Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-12-05
URGES NEW CHARTER
Continues from Page y

Eoard OF directors was not correct
Directors OF corporation were ustl-
ally the largest shareholders, while
the greater number of shareholders
had little or nothing to say in the
management of the business, whereas
in the case of municipality it was
the body of taxpayers-correspon
to shareholders-whieh controlled at-
fairs. i
As to the present municipal act, he
! continued, all agreed that it was IN
adequate. There we're mayor and a
secretary costing 500 a month, who
had tut little to do, and seven super
visors at $50 month each who had
perhaps more to do than should be
expected for the compensation. The
municipality was without the usual
powers of city government, 1t had
very little property, could not levy
taxes and ad nothing to do with
some of the more important of public
services Between the municipality
and the territory there was divided
responsibility relative to the streets.
the public health and other matters.
1t was not surprising if the admins
ltration had not been altogether salts
| factory. 49, ~:
1t was possible, to make a change
| without going to the trouble of
framing an entirely new system. Still
one could draw plan better on a
clean sheet of paper than on paper
already covered with marks. County
government at the outset had been re-
leeived by many with apathy, if not OPP
Iposition-some of those present were
probably among the number that had
| thought it unnecessary Within the
I past five years, however. Honolulu
had advanced by leaps and bounds
and public opinion today would not al
low a recurrence to the system where
-four or five men handled all the null
hilarious affairs Of the territory from
Hawaii to Niihau County government
was here to stay until perhaps mill.
tarv exigency brought about a. COM
mission government from outside-a
contingency that the speaker regard
ed as rather remote.
The recall would be a good pro-
vision whether the term was two
Years or four, but without the recall
no officer should be elected for more.
than two years. 1t had been OBJ
jected that the short ballot, giving
the appointment of executive officers
ITO the supervisors, would facilitate
the building up of powerful political
machineD but the recall would be a
check to such an abuse.
cNiI Service Rules
/ Chief Justice Robertson here made
la DEPRESSION to refer to the late news
of the adoption Of civil service rules
for city officials of all kinds by Los
Angeles, which was the most adj
yanced action on this line yet taken
by any city. Proceeding, he said the
making of city charters was some
thing like the building of battleships
mo sooner was the keel of one laid
than a, new type OF construction was
adopted for the next Coming back
to terms of supervisors he said if
four years were adopted some of the
number might be elected every alter
nate time, so that there would al
ways be men of experience in office
at the beginning OF term.
l Under commission government
the supervisors would be required to
devote nearly if not the whole of their
time to public business, and would
have to be paid from $4,000 to $4,000
"a year.
! Commission government had been
pronounced success in most of the
cities adopting 1t, yet the speaker said
The was not so sanguine as some were
lin the belief that the Des Moines, or
the Grand Junction, or the Boston, or
the Berkeley system would prove a
perfect panacea for all the ills of
which the citizens of Honolulu com-
planned For many years the neces-
sity of the intelligent portion of the
community taking an interest in civic
affairs had been dinned into their
ears, and the agitation of the press in
this regard had borne good fruit.
There had never been more interest
in city government than appeared to-
Iday @~.. 80 XII . !.
There was nothing essentially
harmful in the old system, said the
lchief justice in conclusion 1t was
also certain that the new system had
not done everything that had been ex-
pected of it. 1t had been proved in
some instances that with the same in
terest taken in the old system as in
the new, good results from the old
were quite attainable. Without pub
lie interest of the intelligent and
wide-awake citizens, no form of NIL
nicipal government will be a success .
/ To secure government of honesty,
deficiency and economy will be the OBJ
ject of those to whom is committed
the work of charter revision" were
the closing words, of the chief justice
who was loudly applauded as he sat
down.
Commission Feature.
Different plans for new charter
had been mentioned but none had
been definitely described. 1t seemed
TO be regarded as essential that ii
should contain the commission feat
ure. The collection of taxes and tie
CCrtrol .of public utilities should be
ir Guided. Some proposed to have the
initiative, referendum and recall.
There was also the direct primary, as