The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-12-31

in fact, we find the public schools are
| almost entirely under the control of
school agents. We recommend that this
be changed and the Department of Edl-
| cation reorganized to the end tat there
| ,nay be more efficiency and NOR. thor
ough organization, from the head OF the
department down through the whole
/ system. The attention OF the LegisIa-
ture is respectfully called hereto.
We recommend further that merit
tsystem be inaugurated There should
| be an examining board of at least three
| competent persons, before whom all
| teachers should be called for examine
| ton, and graded according to their eff
cheney. Examinations should be written
and all questions proposed should be
| kept absolutely secret until the examina-
i ton actually begins-this to apply to all
/ teachers except those holding regular
teachers certificates.
TEACHERS TOO OLD.
Your grand jury is further informed
that there are now employed, in the
Department of Public Instruction, teach
ers of advanced age, who should be pro-
vided for upon retirement And it
therefore respectfully recommends that
the Legislature appropriate a sufficient
sum of money biennially, to be known
as a Teachers Relief and Pension
Fund.- all sums of money appropriated
hereunder to be held by the Board of
Education, as trustees thereof As to
the DISPOSITION of such fund, it should
be further provided that the Board
might. by unanimous vote, retire and re-
lieve from service any aged, infrm or
disabled teacher who had arrived IT
the age of fifty years, such inhrmity or
disability to be only determined upon
competent evidence, and such retired
member to receive thereupon, as a pen
sion, sum of money equal to one-haif
OF the amount of salary attached to the
position held by such teacher three
years prior to the date of retiremenS,
No such pension should be paid unless
the person retired had been an active
member of the Department of Education
for fifteen years next preceding retire
ment.
This grand jury further finds that The
total number of pupils in the public
schools of Hawaii is I4,467. of whom
1920 are japanese and 1850 Chinese,
or 81 per cent of the whole number of
school children Many of the Japanese
pupils in the District of Honolulu ara
over the age of fifteen years, and go to
our public schools merely for the pur-
pose of learning to speak the English
| language It is the sense of this grand
+; jury that there should be some plan
formulated to segregate the Orientals
from the other pupils. We believe it
| unfair that the advancement of English
| speaking children should be obst1ucted
! by the presence of pupils of a foreign
tongue III attendance to learn the Eng
| lish language and nothing more.
SEGREGATE RACES.
We also find, in great many in
stances, pupils of mixed nationality oc-
cupying the same seat and at one desk.
| We recommend, until some other and
| better plan can be formed, that The
seats In the public schools be all single
seats and the pupils thus segregated.
This grand jury, through a committee
appointed therefor, has investigated the
condition of the public school houses
in and around Honolulu, and find, with
few executions, that the school buildings
are in good condition, with the eAcep-
| ton, however, of lavatories and facili-
| ties for the procurement of drinking
water In all the schools the pupils
| have to drink from taps in the yards,
which are surrounded with mud holes,
and We believe such conditions are TN
sanitary and unfit Care has not been
exercised in this regard, even IN the
! School has neither water facilities for
/ drinking purposes or fire. We believe
| this should be remedied.
/ We would further recommend that
! hereafter no school house be built at a
cost of over 100000, except in the
] case of high schools and colleges. By
more attention to the want to be met
/ and less architectural display, perfect
| facilities could be secured within that
price and with no unnecessary expense.
+, The Royal School is a fitting nionu-
! ment to architectural extravaganza.
| We further believe more care should
! be exercised in the placing of school
| buildings on the land set aside for
| that purpose We notice the Normal
| School is being built in most peculiar
/ position relative to the rest of the lot
and adjoining properties. We find Kaa-
| pokua School absolutely unfit for school
purposes. 1t is situated in a narrow
lot, surrounded on three sides by back
wards and outhouses. and all the sani-
tary conditions are bad, especially for
young children We recommend the
abandonment of the place for school
purposes.
This grand jury further recommends
that school building be built within
the District of Kaimoki for the use of
school children residing in the districts
of Kaimoki, Kapahulu and Palolo.
This grand jury is further Informed,
and therefore reports. that the teachers
employed within the District OF Homo
lulu, are in receipt of Christmas gifts
from the children of their classes. We
recommend that such habit be pro-
hibited. Acts of this character are re-
dictionary and result in an assessment OF
parents. 1t not alone reflects upon the
teacher, but causes unhappiness in the
children unable to donate their pro rata
of the cost of the gratuity.
CASE OF TOEPELMANN.
| 4. Investigation of Police, in re Os-
car Toepelmann.
Upon the complaint OF H A. Isen-
berg, Esq, resident consul at Honolulu,
representing the Empire of Germany,
and Mr. Henrv c. Pfuger, a resident
and taxpayer of this Territory. this
+ 4 IL,