The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-07-14
GIBSON ENTERS
STRONG DENIAL
DrD NOT ORDER TRAY mun
omL SHOULD moe
GRADUATE

What IL hoped win be TIE anai csho
Of tho Hilo high School nflair vas
hoard yesterday whsn ropogs came
from Ilawaii chat trouble has arissn
there In connection with an allegation
that an executive Ofiesr Of me depart.
mont Of public Instruction acted uu.
fairly toward a Japanese girl who tavo
evidence in the now famous Richmond
inquiry.
The ruction has been raised ovor a
"Small Talk" by Eiitor Alfonso, OF
o Luso, in recent rambler Of tho Sun
day Advertiser. He stated that Il ap-
peared that Machiyo Arakawa, n Jap
anose girl who testified at the inv'ssti.
cation, though scheduled to graduate
this year, was not allowed TO do 30.
He urged that the board Of education
should look into ths matter and, if
any injustice had been done 60 the
girl, It should be remedied. He said
petty spite should have no place in any
government bureau.
Supervising Principal MoCluskey,
who took charge of Hilo High School
after the Richmond affair, and who is
teaching at tho summer school here,
was considerably exercised over these
statements, according TO word resolved
from Hilo yesterday. He stated that
the official record Of the high school
justified the refusal 20 allow the girl
to graduate.
Letter From Richmond
The japanese girl has produced a
letter written her by Richmond to
Prof Edgar Wood, principal of this Nor
NAL School here, in which he said she
would graduate at Hilo this year should
she continue at the school and that
she held twelve and ons-half credits
out of the necessary fifteen. The rec
ords of the Hilo High School show sho
only has eleven and One-half credits,
The statement has been made at
Hilo that Inspector 4. III. Gibson, who
is acting superintendent in the absence
of w, Il. Pope, expressly ordered Super
vis'ng Principal McOlusbey not TO al.
low the girl to graduate.
When seen yesterday Mr.. Gibson
s"FO 'no etAVnSoos PoSNAnAO NDhAak w
the statement.
"Nobody here interferes with the
principal Of any high school as to who
shall graduate" he said. tsThere is
a regulation course of study which
the pupils must complete and they must
have so many points. Richmond, at
the inquiry here, testified that he told
the girl she would not be able 70 grad
uate He advised her to leave the
high school and come to the Normal
School here and he gave her letter
showing what she was supposed to
have that time.
Girl Made q Fuss.
al know nothing about it, but sup
pose he either exaggerated in order to
give her good standing at the Normal
School or he simply estimated her
standing and made mistake. She left
considerably before the graduation at
the school and he could not then tell
what she would have if she remained
to the end of the term, which she did
not.
g heard nothing about the matter
till June 10 last when Mr.. MoClnskey
wrote and asked what to do about the
girl He said then that she was not
to graduate as she had not the re-
CURED fifteen credits. He said, the girl
was making fuss about it and was
stating she had letter from Rich
mond in which she was given credits
whichN the record did not show.
In my reply wrote to Mr.. Me.
Cluskey and told him he should stand
on the record as he found it in The
school the last four years never saw
the record and do not know ANYTHING
about it. / do not believe the record
was altered as charged, and it Ger.
tainly was not altered on instructions
from this office -