Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-06-03
JAMES TOWNSEND TAYLOR IS SLATED
To SUCCEED ENGINEER WH|TEHOUSE
Supervisors Carry Out Program
and Incumbent's Term viii
Expire June 80

James Townsend Taylor, n. AM
Sec C.E., consulting civil engineer,
expert on hydraulics, railroads, high
ways, land court and typographical
surveys, etc, etc, is slated for the
position OF city and county engineer
TO be vacated by L. NJ. Whitehouse
June 80. Mr.. Taylor is said to be
v ell qualified to fiji the position and
to have many original ideas regard
ing the functions of the engineer. for
the municipality.
As stated in the Star-Bulletin sew
eral days ago, Engineer Whitehouse
was booked for dismissal and action
was anticipated at last nights ses-
sion of the board of supervisors. The
expected happened and by a terse res
clution. introduced by M. C. Pacheco
and voted upon favorably by Super
yisors Pacheco, Wolter. Hardesty and
Markham. the ak was put into motion.
and the head of Whitehouse will re-
pose In the basket the last day OF the
present month.
The resolution whereby the dis
charge Of the engineer was accom-
plished reads as follows: IL.
Whereas, the services Of L. NJ.
Wi,Itehouse, city ana county enei-
neer, are not and have not been
satisfactory TO the mayor and
members Of this board; therefore,
be II
Resolved by the hoard Of su-
peryisors Of the City and County
Of Honolulu, That for the better =
efficiency Of the engineering and
road department, this board here
with demands the resignation OF
L. N. Whitehouse, city and county
engineer, the said resignation to
take effect June soth, 1914.
Supervisors Mcclellan and PetrieI
fought against the action Of the board
and endeavored to have the White
house resolution tabled, but without
success.
Whitehouse Declined to Resign.
City and County Engineer White
house was forced out Of ofiice last
night by majority of the supervisors
after the faction had yainly tried to
secure his resignation. Declining to-
submit to their methods. Whitehouse|
held his ground and was finally dis
missed on q resolution charging iIl-l
efiiciepcY
About q week ago some Of the sup
eryisors concerned in the oustine Of
the engineer approached him with e
propositions mat Ne resign Quietly and
thus avoid an open fight. Irasmuch
as these same supervisors had for
months been working against White
house, and inasmuch as he declined to-
admit that his work has not been eff
fectiye, he refused to resign. He was
then told that he would be discharg-l
ed anyway. Last nights action was
the result sa
The ousting of Whitehouse was
widely commented upon in political
circles today. II is regarded as most.
ly due to Mayor Fern For a long
time Fern has wished to get rid OF
the engineer. The mayor is credited
with the remark a few days ago,
Wen have to fire Whitehouse. He
knows too much and he won't put onr
men to work" Instead of putting 10
work men who carried notes from
Fern, Hardesty. Markham and others.
Whitehouse insisted on organizing his
forces on the basis of efficiency, and
he thus secured the enmity of Fy-n
and other Democrats of the kind.
In political circles the Democratic
board of supervisors Is thought to
have made a bad blunder. Supervisor
Petrie, who Is chairman OF the road
committee, has stood strongly by
Whitehouse and yet majority of the
board has gone directly against the
wishes of the committee chairman
. , Continued on page fonr)