Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1909-01-13
'CLELLAN CHARGES.
RECKLESS FINANCE.
Punches Logan's Plan Of
Expenditure Full
Of Holes

without reference 10 any OF tHe
! legal questions involved" said SUI
pervisor Mcclellan, IL opposed the APP
preparation bill the Republican ma
jurity seem determined to enact upon
The ground that 1t is bad finance in
the first place, and that It sweeps
away or tends to sweep away most of
the checks and safeguards against
extravaganza and improvident expen-
diture, which the Municipal Act seeks
to create II makes 1t easier for the
spirit of extravaganza to have its
way. 1t makes it harder for the
spirit of economy and of carefulness
In the expenditure of money to make
itself felt.
In the first place, this is n new
government. II succeeds, in general,
to the functions and duties of the
County of Oahu, 1t is true; but 1t Is
nevertheless new government. The
Supervisors, therefore, II seems to me,
ought to have gone carefully into the
matter of the duties and obligations
imposed by law on the new govern
ment, considered every expenditure
II ought to make, every service IL was
called on to perform, the grade Of
ability required in each particular
part of the public service, and hence
the reasonable compensation that
ought to be allowed. The sources Of
revenue and their amount ought to
have been studied, and a general sys-
TEN of municipal finance studied out
that would have provided for suit
able treasury balance always to be
carried to meet emergencies, and to
provide that there shall always be
money on hand to pay warrants when
presented, so that neither employees
nor those who furnish materials or
supplies need have to register their
warrants nor discount them.
This could have been done either
in conference of all the members OF
the Board, and in consultation with
the Auditor and Treasurer as to the
finances, and with other elective Of
ficers and heads of departments as &c
public needs. Or II could have been
done by a committee appointed fol
that purpose, which was what | pro
posed last night.
Instead, however, there has beer
no such study of the situation that
can learn of. Certainly l was giver
!. no opportunity to take part in an!
such consideration with other mem
\ bers of the Board, or to present an!
ideas ! might have to a committee.
AS n matter of fact, the appro
priation bill, though presented b!
Supervisor Logan, was drawn up en-
tirely outside of the membership o
the Board of Supervisors, and practi
cally without any member OF tn
h Board having taken anything NOR
than u nominal or acquiesclng part II
Its formation; at least that is my in
formation, and have not heard l
denied.
THE custom and practice OF tn
Board of Supervisors of the Count
Il OF Oahu was taken without any In
quiry as to whether that practice o
custom was good or not or whethe
IL was the best custom or practice TO
the City and County to adopt. Salar
les seem to have been adopted froi
4 those paid by the County without an
= Investigation OF the appropriateness
: of the salary and services to each 9th
Z er.
I'm short, instead Of entering upo
! an independent study OF the subjec
| and framing an appropriation bill o
! the basis of that study, the bill PR
scented Is one that Supervisor Loga
In presenting said he was not fami
lar with, and which the introductio
= of supplementary appropriation bi
last night shows was not framed ar
= er anything like thorough study
the situation.
But. In my opinion, worse tina
this, is the Inevitable tendency In u
financial system the Republican m
jCrity are inaugurating to mai
economy hard and extravaganza cas-
The two appropriation bills thu
have now introduced appropriate CO
u siderably more than the estimate
revenue for the six months, and nal
no provision for treasury balanc
N So that II all the appropriations MAJ
by these bills are spent, the City al
County will come out at the end
the six months having spent mo
than its income for the six montf
and not only with no treasury b'
N ance on hand, but with an emp
treasury, and In debt
II know the argument used ID
n night was that It did not necessari