Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-02-09
THE ROAD DEPARTMENT SCANDAL


The read department scandal uncovered h,.
The SfaI. Bulletin hast Friday and Satprdoy
places I'll" hnald of supervisors in Il <crin,> "a,
sition
IAN ugly mess If department politics has m.,n
Yereale Whether ar not th" rhar.t. ,rf hui
of laaR-sllsIks operating in tho department is
trHe. whether nat the charge al a s'hlind-pio'
run hv emplaErS t,f the departments * trnc. TIN.
situation is sufficiently offensive t" th,. tax
payer.
If the cllafests ahavc are act true then the
Eholesale tlisnssals az read officials must I",
due 10 petty IB,liiics If the charges are trnr
the stualtiap ttsnld only have arisen through the
workings of i,oIitics and political favoritislu.
What the supervisors going do about
it?
Will they continIte 10 deny the IazincSS and
inefficienrsrUf the raad department? PosSihi",
That is fasarite method of some Of the suI,r'-
gisoTs when faults in the city administration
called 10 their attention
In the light of ihesc rzryelatinns of polii, :.
characterization and disorganization of til" roa.i
department, is il any wonder that the road i;I-
borers have. l'tIl giving, during the last twelve
months. sileh a splendid exliiitianofIaw 10 loaf
for eight hours a day? is it any wonder THAI
foad-worii is costing tlletit rssncf immense sunS
with such comparatively significant results?
The truth is that under the present board "f
supervisors the road department l,een run large
AZ on a s,oils basis. J. J. +Smiddy. former read
eFerseer ftrllnd this srrt when he. attempted Ia
hire and fire according to their efficiency.
81
same allegation J
The last board of supcrtlsofN blamed for
many things. but certainly there Mas such
d Standardization of raad department efficiency
To politics az there has been under the present
board. j. ~. Caldwell, HON superintendent ef
public works. MAS then road orerseer Once aIrt'
enly ant'e did ANY of the supervisors try tn
take advantage Of political power t" play favor
ties I'm the department That MAS i'm the case of
an emplaye discharged for Iaziness Caldwell
look a determined stand and the supervisors re-
speetel him for it and hacked him up. Frem
that time an there was no attempt tn mt4ldlt'
with his department.
The two read orerseer~ under the present
board tell an entirely different take They de-
clare that faHoritisIn has held SWAY in the de-
partmeIlt anti la this hay the obviously ineff"cf,
i've and costly results. Mayor Fern is also
blamed for nnel Of the peanut politics pernea,t-
ing the department.
What will tile supervisors do?
They tliare acted promptly in calling for the
designations Of several officials and employees
held responsible for the condition Of n'zr-grslf
inst uncovered. II remains I" !" seen whether,
this action is Snrerp-whrther they arr gettin"
rid OF incompetent men or merely playin" more
politics. The Star Bulletin believes thar the
pefsisaIs irving /" clean W. this n%ly hl"t "n
their record aud their efforts deserve Suppnr1,
A clean swts.p Of the III 'omp"l"mts IL needed.
But the blot can umly hr permanently cleaned
mp if the raad-departmen is fn'vrr raised
above the level uf a noIitiral fr,tl-trnu~l