The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-05-03

marked that the Representatives of the
various islands had met sixty day:
before as strangers and would disperst
as friends. This fact was further EN-.
phasized by Kaniho, a Representative
twho had sat in every House since an
lnexation and who told the others that
in the past the principal arguments
used had been ink pots and chairs, and
that needless expense and a neglect of
the vital interests of the country had
been predominant in the House.
The record of the session of the
House just past is one of sound bust
ness, economy and expedition in the
| carrying on of work without haste.
The great majority of the House meas-
ures which have become law are along
| the lines of progressive Americanism.
and the worst of the freak bills intro
duced from time to time during the
session were promptly referred to COM
| mittees and dispatched out of the sight
resolutions were forced through by the
weight of outside public opinion, but in
no instance were these allowed to pass
without the side of reason having Wig
orous Spokesman. More than one OF
the Hawaiian and part Hawaiian mem.
bers imperilled his political standing by
opposing bills and resolutions favored
by the majority of his constituents and
f< +f1io II, Nor fn ha
ored.
There were some bills of far-reachine
interest presented and passed in the
House but which failed to secure the
necessary support in the Senate,
Among these were the Local option bill
and the Land bill, both introduced by
Representative Hughes. There were
many liner important lcr1sLres pre-
scented which carried through to the
Governor and secured his official app
.: oval Among these are the Nego-
table Instrument bill, the Income Tax
bill, and other measures affecting in all
important way the corporations 'f The
Territory Other important measures
were presented from the Senate and
discussed and acted upon, chief among
which was the Municipal bill.
measures, is a distinct step forward
and law which, while badly needed,
had much opposition to overcome.
h In all two hundred and forty-four
bills were introduced in the House. OF
Governor. Many of these bills were OF
semi-private nature, but included
among them were several appropria-
Z in
ception of the Salary bill And in
these appropriat on bills the avowed
object of the members was to insist
that the Territory got full value for
every cent that was being spent.
Investigations were carried on by the
House members into three questions of
Importance to the taxpayers and resi-
dents. These were the conditions at
the leper settlement. the Nuuanu dam
question and the Lanai sale. In the
first, the leper question, the good sense
of the House was run away with
through their sympathies for the af-
fiicted wards of the Territory and the
claims of an imposter We're listened tc.
The action of the Board of Health in
refusing to be likewise stampeded was
bitterly resented at first by the men,
bers, but the wisdom of it's bold course
has since been acknowledged.
The Nuuanu dam muddle was gone
into by a joint committee, but the
House was the only body to discuss
the committees findings and adopt
one of the reports. The result of the
work has been to restore public conf
dence in the work and also to act as
lettering influence on departments
in their assuming too much respons-
Utility in important operations. An
other result is the charging of the |
scope of the work and the cheerful |
voting of a large amount of money to |
carry it out.
OF the Lanai deal, the House COM |
mittee sustained the actions of the |
Governor and the Commissioner of |
Public Lands, saddling it's commenda- |
ton with two riders, one to the effect |
that the affair should not be repeated |
and the other to the effect that the |
Legislature had no power to interfere !
in such things anyway.
The members of the House are proud |
of their record, refusing to mar it at |
the last moment by voting for a reso- !
luton to raise the members pay from |
$500 to $1,000 a session. Chief among |
the opponents of this were the Hawai- |
ian leaders of the House, who openly |
stated that they wished to show that /
patriotism among Hawaiians was
greater than dollars.