Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-09-21
Charges of General Inefticiency
in Municipal Affairs Made
at Charter Meeting

MlSGTdDIS TOduS, lHclIIClcul
ridiculous SanitatiCL-that's our city
government today" said =. ". Games
at the meeting OF the charter COnVen-
ton committee # - last n,ght, after
rambling discussion in which sew
eral members had expressed them
selves against any radical change in
the charter.
We must have a change. We can't
eliminate politics, but we can mini
mize politics" he continued.
III you elect five supervisors and
let them appoint a manager who will
run the technical phases Of the city
government you will be using the big
brain instead of the big smile and
the big hand. Let the supervisors do
the politics, but when it comes to their
appointment Of a manager they will
select a man who will give to their
administration a tone Of general efficl-
ency. Hitherto we have run our gov
eminent on promises, but promises
never have and never will build roads
or schools or do anything else.
I'VE have to get check on these
promises and here is our golden OPP
portunity to get that check. AS rea-
soning men we will all admit that poll
tics can never he entirely divorced
from our city government, but as rea-
soning men we surely know at the
same time that a popular man is not
necessarily q man who knows how to
inspect a sewer or to build a bridge.
We want organization and a limited
responsibility. If anything in this city
goes wrong we want to he able to put
our finger on the man to blame-and
make him jump"
Are you trying to turn us into a
eorporation?" broke in an angry voice.
What Became of 80 Cents.
Nest corporations pay dividends,
exclaimed Francis J. Green, taking up
the cudgels of Games, and / fail to
see where this city is paying divi'
dends of good roads, or in return for
any other investments. There's not
man in this room who does not know
that report was made recently prov
ing that out Of every dollar appro-
priated for road building in this coun-
ty so cents disappeared and 20 cents
was used in putting rock where it. was
needed, Perhaps we should be CRATE
full to the kind officials who have spent
even the 20 cents, but human nature
makes us ask: Where is the so cents?
III tell you where 1t Is: 1t went
to secure popularity, and popularity
never has and never will give you
cash return-outside Of fat political
job for one man."
Nevertheless" said Chairman Lor.
rim Andrews, I'VE should not feel that
we must 60 at this thing in Jump.
Let's take our time. We are a young
municipality. We havnt been govern
ing ourselves so very long after all
Let's take our time about these
changes. Already we hear that the
Hawaiians are looking upon us with
suspicion. The average man on the
street does not give rap about all
these charters, and commission forms,
and what not. So let's go easily. Let's
not take a little boy and put long
pants on him in order to call him
man. It's likely to be tragic when he
finds a mans duties to perform"
viii Appear Ridiculous.
t
ly, lets not keep a grown man In a
boys trousers because when he finds
a mans duties to perform he will be
ridiculous! Here we are with party
after party going into office on the
platform that they will work for state
hood-but you may have noticed casu-
any that we are not a state. Why
aren't We?
The answers easy. The govern
ment on the mainland doesn't trust
us yet. And the government does not
trust US because all it sees is man
in boys clothes Al distance OF 1000
miles the United States thinks there
is a boy out here. How are we going
ID prove that they are wrong? We
are going to rrove it by going before
them and saying: Look at the gov
erlment of the city Of Honolulu; you
will zee that that city has taken up
aud is applying the most modern meth
ods of government You will see that
Hawaii stands for thought and not for
politics. Therefore we demand admit
lance to the Union as a state, and II
you refuse US now it will be oppres-
sion.
A'Thats how we can talk to them
II We make this city government llV-
ing force instead of a dead sham"
Throughout the session the discus
sion went back and forth, with the
liberals always a little more thought
full, little closer to facts. Which
reminds a student of history, as n.
Stuart Johnson said last night, that
every great and beneficial change IN
from the time of Pericles
to the present hour, has been made
effective by the radical few working
against the opposition of the conserVa-
tive many"
Sketches Show Plans.
The committee was working on Deo
eek last night n. Stuart Johnson
brought forward three large sketches
which showed the contrasting features
of the commission plan, the city man
ager plan, and u modification OF the
city manager Liam of the Research
Club which ne bad carefully drawn
I'D. His idea vas to appoint a mana