up-keep of the
island, and regulated the spending of
the island funds accordingly. The APP
preparation was thrown out by Con-
gress and now the island is badly in
need. During the year the greater part
of the islands revenue was spent on a
new city hospital at Agana, the outside
leper hospital, and a government road
from Agana to the sea. Mr.. Hiatt does
not blame Governor Schroeder for the
existing state of affairs, but blames the
United States government for not max
ing the quarter of million appropria-
ton.
Mr.. Hiatt says that Congress failed to
make the school appropriation because
the items, including that for schools,
were in the navy supply bill and that
Congress made clean sweep of this,
including the school appropriation.
The school property in Guam now
consists of a half dozen buildings and
Mr.. Hiatt says that four hundred and
fifty native children have been attend
ing the American schools where they
show great aptitude for learning the
English language and seem eager to
trade the Chamorro dialect for Ameri-
can lingo. Mr.. Hiatt did not know the
native language when he started his
work. He simply had to get small chill
dren together, teach one by signs and
allow that one to gradually teach 9TH
ers what American words meant until
all commenced to make good progress.
At first this work was very difficult, but
Mr.. Hiatt says that later he got on very
we'll with the children. He was accom-
panied by his family, and his wife and
daughter taught in the schools. In ad-
dition to his own family the other
teachers employed were three marines.
Mr.. Hiatt considers that the govern
ment will make a great mistake If it
permits the schools to be discontinued.
His own term has expired and he does
not expect to return to the island, but
would be pleased to see some one else
appointed to go out and continue the
work which he claims is very important
in connection with American interests
in Guam.
From others on the boat it was learn
ed that matters on Guam are not so sat
isfactory as they might be. The islands
do not produce hardly anything that
can be exported and will bring any
money back to the people. A popula-
ton of 10000 people live on the earn
ings of their small farms and from the
money disbursed in various ways by
Uncle Sam. They are happy-go-lucky
race and are fairly well contented with
American rule, but that cannot bring
back at once the prosperity that exist
ed on the plantations before the ty-
phoon of 1900 nearly swept the whole
place into the sea.
1t is a part of the islanders religion
not to sell any part of their lands, yet
they are a simple race, and few Amer
leans have secured mortgages on these
small farms so that it is only ques-
ton of time before the plantations will
be in American hands, although very
little capital from the United States
has been invested there up to this time.
The most serious objection that peo-
pie have to the present state of affairs
is that although American territory the
laws in force are the old ones made by
Spain. Some of these laws work great