The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-04-25
PUBLIC WORKS
KEPT TOGETHER
SENATE DECIDES m FAVOR OF A
DEPARTMENT THAT IS
ne CENTRALIZED.

il~ CENTRALIZED.
"I'd rather be this explosive in
spector than the president of the
United States as far as compensation
goes said Attorney Frank Thompson
yesterday afternoon in the senate, as
he waved house bill 247 gracefully in
the Haxanascented atmosphere OF she
senate committee of the whole. Luck
lily there were no representatives of the
supervisors or of the city government
present to blash at the rude remarks
Ithat Thompson handed out in reference
to the supervisors and graft, no aoeu
sations at all, but just a gentle re-'
minde7 that an inspector of explosives
appointed by the city government
would be cog in the wheel of political
prestige that would outshine all tha
other political jobs hundred fold.
There was quite an array of legal
talent present at this meeting yester.
day, the presence of the foremost 1T
torneys in the city, Frank Thompson,
NJ. +. Prosser, Charles r. Hemenway
and others, Letokening an unexpected
interest in the bill in question.
This bill is lengthy one, setting
tests for OILS and distillates and revis-
: ing with exact care the present laws
relating to the storage and handling of
explosives in general. Everyone pres
ent agreed N stating that the bill was
almost fiawless in its general character,
but that one great objection to 1T was
that it gave the legislative powers, or
such as were left after the bill got
through setting standards, to the vari-
Gus boards Of supervisors and also lef5
them the enforcement Of it.
All the attorneys, who represented
collectively most of the contractors
and big firms handling the articles in
question, we're unanimous in stating
that the public would feel safer and
more satisfied if the superintendent OF
: uublic works remained the caretaker OF
q / the pubiic,s safety ia regard to explo
siyes. There was no opposing vote II
the senate and the amendment ask I'd
went through previous to the bill pass
+ ing second reading.
Kill Commissions.
But this was not the only incident
. in which the senate testified to its be
, lief in Capitalization of executive
power and its ability to lift Itself
, above the petty personalities that have
. lust occasionally crept into dlseolor leg
, lislative effort. Both the harbor anG
: the Honolulu water works commission
were among the dead when the senate
, got through its days work, and Super
intendent of Public Works Campbell
finds himself shorn of none of the pow
ers given the head of his department.
: Tie senate acted in total dlsregar'
= Edf the man who holds the position a
Epresent, without even a passing refei
Or enee one way or the Otherlas to whethe
o The was capable or incapable OF hanC
. ling his department or its work, dldn
a. even, in fact, mention his name, bu
Z. treated the whole matter squarely
:. 1.-The merits and disadvantages OF con
is missions. The vote was one Of md
at vidaals and even the lonely Democrat
:. delegation, Makekau and Baker, spl
Ill ,and voted in contrary directions
r. In spite of the fact that the supe
intendent himself is still on record
u being in favor of the bill, with u
g. statement that he would like to see u
onion bouquets flung at him dlstriput'
OF among four or five others for chang
,e the senate practically decided that d
paftments under commissions were ~
capable of doing good work than und
in centralized influence.
The vote stood, on a motion to pa
e. at third reading: Noes-Baker, Gee
mr. Brown, John Brown, Fairehild, Pa
QUINN Robinson, Chillingworth, Knu
I'd sen: ayes-Judd, Hewitt, Kalama, X
eLlleiobn and Makekau.
: House bill 1913, which provided
r. similar commission for the goyernme
of wharyes and harbors, was tabled
this precedent to save the trouble
ay reading it.
He No Low age Limit.
of But besides all this, the senate co
ed tihued in its good work in refusing
a 90 back on its former decision TO ma
- the mandatory school attendance a
ilu limit at eighteen years, and voted n
10 concur in the house amendments
on the senate bill eodifying the seht
,ea laws,
~ chnlingworth pointed out that t
~. houses action In cutting down the a
'ed limit 10 fifteen years was outraged
aaf and merely served 10 nullify the emit
- bill There Vas no dissenting voice
: TIE vote that followed, aud chilliI
ne worth heads the conference commit
d that viii attempt 10 patch the dlhI
~ enees Up.