Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-03-31
INCIDENTAL PoLISB FUNDS.

The report of the special Police
Committee rendered to the House u
few days ago brings up the question OIL
salary expense and specific appropr'a'
lions which should be carefully SohS
over by the Legislature with view 10
making a saving In salaries II possible
securing the best service for iair re-
Enumeration, and appropriatlng money
for specific purposes rather than CIV
ing a large lump sum to be eNpehueu
AT the discretion Of officers oil the DC
partment.
The Bulletin cordially endorses the
stand of the committee against assess
ments levied on the salaries OF any OIL
fcer for uniforms, telephones or any
other paraphernalia of office. Appro
priation for salaries means, or should
mean, Just which II says. 1t Is not
within the province or right oil any Oh
fetal OF the department to mold out
money from any employees salary ioi
purposes which are, or should be, class
ed under necessary or proper expenses
of the service. We are aware that
this is custom of longer standing
than the terms of present Official In
cumbents. II Is one Of the traditions
OF pubnc service which ought TO be
wiped out II the service is to be put
on bushes basis and the people givel
as strict an accounting for their money
as the average business'house.
The recommendation. however to
put this expense for telephones, uni
forms, etc, in the large civil and Grim
inal incidental fund only changes one
bad situation to make another pos
siDle. 1t is presumed that the assess
ment on salaries was due to snort
age in other appropriations. What II
10 prevent the situation being repeated
in another two years, and the mex
Legislature finding that owing TO in
creased expenditures for civil an'
criminal incidentals, 1t has become nee
essary to resume the assessments oil
police officers salaries?
II $4,000 additional Is needed TO pa,
for telephones, II should appear In tn
Appropriation Bill for that specific
purpose. II IS a month is required 10
each officer on uniform account spc
cific item for uniforms should be plaC
ed in the Appropriation Bill, Tn
same principle should be carried ou
in every detail OF this and every othe
department. Taxpayers and official
must admit that $4,000 is a very larg
sum to be placed at the disposal G
any department to be extended unde
that beautifully general term zinc
dentals". II il true that the Polio
Department, more than any other, r.
quires a liberal lceway for incidental
TO provide against such extraordinar
occasions as riot or an unusual or
of crime. Yet this telephone and un
form incident shows that II is by n
means Impossible nor impracticable
require closer itemizing of this a
count In the Appropriation Bill. III
Bulletin does not contend that tn
large incidental fund has led to CORFU
ton or mlsappropriation, but 1t Is
wide.open door for corruption an
waste of money should the desire e
list. Taxpayers and Legislators al
ploht W IShi"iht ih'S hiSh'S 10 gu
in the hands OF Sheriff Brown or A
torney General Andrews" While In
Is true enough, is there any guarant'
that Sheriff Brown and Attorney &c
eral Andrews are to be life guardiani
. The personal equation should NJ
enter into the Appropriation Bill in
single instance. Money should be a
propriated for the purpose the LegI
lature intended. Such action Is not
reflection on the integrity Of official
II is a plain business principle whic
applied to governmental adminlstr
ton, guards the interests of the ia
payers without injuring an official
hampering the work of the depal
ment.