Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-02-25
Plan
TO INCREASE
Interest

When the members OF the house
committee on education dropped in
/ on the session of the commissioners
OF public instruction Monday after
i noon they were just in time to take
part in very interesting discussion
en- how the present local controi G.
, school houses Is working out in the
various counties.
Some two years ago the department
voted to establish a school at ilap.-
pala- The teacher was to be provided
when the school house and the teach
er's cottage were completed. The
loan fund carried the appropriation
for the buildings.
Last November, acting on the in
formation that the school house and
cottage would be completed the first
of December, Superintendent Pope ap-
pointed Mr.. Ogilvie to the Kapapala
school, and Mr.. Ogilyie forthwila
went to the expense CT moving i.:j
goods and chattels. When he arrived
at Kapapala, however. the teacher
found that the school house was no:
complete and the teachers cottage
was hardly in sight. In other words,
it is impossible to start the school
there on account of the impossibiIity
of housing the pupils.
So far as can be learned this delay
is up to the loan fund commission of
the county of Hawaii Then commits
isoner Smith remarked, who had
the contract, Jim Lewis?"A
This situation started the discus
sion along the lines of general query
of how the scheme of county control
Of school houses was working out
Each commissioner was asked to give
his opinion. The commissioners
from the county Of Hawaii could not
report any success for the present
system. Mrs. Bond remarked that inl
order to have pane of glass set,
they had to wait, in Kohala, Till some
road worker came along; if the men
feel like it they will do the work, i'll
they don't they won't. In her opinion
the old system was very much better.
The school houses of Hawaii county
were never in such bad condition as
at present.
Commissioner Rice from Kauai re.
ported that the school houses of Kauai
were never in such good condition as
at present The new system is al
great success and many new school
houses have been built as needed.
Commissioners Aiken said that |
while Maui has got along very well |
he Is in favor of the old system of the
hoard of public instruction controllingi
the school houses. r
. Commissioner harrington stated /
that the discussion brought up sub !
ject on which the school fund COM
mission which had drafted the pres
ent school law had spent two years
of study. The theory was to gfveI
the physical care of the school into
leaving the territory with ample |
funds to provide the teachers as the |
local people provided the school
houses and additional school equip. |
ment He believed the theory correct
and he was very much interested in
The reports from the different coun.
ties. 1t showed that where there is a
good degree CT civic price and fair
administration, the system works out
well. On the other hand 1t has gone
TO pieces on the island CT Hawaii
where the standard of municipal ad /
rlinistration is most Indifferent.
Commissioner Wilcox and Inspector
Gibson, speaking for the city and
county of Honolulu did not enthusa
over the new system. 1t beng appar
ent that this city and county had not
many new school buildings to its
credit
During the afternoon session the
put itself on record I'M
favor of the fullest general use of
the public school houses for comiEu,r
ity purposes. This came up on let.
ter from the workers of Palama Set.
tiement who have night school
in mind The school houses
are under the control of the municipal {
but the department of pub
lie instruction believes they should be
used as much as possible.