The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1909-03-10
SEVENTEENTH DAY.
Afternoon Session.

all good Irishmen honor on March II.
But Like explained that it was to
honor a great Hawaiian statesman, no
longer with us, who had opened the
public lands to the people. He re-
ferred to Kauikeouli, King Kameha-
meha the Third who was born on the
seventeenth day of March.
Alfonso thought anybody who could
open Hawaii's public lands to the
people deserved a holiday in his honor
after his death.
The amendment was adopted. Rice
then successfully moved to refer the
bill back to the military committe to
be put in proper shape the technique
of the proposed measure being pro-
minent by its absence.
The House, going into Committee of
the Whole, with dignifed Waiwaiole in
the chair at the Clerks desk, Rice's
three bills H. B. IS, SO and 80, CON
corning increasing powers of counties
were before the members for general
discussion.
Rice explained that the objects of
his bills was to give the counties more
powers, to turn over to them the care
of jails, district courts, hospitals, etc.
The Oahu prison, being a penitentiary,
would remain with the Territory for
the present, and the appointment
of jailors should rest with the County
sheriff. Water works were already pro-
vided for in the county act. 1t would be
simple to turn the water works over
to the counties, just as the roads could
be turned over. The counties can run
the jails, etc, cheaper than the Terri
tory can. A bill was already in to
turn over to the counties the fines and
costs. Then, if the bills go through,
the counties would have more money
to run these things. He would like to
see the counties advance; he wanted
to see the counties collecting taxes
but some seemed to think that the
time was not right. County govern
ment had for some time been in effect
but no progress nd been made. Now
it was time to advance, for counties to
take more responsibility. He wanted
to see county government go ahead.
Nawahine suggested deferring the
bills until it could be ascertained if
fines and costs were to be turned over
to the counties, where the money was
to come from and the like.
Rice declared this was not the mo-
ment of proposed passage on third
reading; what he wished was to learn
the sense of the members in this COM
mittee of the whole in regard to his
bills under consideration.
Furtado desired to inquire what
would become of Honokaas chances
for a new court house if the counties
were gwen charge.
Rice replied that the counties could
then pay for their own new court
houses, jails, hospitals and other insti-
buttons.
Alfonso raised his voice to declare
that Oahu was hogging everything,
getting seventy-five per cent of the
good things. He was willing to support
Rice's bills if it was provided that all
! fines and costs in each county were to
become realizations for that parti-
cular county.
Moderator Sheldon with his voice
| like the sound of the sea on shelving
shore, elocuted to the effect that this
was not the occasion of the final dis
position of the bills. Other islands
| had received scarcely their share of
benefits, to be sure, and for this rea-
son should the Rice measures be Sc
riously considered, for the benefit OF
the other islands. Appropriations as
was known, for hospitals and the like
on other islands had been cut out. The
bills under consideration would large
ly change such conditions. Hawaii
County, for example, with increased
/ revenues planned could well take care
of her own institutions without haV-
| ing to call on the Legislature. If re-
quests for appropriations from various
districts were figured up, it would be
found they would total about $15,OOO,-
900. 1t was impossible to suppose that
everybody could have what they want
| ed.
Cohen figured there'd be plenty OF
money for the counties under increased
taxation proposed. He favored the
Rice bills to support jails, etc.
Douthitt found a flaw in the bill
in re jailors, in that the language in
dicated that jailors were in the Gus
tody of the High Sheriff, instead OF
prisoners being in custody.
Douthitt asked how the House could
intelligently act on the appropriation
bill, coming up tomorrow, unless II
knew what the counties would have tc