The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-01-24
MANAGING CITY
LIKE BUSINESS

Interest in the campaign which Ho-
nolulu is making for the proposed short
ballot, or commission form of govern
ment, is already attracting much atten-
ton in the East and on the mainland.
\ letter has Just been received by Prof.
w. A. Bryan a member of the citizens
charter committee, from Richard S.
Childs, secretary of the National Short
Ballot Association, of which President
elect Woodrow Wilson is the president,
which criticises the plan outlined for n
charter for Honolulu presented by Mr..
Bryan recently, and makes suggestions
The letter is as follows:
"Mr. Buttenheim, of the American
CITY has forwarded your correspond
ence to me, inasmuch as the study of
commission government is in my special
! line. j find, however, in looking over
the commission plan as you have out
lined it, that there is very little for me
TO suggest, for / think everything you
have said is absolutely sound and Very
wise. The only things l can think of
to modify or add to what you have out
lined, are the following:
! ''Would it be possible to put the
] question of the adoption of the charter
/ to the people in the following wav on
! the referendum which / assume will be
required before the charter goes into
/ effect.
cone: Shall the commission form of
| government be adopted for the city
and county of Honolulu
Yes No.
"Two: If the commission plan is
adopted, which of the two following
variations shall il be2
"The City Manager plan, the five
commissioners each to receive salaries
of 5000 per year, and the commission
to hire a City Manager at salary OF
$4,000;
.'The Des Moines plan, the five com
missioners each to be paid $4,000 pei
year and to give all their time to tn,
work; no city manager.
Approves City Manager.
81 think the statement of the qnes
ton in this way would be sufficient u
swing public opinion toward the cit.
manager plan, because it is obviousl,
cheaper. Incidentally, l believe it i
great improvement on the origina
commission plan, because it provides 70
unified executive establishment am
abolishes the inter-department logroll
ihH loI appropriations Whlch mas pSSI
an unhappy development in the DE
Moines plan.'
"In San Diego, for instance. it ha
, got to the point that each commits
sioner thinks himself complete cor
troller of his own department and re
r sents the prying of any of the othe
. commissioners, thus creating five sepa
. rate governments for the city instea
J. of one. Ii also does away with th
/. attempt 10 elect by popular vote me
= who are prepared 10 handle complicate
and technical work.. The natural poi
/. ular function is the choice of represeI
n tatiyes, not of executives or technics
men.
- Second questions Look up the 81
called Citizens Motion in the Loci
/ port plan In Beard 3 LooseLeaf Digel
, OF Short Ballot Charters, Of while
; there are now several copies ont in III
: nolulu You have probably alread
> seen this volume. The Citizens M
! ton IL a device giving any eitize
y under suitable restriction, the right
- compel d vote within reasonable tia
upon any motion he chooses 10 snbml
thus preventing the commission fro
4 heepnR silent and refusing 90 diselo
~ their individual attitudes on matt
p, that mas Dc under discussion II fhi
g. CHOOSE ~ turn down thp motion,
VI berries NJ motions, they aTe froe 10
AZ It0 hUi ihrY must fHir iheir fhanf
A as a. their explanation hplng satisfa
iu toff ln the puhlir.
~ "tnief $40 Dos Aoiuri llan. q
~ rftpne-hlliF ~ ths fommlfsiou ~
b. a hulr u rifaE Boa iAe puhlr alAY q
II .uoR han ihp lnaN lanHl mfnhi
siani ~ nhfia ana ppFwliipH Aef
4 Dos Hfeld fNWluH a iHif
a hfe sins haminaiienr
q. ttHsA ap nlfe pa pIas IA 80.
y ~ ~ Hiiloh iNap "A NtlD ~ 81