Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-12-11
Civic Federation Leader Makes
Address on Proposed Mu-
niCipaI Government

\ Heartily endorsing the idea of an
elective commission, or short balloi
system of government for the city OF
Honolulu, Prof. ". A. Bryan of the
College of Hawaii, at a meeting of the
Church Club in the Davies Memorial
building yesterday evening, offered a
tentative plan for government OF
this character, arranged to fit his idea
of the needs of this city. The outline
offered is merely suggestive, he said,
and intended mainly to form the basis
of discussion on the subject.
! Realizing, he said, that the very
poorest form of government can be
made to serve the city well when it
is in the hands of conscientious and
capable men, and that the very best
system can be made to fail in the
hands of INSCRIPTIONS or incapable
administrators, he nevertheless was
convinced that the reduction or cen
sterilization of power and responsibility
offered by the elective commission,
with its direct control by the people,
is better than any other system yet
tried in America.
| In this connection he took occasion
to sprinkle few flowers over the
extinct craters'' of Honolulu, assert
| ing that, considering all things, the
administration of the last few years
has been fairly satisfactory.
Briefly he outlined his plan for a
commission form of government to fit
the local situation He would have
five commissioners, elected by popu-
lar vote. without party affiliation being
considered, form the city commission,
council or board of supervisors.
Upon one feature Mr.. Bryan lay
considerable emphasis, and that is
the plan of permitting the head of a
department the. privilege OF handing
over his salary to a capable assist
ant, in other words, of naming a
manager for his particular depart.
ment Under the scheme outlined by
Mr. Bryan, the whole commission
might name city manager, or each
of the members might name. a man
ager for his department, provided,
however, that the commissioner con-
tinues to assume the responsibility of
the office to which he was erected.
Under this PLAN" said Mr.. Bryan,
"a leading businessman, whose
knowledge, experience and judgment
would be invaluable assets, might
very likely be willing to accept the
sponsibility of election to commits,
sionership, as much of the detailed
work could be done by manager for
his department, who would take his
salary or part of ii. FL
In his address last night, Prof. Bry-
an said in part:
"The plan of the elective commits.
sion, or short ballot system OF city
government, in its essential features
is simple government simpiifIeG to the
final degree. Five features are found
in all commission laws and for the
sake of clearness may be here stated:
The Five Features.
"The first feature, and the funda-
mental one of all, is that the legislas
tive and the administrative authority
in the city are exercised by one and
the same body.
"Then, second, each member OF this
body-which may be called at pleas
ure the commission or council or SUI
pervisors--is placed in charge of a
division of the work of the city.
Third: the board is small, never
having more than ten, and usually,
and preferably, not more than five.
Fourth: all of these members are
Ielected by the voters or the entire
city and never by wards or districts.
FINALLY, fifth, in addition to ordi-
nary methods of publicity one or more
methods of popular and direct control
which, under certain rules, enables
the voters to compel their commits
sioners to reconsider, or repeal, or sub
NIT ordinances objected to, to the
vote of the people; the initiative,
which enables the people to originate,
present, and if necessary, pass ordi-
nances; and lastly the recall, which
enables the people when the major
ity so wills, to remove unworthy
members from the commission.
AS to the commission organiza-
ton itself, would suggest, if pos
sible, that it be called the council of
the City and County of Honolulu and
it's members commissioners in order
to avoid confusion here and else
where as to the titles, acts and powers
of the existing board of supervisors.
Then, too, a commission government
for Honolulu would be understood
everywhere and would be an adver-
Using asset.
Form of Commission
THE council should be composed
of five members (including the
mayor all to be elected for four
years. To establish continuity in the
council two commissioners should be
elected biennially and the commits
sioner designated as mayor by the
council, by reason of that fact, SHOULD
be required to stand for Endorsement
by reelection, as commissioner, by
the people after his second year in
office Thus every two years the
voters would elect or return two new
commissioners and re-elect or recall
the mayor-commissioner then in Of
flee, or else elect three new commits