The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1908-04-28
DOES THE NEW
ACT MEAN GRAF I?

Mr.. Editor.-In last Mondays issue
of the Pacific Commercial Advertiser
1 was quoted in regard to the act max
ing a municipality of the County of
Oahu. The views then and now pre-
sented are not offered from a partisan
standpoint, but rather from that of a
citizen desiring to see created here an
economical administration of both local
and Territorial affairs.
Under this act the 1000 acres area
of this island are put under municipal
control, an absurdity which is best
shown by tabulations submitted here
with, and which speak for. themselves.
Webster defines municipality as ga
town governed by its own laws, of
or pertaining to a city or corporation
having the right of administering local
government" and had Honolulu proper
occupying one thousand acres-been
so Incorporated, there could be no seri-
Gus objection to the plan, providing it
were given the full rights obtaining
elsewhere under municipal act.
In the modern rapid growth of cities
having tributary territory to draw
business from, the practice has become
common of annexing under one act and
at one time sufficient areas to provide
for increase of population over period
of one or two generations, and In like
manner our city by the sea could be
extended at any future time should
conditions demand. and we would not
be risking the opera bouffe that will
surely result politically if ever we at
tempt to operate under the law as it
now stands.
What would be the result were the
conditions l have outlined actually ere
ated7 We would have outside the city
proper a rural area whose requirements
would be limited to creating substan-
tial roads and bridges and maintaining
highways in much better condition
than is now being done. In five years
time, with their improvements complet-
ed, maintenance thereof would permit
of cutting the tax rate at least 80 per
cent, to the manifest benefit of the
agricultural interests.
Every feature of this socalled NUM-
cipal act points the reverse of these con-
ditions; says in as plain language as it
can be stated that we propose to ex
plot the agricultural resources of this
island to the limit possible in order to
obtain funds to be squandered in the
city proper "Graft,'' subtle, insinu-
ating, insistent graft" is written
throughout the act so far as its effect
on the COW Counties is concerned.
The enactment of this law stands
unique and solitary in the annals of
government as monument to class
legislation of the most vicious kind,
and in my humble opinion the sooner
Supreme Court decision can be OBJ
tanned on its legality the better it will
be for the taxpayers. =BT 7-
Its provisions for election of the en-
tire Board of Supervisors cat large
is as unjust to the outer districts, with
their small voting population, as is the
present county law to the city-in ere
ating three outside election districts
for supervisor with a respective total
registration of $50, 358 and 466 voters,
while the $3.50 voters of the city are
obliged to vote Eat large'' on, the three
allotted to them under the law. This
discrimination in the County Act would
never be tolerated in any other com
munity by so large and intelligent body
of electors as we plume ourselves to be
in this District of Honolulu
The following table shows the popu-
lation of the fifteen cities of the
United States having largest areas: