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

nance providing a secretary for the
board, which ordinance in reality is
the beginning of an attempt to es-
tabiish municipal paper.
Discussion of the ordinance, ex-
tending over half an hour, brought
out very plainly the fact that there
is. something doing" down under the
mere authorization Of clerkship. w.
r. Harrington, who attended the meet
1 ing and addressed the board as a
! taxpayer. declared that the proposed
plan will add a fixed charge to the
city's expense without adequate re-
turn in efficiency, that the scheme is
ultimately to turn the clerk records
into a 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-
cIined to go on with the passage of
the ordinance until after they had
looked into its 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 a clerk Dwight
seconded Arnold's motion to defer &C
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
we're absent Murray questioned Far
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 a lower
rate for its printing. ~ ii
So far as the ultimate purpose of
the ordinance is concerned, SuperVis-
when he stated from the chair that
he would use all his efforts to get
the next Legislature to make the mu-
nicipal record, the official organ of
the city. The present. plan sist either
to publish the record IN the newspa-
pers or to take off thirty or more
nineograph copies. ! +. =
Uncertain as to Cost. K,
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-
Iature. 49,. .%
Although the last board passed an
ordinance providing for a clerk and
messenger, Deputy City Attorney Mil
verton 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 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:
I'm the first place do not think it
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 a municipal expect,
but do know that such 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, if this can be done for $780,,
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 it is going 1t
seems to me, in sizing up the matter,
the costs of this record have not been
taken into proper consideration.
We'll, there won't be any clerksnip
after the business mep's campaign
has wiped us out" broke in Murray.
Where Is Efficiency?
That's just the point" said Far
rington. The board is creating a
new salary and adding a new en-
ploye, and the experience of munich
pal government teaches, if it teaches
anything, that once, 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 a distinct gain
in efficiency. l ought to know some
thing of the publishing business, and
l personally fail to see where TINS
board is adding to efficiency in tax
ing up with a plan about which 1t has
no clear idea of cost and no clear idea
of what the result in work accom-
plished it going to be.
1t was brought out that the actual
printing of the report OF two years