Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-10-29
BY Margin of Two Votes Form
er Minority Reduce Num-
Der of Supervisors


\ What seemed only a temporary
check to the majority at the charter
convention Wednesday nignt turned
into a rout last night when the mi
nority passed w. c. Acltfs amendment
to section s, providing for six super
yisors and mayor. all to be elected
at large, by vote of % to 90.
| BY this measure the mayor loses
his powers OF approval and veto and
| instead votes with the board, all ordi-
nances issuing directly from the SUI
! pervisors without passing through the
hands OF any higher medium.
Originally the radical minority held
out for four supervisors, and the con-
sentative majority wanted eight and a
return to the ward system OF electing
The triumph of the radicals is there
for beginning, and from present in
dications the balance OF power no
longer lies in the hands Of Lorrin An.
rews and his followers.
Thereafter events went rather
smoothly until the section was reached
which provides that instead of pub
fishing each ordinance three times in
the newspapers before final action be
taken upon 1t. ii be merely posted In
a prominent place. There those who
are interested can come to look over
the details.
Publicity . Better.
w. o. Smith rose to make long
protest against this measure. He
maintained that the old system was
far better. He pointed out that one
of the most important principles OF
city government or OF any republican
form OF government was the giving Of
plenty of publicity to all the acts OF
officials.
He said that when an act was pub
lished in the papers everyone could
read 1t, whereas there was little op-
portunity or desire on the part of most
citizens to walk to one place and read
at length from billboard.
Defending the change, Lorrin Al
dFews, chairman OF the committee Of
Is, pointed out that one of the largest
single items of. the annual city budget
was this one for newspaper advertis
ing.
mo one reads these long acts in
the newspapers anyway" said An
drews, and the only good that is done
Is to fatten the pocketbooks of the
papers,
Clerk David Kalauokalani then rose.
to make one of his infrequent1
speeches He gave bare facts.
Annual Bill About $1,000.
The bill for the first publication OF
one ordinance was $769 and for the
three publications the total exnendt
ture will total something like $780,.
This ~ only one giaring instance of
what Is repeated almost every day.
In the above mentioned case the ordi.
nance consisted of column after col
umn Of dry technicalities which no
ordinary citizen would find of the
least interest. It is. very doubtful
whether any but trained reader
could follow the winding intricacies of
legal phraseology Yet for Just such
advertising the city and county every
years pays about $1,000. This is per
cent OF the entire expenditures of the
county"
The speech of Kalauokalani was de.
cisive. and despite the fact that Smith
rose twice again to defend his amend.
ment 1t was lost by an Overwhelming
majority.
One sentiment which found frequent
expression during the discussion was
that the newspaper service in Homo,
lulu was so efficient that no act of an
official body was apt to be overlooked,
and that surely an act which in the
slightest measure might be detriment.
al to the public welfare would be apt
to start into a headline.
Section 20 of the revised charter,
giving the board OF supervisors the
powers of a board OF estimate and
equalization, after some discussioIf
was referred to a committee consistk
ing of w. o. Smith. Lorrin. Andrews
and w. C. Achi They are to renort