Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-06-23
SCHOOL COMMISSION
ADVISED TO ADOPT
RETRENCHMENT SYSTEM
Governor Fea Calls Special Attention of New Officials to FL
nancia Condition Of School Department and Advocates an
Economical Administration

Retrenchment throughout every
branch of the department of public
instruction was the subject of a let
ter from Governor Frear which was
read to the new school commission
when that body assembled and organ
lied at the department headquarters
In the judiciary building this morn
ing.
All the members of the new COM
mission except Attorney W. H.. Smith
were present at the first meeting
The absent member was called back
TO HIlo last Saturday by other affairs
ard probably will not be able to at
tend any of the present sessions of
the school body.
superintendent IT. H. Gibson, who
was school inspector under the for
mer regime. and the stenographer
and secretary, presented the only
faces familiar to the meetings of the
former board. Mrs. B. ID. Bond. Of
kohala, Hawaii. was a member OF the
otter body for a short time only, as
was also Attorney Smith, Of Hilo,
both attending only one session prior
to the present one.
Those In attendance today are
Superintendent. Gibson, Mrs. B. d..
Bend. OF Hawaii; T. Brandt, of Kauai;
d. G. Lindsay, of Maui, and Mrs.
Theodore Richards and E. w. Sutton,
Of Oahu
The present sessions will be given
largely to the matter OF appointments
and reappointments, leaves of alb
sence, salaries and similar matters in
preparation for the next school year.
This may require two or three days
work.
The urgent necessity OF eliminat-
ing all expenditures not absolutely
necessary. and Of "trimmin'" down
wherever possible was impressed upon
the new commission in a lengthy com
munication by the governor His
reasons for making the request are
given fully in the epistle which is
given below verbatim:
June 81. 1913.
Hon r. II Gibson, Superintendent or
Public instruction, Honolulu, T. H.
Sir:-The financial situation of the
school department in particular and
OF the territorial government In gep.
eraI Is such that deem It advisable
e cat. .xonr speciak attention. to sizssaas
pecially now that your department is |
about 10 hold its principal meeting for !
planning for the1 coming year Each
department. Of course. should care
fully observe its own financial limita-
tions and also those of the territorial
government in general. No one de-
partment can live to itself alone.
The new school law enacted in 1911
and amended this year has been a
great boon to the schools in an in
crease OF rooms, in an increase OF the
number Of teachers, an increase in
salaries, which means increased eff |
cheney, and in other ways. 1t, how
ever, does not provide so abundantly
as to relieve the department from the
exercise of great care in order to
avoid serious financial difficulties. For
some years at least the department
will probably have TO keep somewhat !
In the rear Of its ideals.
In the first place, the. number of
teachers that may be employed in any |
one year depends on the number of
pupils enrolled during the preceding |
year and not, ION the larger number Ell
rolled during the current year. This
Limitation is felt now perhaps more |
than It will be few years. hence on
account of the very large increase in |
the number of pupils since the act
took effect.
In the second place. the increase /
in the amount that may be expended |
for teachers salaries lags behind the /
increase in the number of pupils.
In the third. place. during the first
six months under the new act. that
is during the last half of 1911, the in:
come was not sufficient to meet the