The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-11-10
ATTACK UPON THE
EDUCATION HEAD
HlIo Supervisors and Newspaper
Declare Pope's Management
Is a Rotten One.

HiIO, November 4.-Owing to com
plants charging the department Of pub
lie instruction with favoritimn and with
reckless wasting Of cxtrayagant sal.
aries on Superintendent Pope's friends,
on imported malihinis and on such EN-.
ployes Of the department who can do
the superintendent the most good pc.
litically, Chairman Jim Lewis Of the
board Of supervisors has determined to
tackle the department in an effort to
uncover any such Tottenness II IL ex.
lists. Enough has already been found,
he says, to convince him, and all Others |
who have taken up the matter, that
the present administration of the do. |
partment presents about the most scan
dalous condition which long-suffering |
taxpayers have as yet had to deal with |
for many years.
Lewis explains that he did not on.
ter into the proposition with an idea |
of fighting or hampering the depart. |
ment of public instruction in the least |
He had, however, during his recent trip
of inspection of the various school
houses on this island, had number of
complaints and grievances presented TO
him by various teachers and others
who had observed existing conditions.
Furthermore, the department had al
ways put up a great complaint about
the paucity of its funds, Whenever
financial questions arose between it
and the supervisors. All this whetted
Lewis appetite to know what really
became of the funds in the education
, department and particularly whether
, the complaints made to him by the
various teachers were at all based upon
fact.
: SO Lewis wrote to Superintendent
Pope. asking for information. That he
was not altogether butting into mat
; ters which do not concern him is plain
: from the fact that under the act pass
ed by the last legislature to provide
for the maintenance of public schools
the ehaiTmen of the boards of super.
visors of the four counties, together
with the secretary of the Territory and
the superintendent, form committee
. on estimates to which tho superinten-
= dent must, not later than December
y Is and every two years thereafter, sub
NIT his expense budget.
o Lewis Says He's snubbed.
9 But the answer which Chairman
D Lewis received in response TO his q1es-
!, ton said tersely:
= "The department does not furnish
, copies including salaries aor grade of
teachers to others than the commits
sioners of public instruction"
" In other words, az Lewis interprets
TX the letter, what Pope pays his teach
lie ers is none Of the public's business.
1t 81 think be might have told me in
h. stead of snubbing me like that, = sale
e. Lewis last week. 81 think that IN
it formation of this kind should be fur
n nished by one department head to an
a other, and, as chairman of the board Of
1T supervisors of this county, do, in s
a way, consider myself as a department
h. head. | did not wish to cause any
n. disturbance or trouble, but so man,
a. complaints were made to me that
I'M wanted to see how much basis thcH
was for them. Furthermore, the de
partment is always complaining o
lack of funds, so l was wondering wher
'et it spent its money. Finally, | believ
'st that every taxpayer has right t
to know where his money is being spenf
OF GAS matter of fact / have mad
on arrangements to get the information i
80 question, and | am going to get it.
The High and the Low.
IA. 81 am certain that some of the con
he plants that have been made to me az
based on fact. know thus for fac
that some of the supervising principal
have only primary certificates and sti
'as they are supposed to supervise the wor
he of teachers holding grammar grad
.he certificates. In other words, supervi'
led ing principals are placed as instructor
lgs for teachers who, according to the d.
for partment's own system of gradin
teachers, are their superiors in know
am edge. / also know of several example
of schools where malihinis have bee
m placed in charge, and where these al
nse receiving almost twice us much as di
ant their predecessors, although the scho
zee remains the same in size and gener
character.
''If the county dared run any depal
~ ment in anything like the same ma
ner as that in which the departing
NV OF public instruction is run, the We
NV people who are continually praisil
YOU the territorial government in col
parison with that of the counti'
~ ~" would be roasting US.
and Tribune Echoes Charges.
yoy "ThRt Supervisor Lewis is quite e
in rect in eharaeterizing the fnanel
nse policy of the education department
By one OF reckless and needless waste
,ub shown from few facts which are
ing the possession Of the Tribune" %
ify, that llilo organ. isupsrintends
oval Pope has, II il true, always been
ban willing 20 give oat his llst Of salaFl
sale particularly ihoss paid the anpeFyial
, principals. This paper Is neyeFlbel
10 a position 10 give Out the salaI
paid these prime fayontes Of 70
The figures did rot come from 10
lnT but they are absolutely e0Heet mes
~ ihelpas
Tue Tribune gives the namss Of