Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1911-02-15
SCHOOLS FIRST Claim ON HAWA|I'S REVENUES

work and has presented a lengthy re-
port with its recommendations, which
| commend to your most careful con-
sideration.
The commission recommends that
the Department of Public Instruction
prepare a salary schedule for teach
ers, principals, and supervisors, sub
jcct to revision from time to time and
to the limitation that the total num-
Der of teachers, principals and super
yisors in any one year shall not eX-
coed one for every twenty-five pupils
enrolled during the preceding year;
also that the Department shall each
biennial period prepare a budget in
two partS,-one, general fund COW
cring expenses of maintenance, other
than of buildings and grounds, and
the other a special fund covering new
buildings and grounds. maintenance Of
buildings and grounds, furniture and
janitor service, this budget to be sub
ject to revision first by a Committee
of Estimates composed of representa-
tives of the Territorial, county and
county and city governments, and Ia
ter by the Legislature; and that, to
meet the requirements of this sched-
ule and of this budget, all the school
taxes shall be set aside, as was the
case until 1898, and that enough addi-
tional moneys be set aside for the
same purpose, out of the general prop
erty taxes. This may involve an in
crease in such taxes, whether those
taxes continue to be divided between
the Territory and the counties or are
! turned over to the counties exclusive.
ly and whether or not their assess
mcnt and collection are transferred
from the Territory to the counties, as
suggested elsewhere in this message.
The scheme is equally feasible in eth
or case and is so important to the
highest permanent interests of the
Territory that the increased burden
should be cheerfully borne.
School Buildings. The last Legisla-
ture transferred to the counties the
maintenance and repair of public
school buildings, except those of the
Normal, the Lahainaluna, and the
Boys and the Girls Industrial
Schools. This has operated well in
some counties but disastrously in 9th
ers. in principle it is wrong to place
the body, namely, the Territorial De
partment of Public Instruction, which
has charge of the schools. at the mer-
CIV of other bodies. namely, the coun-
ties. in respect of the condition of the
buildings in which that body must con-
duet it's schools. Such a division of
authority is theoretically unsound I'M
less provision is also made to prevent
the otherwise natural results. Some
governmental functions are oftsuch a
nature that they ought to be perform
ed better by the local governments
than by the central government, and
in such cases the INJECTIONS should be
vested in the local governments as en-
clusively as practicable. In the mat
ter of public school buildings the cir
cumstances are such that the local
governments can do little, II any, BET
ter IMAM the central government but
II 1t Is deemed best TO permit the
maintenance and repair OF school
buildings TO remain III tne local gov
ernments 1t should be only upon con
ditlon that the local governments eX-
pend SUFFICIENT money Tor the purpose
ana perhaps also make repairs TO
cetraln extent upon the request OF tie
department. me importance TO tne
pupils directly ana 10 the community
indirectly OF properly maintained
school houses ana the large value OF
property at stake necessltate either
the restoration OF TINS responsibility
TO the territory ana the making OF
adequate appropriations FOR meeting
IL, OF compulsory performance OF the
duty on the part OF the local govern
mentS. Inc construction OF new