The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-03-24

services in other places? | hardly
think anyone who knows the facts will
seriously advance such contention.
IN some places on the mainland teach
ers may be paid less. and there are
places where they are paid more, but
taking all things into consideration,
especially the high prices of almost
everything one has to eat or wear. and
considering also the vital Importance
of the teacher s services to the COM
munitv, | think he would be very
bold man or very ignorant one who
would claim that teachers are extrava-
gantly paid. / will not stop to trouble
your readers with detailed figures. but
| invite anyone who feels an interest
in the matter to compare the teachers
salaries in the public schools with those
paid for equivalent grades in Oahu
College, Kamehameha Schools or the
Agricultural College. It is matter
within my personal knowledge that
valuable and valued teachers have been
lost to the public service because the
department was unable to pay them
the salaries they were offered by out
side institutions.
Now, then, if we have no unusual
or abnormal number of children in pro
portion to population; if our available
current funds have not been wasted on
costly buildings or permanent improve
ments; if our teachers are not paid
unreasonable or extravagant salaries,
where lies the dificultys Why can we
not go on along present lines, hiring
more teachers as they are needed and
increasing our educational facilities
gradually to keep pace with the in
creasing number of pupils? If none of
the above reasons apply, is it poverty
that blocks the way? There are those
who So claim and who declare boldly
that this Territory has not the means
to carry on the public schools upon
the scale to which we have been here
tofore accustomed. In view of certain
notorious public facts, this seems a
most unreasonable contention. Let us
look at this matter for a minute or so
and ask one or two questions.
What is it the School Department
asks the Legislature to do9 The Leg
islature is simply asked to do what
every prosperous and progressive com
munitv on the mainland expects to do
as a matter of course; that is, to pro-
vide adequate school facilities for the
children of that community. Of course,
not every community, every county,
every State is at all times prosperous.
Even in times of general prosperity
there are localized areas where the
contrary conditions prevail, and unfor-
tunately there are communities that
1txyi
is certainly prosperous; that can not be
successfully disputed. Is it also pro
gressive2 The answer to this question
will depend in part, at least, on the
attitude it takes on this question of
the public schools.
To the question of whether this Ter
ritorv is financially and industrially
prosperous, there can be but one an
swer. A fertile SOIL a genial climate,
unprecedentedlv large crops and good
prices have all combined to make the
last year a record breaker. And yet
there are those who tell us that we
can not keep up our public schools
upon the scale to which we have been
accustomed In face of the fact that
we raise and market, outside our own
borders, a larger average value per
capita than any other country that can
be named. we are told that thousands
of our children must be turned out on
the roads and streets because the much
boosted Paradise of the Pacific is too
poor to hire school teachers. 1t seems
needless to enlarge upon the situation;
the bare statement of the case should
be enough.
The prosperity exists; it is real and
solid The wealth is here. 1t may not
be distributed in the best way, but it
exists. Somebody has got it, and that
should be Willing to disgorge
his fair share of the cost of keeping
up our public school system in good
shape. If he is not willing, the law
should compel him to.
If you ask me how all this is to be
done, I reply that it is the business
of the Legislature. ] do not feel that
I am called upon to devise and work
out in detail schemes for the coliee- |
tion and disbursement of the public |
revenue There is no doubt the thing |
can be done, and that without injus- |
tice to anyone. To this problem the |
members of the Legislature should APP !
ply their minds They will not find it |
insoluble. c. L. RODGERS.
.xA.a.