The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-10-09
SUPERVISORS
Md POLITICS G
.-s-aa
From Thursdays Advortiser.)-

From Thursdays Advertiser.)-
Road department employees being dis
charged because they are Democratsi
There was raising of Republican eye,
brows around the Board of Supervisors
table last evening when Supervisor
Frank Harvey gravely announced that
such was the case. Harvey's charge
against the road department came after
Supervisor Kealoha offered a resolution
that it be the sense of the Board that
no employe of the county be discharged
or removed on account of his political
faith and that the county clerk so noti-
fly the road supervisors and road lunas.
Chairman Hustace replied to the pre-
sentation of the resolution with a state
ment that the Board, at the commence
ment of it's career about two years ago,
had passed a similar resolution, Harvey
suggested that it must have been for.
| gotten, for he had seen Democrats dis
missed from the employ of the county
in the road department. Then came
the eyebrow raising and Hustace said
it was the first time he had heard of
it, but anyhow the road supervisors
attention would be called to the mat
ter. Dwight hesitatingly asked where
such discharges had taken place, but
Harvey merely looked wise and gave no
reply.
Political Ghost Stalks.
This was the first sign of the politi.
cal upheaval that has threatened the
dignity of the Board of Supervisors,
and other signs followed during the
evening. When the Koolaupoko road
department scandal or alleged scan
dial, was mentioned, Hustace asked as
favor that it go over until the next
meeting in order that the entire Board
might be present, Mr.. Cox being away
last night There was some demur to
this, but Hustace prevailed. Then, as
the meeting was drawing to a close,
Archer drew bundle of vouchers from
his pocket and said he wanted some of
the items in Road Luna Peck g baili-
wick in the Koolau district explained.
He wanted to know why several of the
men, the engineer, blacksmith and
helper, were kept on monthly pay
roll, when in his own district, Eva, the
men were paid only according to the
number of actual days they worked.
For instance, there was Road Luna Gere
on monthly salary, road roller on
gineer at $50 month, Ceres man $T5,
and the engineer s helper, his son, at
$35 a month This was an imposition
on the county, Archer thought. He
was sure they did not work every day
in the month.
Good Reasons Advanced.
Overseer Peck was present and ex.
planned that when the weather was wet
and the roller laid up, the engineer
spent his time in making repairs to ii
} and the helper went on the road, and
there were various changes so that all
the men were kept at work. When the
roller was laid up the stone bunkers
had to be kept filed, and with only
two wagons on the job this took long
time.
County Engineer Gere said that con
ditions in Koolaupoko were not the
same as in Eva. In Eva the engineer
|
have repairs to his machine made there
Mr.. Archer might not know that there
were heavy bills for repairs to the
machines down Eva way. A long tine
ago, finding how difficult it was to have
road machine mended in Koolaupoko
where there were no places to make re
Fairs, it had been decided to send ;
good engineer over there. who couli
: make all necessary repairs, when til,
l mao hine was off duty. The entire bill
for repairs there had been but $25 ant
the OILY time man had gone from Ho
nolulu was once when the boiler tube
' had to be attended to.
Was Roller Ditched7
Then Harvey threw bombshell int
8 the camp. He said the engineer was o.
r no account as he had got drunk one,
and run the roller into ditch and i
+ cost 5000 to the county to get it out
Q There was general look of inquiry a
= this statement. Engineer Gere said h,
9 had never heard of this before, neithe
had any one else on the board or il
the road department. Even SUPERVISE
Kealoha from that district had MOI
heard of il.
"Where did you hear thiss' asked
the chairman.
"Why, the other day when we mad
l the investigation in Koolau,o answer
| ed Mr.. Harvey.
"Well, it was never interpreted, AM
i certainly did not hear it mentioned, ,
said the chair.
"David Watson told me about it. -
Then David Watson, lawyer ant
1 poundmaster, arose at the rear Of tn
+. hall and stated positively that he knew
of this accident, that it occurred be
i, cause the engineer was drinking oil
that day, and the reason he knew il
} was because his brothers were Their,
4 and had taken turns at the bottle. AND
. besides his gun had been crushed
l and
Lopez Denies Charge.
BY this time Lopez, the road rollel