The Hawaiian gazette., 1903-01-23

what 10 the iloard ~ raucation 90.
inrf u b. one ~ the most important ~
our public bodice yet " cute the small
ct possible nrufe IN the public prints
/ The Advertiser doubts that fts read
crs have seen more than two 20 three
reports ~ the deliberations ~ the nuafd
I IN three years and those two or three
came out at the time this journal was
arousing the public over the contract
with the American book trust. Meet
/ ings are held In secret. That is 10 say.
the newspapers are not told when or
where meetings are to occur, and II
1 they find out, and send reporters. the
/ Board scurries into executive session.
Yesterday for the first time In six
months the Advertiser heard when a
meeting OF the Board would be held.
AS the time was at hand II detailed a
man to report the event, but he came
back empty-handed. He had been
warned out OF another executive ses-
sion"
with the Board OF Health the pro-
ceeding is as different as day from
night. Whenever a meeting is called the
press Is notified and reporters are pres
ent. Executive sessions are few and
far between despite the fact that the
of Health exceeds that OF the Board OF
Education in "A ratio of three to one.
still there is enough OF importance in
the proceedings of the educational body
to warrant the taxpayers In the desire
to know what they are. Money is being
spent. schools are being established.
contracts are being made. troubles adj
justed and benefits acquired. Surely
the people have the right to know about
these things without waiting for the
annual report. We venture to say that
there Is not another Board of Educa-
ton in the United States which sys-
tematically and by preference does it's
business in the dark. Under the cleo
tive system a board that tried It woulu
never get second term.
The Advertiser does not mean to i'm
ply that there is anything wrong in the
things done by the school directors in
their secret sessions. The members
are above suspicion, despite their one
mistake about the book contract And
this makes the sub-rosa policy absurd
as well as irritating and one that is cal
culated to raise unfounded gossip.
Why keep it dark" What harm can
light do to the educational question?
These are not the days of the in
QulSllOT Wnen a ScnOOlfnanS remark
about the rotundity of the earth may
consign him to the nearest dungeon or
the hottest stake. 1t is a prosaic, mat
ter-of-fact day when the humdrum
taxpayer, having appointed a certain
set of officials to do his work, likes
to drop in and see how the work is
going on. He likes to see how his
money is being spent and by whom.
He has his rights in the premises;
why should they be denied him?
AS the Star pointed out in discussing
some other abuses lately, the surest
guarantee of good government is Pub
licity! 1t is one of the things that
keeps administration pure, officials
cautious, policies prudent and men
honest. The bad things in government
are Matched in the dark and kept in the
dark. Light disperses them. And so it
comes about that officials, be they never
so honest or reputable cannot afford,
in their conduct of public business, to
adopt the methods OF conspirators 1t
puts them on the suspect list when they
may least deserve it.