The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-03-26

representative Rice. of Kauai, points
out that the article published in the
EDITORIAL columns OF the Advertlser
yesterday morning relating 10 the diff
ncuIty experienced In getting enough
iahd on the closed island for a school
mouse was dated some weeks ago.
since which time land has been secur-
ed ana tenders for the erection of the
school house are now being adyertis-
ed. Mr.. Rice is authority for the
statement that he and the other rem
! resentatives from Kauai worked hard
| to secure this land so that at least
part Of the money appropriated for
their Island might be spent.
| RMS backs up pretty thorouehly
what has been contended in this pa
per- that to get an inch of land on
Kauai is a matter of the greatest diff
hcuity' In this instance, even for the
erection OF school house, the services
and hard work of the entire legisla-
tive corps OF the island being neces-
sary to break through the feudal fence
and get a site.
There are a good many muttered
complaints around the House among
some of the members at the insistenco
on economy exerted by Speaker Hol-
stein, whose good work in this respect
Is shown In the splendid way in which
the Federal appropriation is holding
out. In the past 1t has been the GUS
tom for the members to send to their
homes during the session enough sta
tionery, postage stamps and the other
little perquisites to keep them going
for a lengthy period, but this was
peremptorily stopped right at the be-
ginning of the present session. The
result is satisfactory for the taxpayers
but annoying to some of the honorable
members.
One member, who is experienced in
the ways of legislation, got shock
to his dignity early in the session from
which he has as yet hardly recovered
Arriving at the House he found that
his desk had been supplied with a
bunch of envelopes, a pad of letter
paper and a yellow scratch pad. These
he proceeded to bundle up and address
to his home. putting in a requisition
to the sergeant-at-arms for the nec-
essary postage. The next day he ask
ed to be supplied with a fresh outfit
of stationery. but was refused. He
was informed that the Speaker had
given orders that a pad a week and
SiiouSH tIlNtloptS " IlOlu d TedSOudUl6
of letters was to be the limit
and that only letters actually posted
from the House were to be stamped
at the expense of the public.
The honorable member kicked and
quoted precedent after precedent, car
rying the matter finally up to the
Speaker himself, but without avail He
was informed that this was the rule
laid down and that If he didn't like it
he could make a matter Of debate on
the floor of the House about it. But
even the thickest skinned politician
could hardly carry the affair that far,
and so the matter rested.
If the House had only carried out
this common sense, business PROPOSE
ton into their appointments and SAL
airy lists the saving to the country
would have been much. At the pres
emit time some of the officials employ
ed about the Legislature are receiving
from the public treasury twice and
three times what they could make in
any other legitimate way. 1t is said
that the stenographers employed are
drawing as much every other day as
hey could receive in any business
office in the city in month. and there
ire others.