The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-03-23

I, tor. before the Legislature met, to
put on the payroll the three other in
spectors, whom / considered were re-
quired. When the Legislature met they
knocked out the appropriation for an
Inspector General, though the law call
ed for one-they refused any salary for
the position They then adopted sal
aries for three normal inspectors. One
of these goes around Hawaii, one
around Maui and the third Kauai and
the outside portion of this island and
city. and by the way think he has the
hardest Job of the whole lot.
Has the SYSTEM been that the three
inspectors have had the duties pre-
scribed by statute for the Inspector
General?''
Eyes. with the exception they can
not dismiss or suspend anybod dy-teach-
ers-which the statute Allows
"What is the system today with
reference to reports which these in
spectors make?'
Mr.. Atkinson then went into the de-
tails of the methods pursued by the in
spectors. sending in reports on printed
blanks. They examined buildings,
their condition, sanitary condition,
yards. number of children, number in
each room, etc They report on the
efficiency of teachers. The relations
between the inspectors and school
agents were cooperative in nature, the
school agents being in the districts
always. the inspectors only occasional
lv. The school agents can suspend
teachers if the former are satisfied that
the morals of the latter are bad or
subject to criticism. This suspension
is only final when brought before the
Board of Education.
Asked what are the functions of
school agents Mr.. Atkinson said they
were to look after school buildings, to
sign pav-rolls and to inform the Super
intendent and Board whether teachers
were derelict in their duty and any
general information the Superintendent
should know.
"Then the department has the ad-
vantage of having four eyes. instead
of two in each district" said Mr..
Judd
"Yes'
(Which system is better, to have
three inspectors or one InspectOr-Gen-
eral?''
Certainly three, sir,' said Mr.. At
kinson emphatically.
cit is impossible for one man9'
eyes. for the work he has to do
and what they ask of him. tried to
do it myself.
THAT is due to the legitimate
growth in the school system hereF"
eyes, sIr.'
"Has there ever been any conflict of
authority between the inspectors and
school agents.?
s.Not that I know of. The system
has not worked out with clashing. L
have had no complaint against any or
our inspectors -
You might compare the system to
n military system IN that as you come
to the highest officers they diminish
in number until YOU have central or
ganization in Honolulu
eyes, sir
."You said at the start that it was
part of your duties to superintend the
accounts; explain that
'sIn administering the accounts, in
the first place I had to exact of the
government the amount / considered
to be needful for the department as
every head of department is required
to do. Then / had to keep pretty
keen eve upon how these accounts ran
along For instance. take repairs, say
$50. 900 in a lump sum. If / found in
the first portion that over $4,000 out
of that $50. 900 had been spent it was
then I considered it my duty to look
and see that in the next year the
amount was not over-eNpended. And
so with the salaries. pav-rOlls and so
on There were a considerable num-
ber of accounts which came under my
jurisdiction.
''Under your system who has charge
of the repairing of the schoOl-houses2
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