The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-01-27

\
1908, TO june 80, 1900, $40. s32 90. For
1910, the treasurer gives rs the expcn.
diiure 90 e433, sls.p2. You will note
from this that as the enrolment Of
the public schools has increased the
money expended on the youth Of the
land has decreased.
This ought to suit our friend who
doesn Z like the theories Of the eduea-
tional enthusiasts. But like stoninq
the frogs, IL is fun for the boys but
death to the frogs. The children are
the frogs in this instance.
AS a result of this system Of finnn-
ciering, the figures given us by the
department Of public instruction show
that on June 80, 1909. one hundred and
fifty-four school rooms in the Territory
were overcrowded, or thirty-fve per
cent. We we're also given figures to
show that over seventy additional
teachers were needed to properly officer
the public schools then in existence.
We may be certain that in june, 1910,
the shortage Of teachers was no less
and still there were not enough school
rooms to hold the children; they were
literally crowded out because the last
Legislature made the unenviable record
of appropriating not single dollar for
public school buildings.
Great Increase Of Pupils.
We found that in the ten years from
1898 to 1905 the number of pupils had
increased 776 per cent. The number Of
teachers had been increased only SAT
per cent.
During ali this ten-year period the
island people had received visitations
from public men from the mainland who
went away loud in their praises of the
splendid work done by our public
schools. This was indeed tribute TO
the painstaking and self-sacrifcing
labors of our school teachers, who did
the best they could with what offered,
and hoped for the best.
These brief figures carry home the
fact that the Territory has not cared
for its school children as it should.
When we turn to the example set by
the Nation and compare our record, our
shortcomings are more apparent.
Many people here are forever com.
pairing our situation with what exists
on the mainland. The Governor is com.
pared with the President. The heads
of departments are compared with the
cabinet officers and when the legisla
lure wants precedent for good or evil
someone is most always ready to quote
from the records of the United States
congress. We don t deal in anything
so little as the municipalities and the
States.
Consequently no one can have any
great objection to taking figures from
the field of national school finance when
searching for a basis to work from in
Hawaii
The figures prepared by our stats
tician show that the expenditures for
public common schools in the United
States is 2O.7 per cent. of the total
revenue,
Expenditure for public common
schools in Hawaii is S.s per cent. of
the total revenue in Hawaii.
Expenditure for public common
schools in Hawaii is IA per cent. of
the funds available for. territorial uses.
The expenditure for all public
schools in the United States is 81 per
cent. of the total revenue.
Should Follow Examples.
We do not come anywhere near the
example set us by the national gov
eminent and we have the reputation of
enjoying a higher per capita wealth
than any other part of the United
States.
OF the total amount expended for
all public purposes by the States, coun-
ties, towns, etc, ($740, 00O,00O( over
two-fifths (41.50) per cent. was paid
for common schools. Hawaii, IA per
cent.
In the field of educational activity
viewed from the broad national stand
point, the increase of expenditure per
capita for the common schools has adj
vaneed from $1.64 to 1915 extra or a
gain of almost 124 per cent.
On the mainland of the United
States the expenditure of money for
each pupil in average attendance has
increased from $685. to $26.27 or a.
gain of almost seventy per cent.
The cost of instruction in the
public schools for the Territory
of Hawaii was in 1899 $33.ls per pupil
In 1909 it was $22.90, or falling off
of about thirty per cent.
If there is anything in that compari-
son of cold American facts for the peo-
Pile, the taxpayers and the philanthropic
citizens of this Territory to be proud
of, they are entitled to all the Joy they
get from it. The basis of comparison
may not be exact in all points, but there
is not the slightest doubt that the
American idea is to spend more money
on schools, give better opportunities to
the children. We in Hawaii are going
backward. We are not keeping step
with the progress of events. We are
not meeting the demands of an increas-
ing population. We are not giving the
school children in proportion to our in
creasing wealth. To sum up, we are
not giving the boys and girls of these
fair islands a square deal. That is the
plain, unvarnished truth, and you can't
get around it by saying that you don t
like this teacher, or you think the
makeup of the board OF public instruc-
tion is not what il should be, or that
yon would do your share of public duty
If this thing here or that thing there
were arranged 10 suit you, or, in other
words, If your piece Of pie was just
what mother used to make.
Brought down TO brass tacks, the
work that the public school fund com
mission had TO do was try to invent a
system whereby and under which tho
people Of these Islands, this American
Territory, shall In the future do their