Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1911-03-08
DIRECT PRIMARY
IS FAVORED
Continued from Page ~


simply amend the present act"
Achi as Sponsor.
Charley Achi, who drew up and is
backing the bill that Archer intro
duced, appeared to explain IT. This
is H. B. 120 which provides for a
mayor and four other members of the
board of supervisors, divides the city
into departments, does away with all
elective Offices except the flve men
toned and the auditor, and in general
centers all power in the board. He
urged its practicability for business
purposes, declaring that the super
visors should give all their attention
to the .city's business.
City Clerk d. Kalauokalani, Jr.,
speaking from the lobby attacked
all of the three bills, stating that none
of them should pass but that the pre-
sent should be Strengthened out. He
very privilege of elective government
that Americanism stands for.
Harry Murray, chairman of the leg
islative committee of the board of
supervisors, when called upon for "a
statement, declared that there is no
necessity for passing any of the bills.
Our legislative committee believes
that with minor amendments we shall
propose, the present bill will be the
best possible and will end the trou-
bles between the board and the ma
yor," he said "The principal change
is to take away from the mayor the
appointing power and give 1t to the
board. This is where the trouble
came in, because the mayor and the
board could not agree on appoint
ments."
p. g. Rivenburgh, the mayors sec
rotary, speaking as a member of the
Democratic central committee, at
tackled Archer's bill. you can't get
business men of the kind he wants to
give all their time to the city's work
for 5000 month"; he said. "At the
end of two years they are out. Why
pay any salary at all? That Is the
impracticabilty of this commission
government in Honolulu. In Bill 113
you are putting the executive power
in the legislative department, but it's
the best of the three, because It goes
the least way toward government by
commission" D.
w. o. Smith Decided.
w. o. Smith came out as strong
opponent of any change in the form
of government which removes the
veto power from the mayor. "In
some respects the present county act
has worked out disappointment" he
said, but | am inclined TO believe it
preferable to those proposed in place
of it, The defects in this bills is that
no veto power no check, Is provided
and mere majority of the board leg
islates or appoints.
81 should feel great hesitation about
putting commission form of govern
ment into effect here. The time, it
seems to me, is not ripe. 1t gives too
much of chance for rule without
proper safeguards"
Norman Watkins here appeared with
series of questions that did a good
deal to clarity the situation.
"Mr. Murray, you say the principal
change your committee advocates is
placing the appointing power in the
hands of the board of supervisors"
yes" replied Murray.
"Mr Mayor continued Watkins,
turning to Mayor Fern, do you per-
sonally and from the standpoint of the
mayor of this city believe that you
would be losing much, losing any i'm
portant prerogatlve, If you gave up
this appointive power"
r. 81 do not" said the mayor, after
some hesitation, "but in place of it,
| should have the voting power with
the other supervisors"
This should simplify matters" said
Watkins. "Give the appointing power
to the board. The mayor Is willing.
Perhaps you can give the voting pow
er to the mayor. What we want Is
to give the present act chance. Don't
knock it out simply because it has
defects"
Coney suggested that if the mayor
Is given vote, the supervisors should
be cut to six instead of seven, so
that, with the mayor, there may be
an odd number and thus prevent a
possible tie.
Robertson Against Commission.
ut appears to me that two forms
of government are advocated. We
should stick to one or the o'her. II
we want the present plan, which IS
the modified New York idea, stick to
1t; in fact, should prefer 1t as it was
two years ago. If we want commits
sion government, then by all means
make 1t true commission government
Adopt the initiative, the referendum
the recall, or you will be at the mer-
cy of bosses, for without this, your
commissioners rule you absolutely
And if we adopt the commission form
we should certainly supplement it by
passing direct primary BILL"
W. r. Harrington was called upon
and declared himself against the ra-
dical changes proposed In the bill
ut seems to me-" he said, "the least
changes in the present act the better
agree with Judge Robertson In what
he has said. Mr.. Archer's bill lays
the foundation for the most corrupt
government | can imagine. Three
men could control everything. an
not particularly keen on going back
to the New York plan. It's the same
thing of trying to fit a metropolitan
scheme on small city. | agree with
Mr.. Murray in the general discus
sion. Let us perfect the present bill
Give the supervisors the appointive
nnwer ,,