Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-09-23
Room for Development.


matters - and there Is much room
for further development. The earliest
roads were built under the direction Of
the chiefs by the common people. who
were practically slaves. Wills this
system may have its advantages on
the score of economy, it is not likely
that we should care TO have Il rein
troduced at this day. Later on. GER
tain roads were built by men as a
sort OF penalty for the infraction Of
rules or early laws. There is road
today on the island of Molokai that is
still called the Puhipaka road, which
was built by those who had broken an
early edict against the use Of tobacco.
Later on, road boards were appointed.
one for each district. consisting of
three men appointed by the minister
of the interior. who served without
pay. The road boards had complete
jurisdiction over all special road tax
funds, and sometimes by permission
Of the minister of the interior or SUI
perintendent of public works. over APP
preparations made by the legislature
from time to time for general or spe-,
cific purposes In the larger districts,
the road boards appointed a road SUI
pervisor and clerk and held more or
less regular meetings. This system
had its good . as well as bad points.
Members of tho road board were sup
posed to be well acquainted with local
conditions, being residents, and at
least two of them were generally men
OF large affairs. who would be ex-
pected to know the requirements and
have. some practical knowledge Of
general construction. but. as matter
of fact, it was not often that members
OF the road boards made any study OF
technical road building and their funds
were too limited to employ engineers
except on rare occasions on small
jobs. Indeed, the science of road
building is so recent that very little
was known about 1t by anyone except
in very crude way
I'm the early. nineties a vigorous
policy was inaugurated to improve
the roads throughout the group. Bonds
were foated and appropriations made
running into the millions. These ap-
preparations were apparently for dis
tricts that had the strongest pull or
contained the most vigorous kickers.
Appropriations were made for the en-
ployment of a road engineer whose
duty it was to lay out and supervise
the construction Of all the roads to
be built under these vast appropria-
lions throughout the group. Appro-
priations were to be expended by the
superintendent Of public works
through the road engineer and at FIRST
Independent of the road boards. This
caused no little friction In cases
where the local authorities differed
from the road engineer concerning To-
cations, grades, ETC., of the proposed
new roads. Later appropriations were
made subject to the approval Of the
road boards of the districts in which
the work was to be done. This caused
further friction on account of divided
authority, but on the whole there was
a great deal of good work done, con-
siderfng the magnitude Of the under
taking.
Step il advance.
.eThe most advanced step ever
made toward the improvement Of the
road system was the Inauguration of
the county government, bringing the
administration and authority over
road. matters as close to the people
Interested as possible; theoretically,
at least, the majority of the people at
the polls could get what they wanted.
Some Of the county boards Of super
visors started at once to put their
road matters on a business basis by
creating the Office Of county engineer,
or similar Office with a. different
title, and appointed technical men to
have charge of at least ell OF the new
road construction as well as Of other
public works. There seems to be a
at times on the part of
some supervisors that the county act
includes in the duties and powers Of
a supervisor the direct and personal
Of road construction,
rs a foreman or as road overseer.
This does not seem to me to be the
intention of the county law, nor Is 1t
in general productive Of the best re-
suits either practically or politically.
There may of course be exceptions,
but 1t does not always follow that DO.
litical preference for the Office of SUI
peryisor is any index to the posses
sion of technical knowledge or train
ing. It is proper and necessary for
the supervisors to keep in touch with
what is going on in their jurisdiction
so that they msy decide intelligently
the very important questions that
come before hem, but it appears to
me there can be very little argument
against the policy of employing the
most competent men to be had, espe-
cially fitted by education and expert
ence to design and superintend all OF
such public work A board Of super
visors might be compared to a board
Of directors Of a corporation. Cor
poration directors generally appoint
a manager to carry on the work in
which they are engaged who is chos-
en- for his particular ability and train
ing in htndIing such work. He is CIV
en- from time to time instructions out
lining the policy of the directors and
It is left to him to execute these in
structions. He is required to make
reports at stated times showing prog
ress and to give estimates of the cost
If projects II seems to me that there