Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-12-17
SCHOOL GROUNDS
At POHlkAINA TO
BE FILLED soon
Supervisors, Criticised After
Work Is All Arranged For,
Answer Sharply

/ Pohukaina school conditions,
branded as dlsgraceful by the COM
missfoners of public instruction in a
resolution sent to the supervisors
last night, Will shortly be remedied.
:ers passfAg the resofutIons'
which Indirectly cffticise the super
lvisots severely, the said supervisors
were completing contract with the
Lord Young Engineering Company to
AL In the. low ground around the
school.
1nvestigation by the Star-Bulletin
today showed that more than a month
ago Building Inspector Miehlstein took
up plans for the school ground i'm
movement with local contractors and
later the board called for bids for the
work. The Lord Young Engineering
Company, which is carrying out a big
territorial reclamation project in the
district and has the equipment ready
so that it can handle filing at an
unusually low cost. has secured the
contract, which calls for filing in the
low ground around the school house
with about 1000 yards of material at
an expense to the city of $1,000, q
I'VE shall start this work right
away Eaid James l. Young of the en-
cheering company this morning. "0ur
equipment will be moved as soon as
possible and it will take only about
two days 10 finish the fill. Z,
1t is probable that work VIII be be-
gun during the Christmas school holi-
days.
Although the board of supervisors
took action to remedy the conditions
long before the school commission
ers voiced their complaint, at least,
two supervisors complain sharply of
the expense to which the city is put
to look after schools at a time when
it is getting no territorial moneys for
the purpose.
This was brought out at the super
visors meeting last night.
ARgered at the resolution sent them
by the commissioners of public in
strr" don, members of the board of su-
per; isors voiced objections to present
laws for the division of taxes, and in
particular the statute which makes 1t
necessary for the city and county to-
maintain the schools on the island un.
der the present system.
81 do not think it is a fair deal to
the CITY and county" declared Super
visor Mcclellan, chairman of the ways
and means committee. They expect
us to maintain their schools without
giving us the funds to do so. The
Legislature left US in a position where
We must advance out of our general
fund from $4,000 to $4,000, and the city
and county is in no position to do so.
We will only have a small balance at
the end Of the year, something like
$4,000 when we should have at least
$4,000 The territory has given
raises in the salary of teachers ag.
gregating $4,000. In other words it
will cost US 1899, 900 for teachers sal
aries this year.
: I'VE do. not wish to make uncalled.
for objections. But We wish it to be
known that we are doing the best we
can. Until the taxes come in at the
end of the first half of 1914 We will
have very little money. That the con-
ditiOn of Pohukaina school is bad we
regret, yet We do not feel that a reso-
luton such as this is warranted"
The resolution referred to was pass
ed yesterday at the final meeting of
the commission and a copy of it was
sent to the board of supervisors.