The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1912-10-01
MUNICIPAL local
As APPLIED HERE

| Economic aud Political Aspects 90
Municipal Government In Hawaii %"
Tho outline OF this paper is certainly
! an "idcal municipality. - as ia Towsc,
! the author, expresses Il, but 1t show.
an immense amount Of careful though.
and much understanding Of municipal
needs, oven Of the ideal variety. Ev.
cry point In the address is we'll worth
consideration by every patriotic citizen
Of Honolulu.
Accompanying the paper was a large
! drawing indicating the lines of radia.
| tion of authority and responsibility in.
the ideal municipal scheme of things.
/ The paper by Mr. Thowse is ms follows:
Some Economic Comment.
Let us, Cor n moment, contemplate
the ideal municipality for the Hawaii
of today.
The foundation is an electorate well
advised, printed record well circulat.
ed, or the reports Of Representatives of
civic organizations including those CT
women and of the various nationalities.
In the center of the first layer is a
mayor, whose sole concern is the wei.
fare and advancement of all the in
terests of all the people set forth in fire.
quont Ind comprehensive messages to
/ the supervisors.
On either side of the mayor, repre-
senting altogether an executive body of
five, are the clerk, attorney, treasurer
and auditor.
Radiating from the seat of the MAYOR
are five men whose functions in coun.
ell are largely legislative, but whose
activities in the control and direction
of affairs are almost, if not entirely,
executive, The five are heads of:
Public safety-Fire, police, public
service
Sanitation--Street sweeping, garb.
age, sewage, inspection.
Observation-Disclosures of schools,
parks, Fairgrounds, hospitals, charities.
Roads and streets-Constructio up.
keep, sidewalks, grades, sprinkling.
CHARACTERIZATION budgets, pur.
chase of supplies, cost systems, stop
page of waste.
Back of these mmittees-Coopera.
ton and assistance of citizens. After
six months in Office, the average super
visor is out of touch with the people
largely the fault of both.
Chief employees. [l) The best engi,
neer Obtainable. (2) For time the
best system and cost system man OBJ
tainable.
And there you have, at less than it is
worth, an organization second to that
of no corporation in the Territory. The
City and County of Honolulu now has
budget of nearly 100000 year.
Cost OF Disbursement
, But the City and County of Honolulu
, rs so hampered by partisan politics and
lack of system that it actually costs il
above seventy cents to spend dollar
. In other words, on account of polite.
and petty chickering's, dollar of rev
. enue has the efficiency of less thar
, thirty cents.
Why9
Jealousies, strife for party record
narrowness in Improvement policy, in
difference to an Indifferent public opin
ion, fear of public service concerns; il
: Hon olulu, failure to meet the militar,
: establishment halfway, catering to 10
, cality instead of working on definite
brEad plan for a greater community
entire absence of thought of the future
E The remedyH Largely educational
= to some extent, men. Why, there wer
;, delegations in the recent Oahu city am
county convention who thought the ii6le
: OF 'the use of the schoolhouse as a neigh
81 borhood center quite humorous. Their
3 were enough delegations to vote dow
3 the proposal that the expense of side
l walks and street construction should b
/ borne partially by the property thus i'm
[ approved.
Al Houston, Texas, has Jusa votsd "a bon
+ Tissue of $2,50oOO0. One item is 5000
900, "city's one-thipi for new streets
n Ann = n.
Il $500,000, fifth of the entire issut
III Hundreds of growing cities in tine Unit
yRed states use the system of securing
/, fsome assistance from the property hold
hi er for the improvement of his property
] And the citizens agree upon all the dc
: balls, including this cost and term TO
-hpayment.
Tremendous Burden.
'On Oahu inst new the hat road com
: Emission is building Fifteen lmilas o
:. Sroad at cost of s20e,0O0, and tEie mn
y keep will be $260 per year Der mile
slYrhe burden Is tso gnest for the pres
lent system of securing reveHue. Their
= iare upwards of l5a nnlhs of Hoad an tn
: getty of Honolulu. The present rsyenu
a iSr taxation system caanot extend O
. I1upport them There must be a ms. fkeC
IGhange TO save business and cont inu
\ aeie tourist traffic. The City and 0oun
" of Honolulu has not even a city hIaill
Organization, business organization
such as cities on tAe nr1iIlaad have
Will alone solve these problems, bring
ing us to scientific conduct of 'th,
business of the people.
There is a lot of duplicaason of wotl
OF effort by the Territory and the mu
inequalities throughout the Islands
The separation of the old and new gov
! ernments is too slow. Supervision OF
the health of the Territory, especially
the ports, should lie with the territori
al board of health as legislative body
The municipalities should care for
|, their own sanitation-should be made
: TO care for it.
Municipal water supplies should be
owned and controlled by the municipal
organizations, and water should be sold
, TO the consumer at four cents or less
per 1000 gallons bv meter. This is the
price at Washington. D. c. The price
should be low enough to encourage the
nf Naf- l.. 4.