The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-10-15
RODERICK 0. MATHESON, EDITOR
Common, Ground Possible

TINE basic idea back of the two reports now
l. before the charter convention appears to be
the same and if the leaders of the factions which
have developed would only cease quarrelhng over
points of orders and hair-splittng phrase
ology, it should be possible to evolve from the two
reports something of material benefit for Homo
lulu and something considerably in advance Of the
system of government in force. l.;tt.3It
The basic idea in each report is the centralizihg
of authority and responsibility in the heads Of de-
partments, making each responsible for his own
department. In this respect the minority report
is the more clear cut, inasmuch it provides for
no division of authority, while the ma orty report
places the apportionment Of the revenues in the
hands of board of supervisors. The original
Murray charter provided for board of apportion-
ment composed of supervisors and department
heads, but this feature eliminated, unwsely
The worst feature of the majority report is that
it fails to provide for the complete independence
of then elected heads of departments, it provides
for a recall without sufficiently safeguarding the
right it has the ward system for the election of
supervisors by providing for separate tickets for
the fourth and fifth distrcts-whch is wrong
IN principle the fatuous nineward system origi-
naly proposed in the Murray plan-and it brings
portion of the judiciary into politics by providing
for the appointment of the district magistrates by
the mayor.
1t is unnecessarily cumbersome in providing for
a board of supervisors at all, but it is understood
that this provision is the bridge over which the
progressive idea of the balance of the government,
practically a form of commission, is to be enabled
to pass the scrutiny Of the electoral majority.
The minority report goes long way towards
providing for dfrst-class responsible government
but has failed to take the last leap and reaches,
as a consequence, practically nowhere. 1t pro-
vides for commission, mayor and four super
visors and an auditor. In the mayor and the ST.
pervisors rest the entire city government, with
each official the head of and responsible for
of the FIVE executive departments into which the
government is divided. 1t provides that each Of
fetal shall maintain an Office in the city hail. open
for business each legal days from half-past eight
in the morning until four in the afternoon, with
Saturday afternoons off.
SO far so good, but it specifies that the salary
of the mayor shall be 500 a month and that Of
each supervisor $50 month. What is the idea ?
The salaries of these officers should either be
commensurate with the duties and the responsible
tiles they called upon to perform from $4,000
to $1,000 year, or the Offices should be-and this
is much the more preferable-without salary at
tached and without the necessity for daily attend
ance at the city hall. Honolulu does not want any
fifty doara month men endowed with the powers
proposed for the commissioners uperylsOrs.
Those willing to study the two reports critically
and impartially will find small justification for
abusing either faction and will be able to discover
the common ground on which the wings of the
convention may meet for legitimate and reason
able compromise. A little more mutual confidence
in the good faith of the other and considerably
less picayunish maneuvering for petty technical
advantage, smotherng reason under blanket Of
inconsequential talk, and something progressive
may evolve out of the deliberations.
Nothing will come however if one faction per
sists in sneering at the other as high brOws and
"dreamers" and receives in exchange the epthets
of bosses" and ward politicians"