Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-08-14
Arnold and Dwight Call for De-:
ferring Action on "Munic-
ipaI Record"


of Supervisors last night deferred &C
ton on second reading OF the ordi
nance providing a secretary for the
board. which ordnance In reality is
the beginning OF an attempt to es
tabIish q municipal paper hr4a
Discussion Of the ordinance ex.
tending over half an hour. brought
out very plainly the fact that there
is :.s0mething doing, down under the
mere authorization OF clerkship., w.
r. harrington. who attended the meet.
taxpayer, declared that the proposed
! plan will add fixed charge to the
city's expense without adequate re-
turn in efficiency, that the scheme Is
ultimately to turn the clerks records
into municipal paper, and that the
supervisors are going into the matter
without. any clear idea as to the ex.
pense involved.
Supervisors Arnold and Dwight de-
clfned to 60 on with the passage of
the ordinance until after they had
looked into It's merits further. Incl
dentally, the spotlight was turned on
the caucus" of several members OF
the board at which the clerkship
matter was framed up. Supervisor
Arnold told the board that he hadn't
been at the caucus. and that he did
not see Why another ordinance was
necessary in order to give the board
power to appoint clerk. Dwight
seconded Arnold's motion to defer ac-
ton, stating that he wasn't at the
caucus either. ~
Question OF Rates. +
Supervisor Murray was in the chair,
the mayor. being kept away by a
slight illness, and Kruger and Low
were absent Murray questioned Ear
rington as to advertising rates in
, newspapers, and the latter showed
quickly that whereas advertising rates
of all other classes have increased as
the reading population and the size
Of newspapers Increased, the rates for
city and county and general ''by au-
thority'' advertising have remained
the same since the days of the mon
archy. This was in answer to ques-
ton by Murray. intimating that the
city and county should get q lower.
rate for its printing.
So far as the ultimate purpose OF
the ordinance is concerned, Slpervis-
or Murray let the cat out Of the bag
when he stated from the chair that
he would use all his efforts to get
the next Legislature to make the nlu-
nicipal record the official organ OF
the city. The present plan is. either
% publish the record in the neWspa-
pers sor ITO take Of Thirty soF more
rnimeograph copies.
Uncertain as to Cost.
The supervisors exhibited consider
able uncertainty both as to the cost
Of the work and as to Just what their
clerk Is supposed to do. Murray said
that he is to record the proceedings
of the board and to compile report
of its two years work for the Legis-
lature.
Although the last board passed an
ordinance providing for clerk and
messenger, Deputy City Attorney Mil
Terton gave an off-hand opinion last
night that the board ought to pass
another ordinance for the clerkship
now proposed, as the duties imposed
under the former ordinance might not
allow the appointment of a clerk with
the duties the supervisors now have
in mind
AS to the question of whether or
not the taxpayers interests will be
served by this additional expense, Mr..
harrington told the board this:
''In the first place do not think 1t
would add to the efficiency of the gov
eminent to issue this record, but sim
ply add to the expense, which would
in time become a fixed charge. / do
not pretend to be municipal expect,
but / do know that such a fixed
charge will not add to the efficiency
of the municipal government. On
previous occasion the cost of this rec
ord for the Legislature was $500.
Now, il this can be done for $500, |
do not see why It should cost $1,000.
1t seems to me that the board Is
going into considerable expense, but
doesn't know where 1t is going. 1t
seems to me, In sizing up the matter,
the costs Of this record have not been
taken into proper consideration"
well. there won't be any clerkship
after the business mems campaign
has wiped us out" broke in Murray.
Where Is Efficiency? I
That's just the point" said Far
rington. "The board is creating a
new salary and adding new en-
pIoye, and the experience of munich
pal government teaches, If it teaches
anything, that once a new position Is
created it is very seldom wiped out.
1t becomes a permanent burden upon
the taxpayer, and, gentlemen, we are
not building for the immediate pres
ent, but for the future, and sound
business policy is against adding ad--
ditional overhead charges to any bus
mess unless there Is q distinct gain
in efficiency. ] ought to. know some
thing of the publishing business, and
personally fail to see where this
board is adding to efficiency in TAX
ing up with plan about which it has
no clear idea of cost and no clear idea
IT,