Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-01-13
GOYERNORGIy
ACCOUNT REFORM
PLANS APPROVAL
Continued from page one)

! Field, Esq. is the most promising
man TO execute the details OF such
changes, as he and his two cOnferees
may deem advisable to recommend.
! | shall request you TO confer with me
at once as to the two other members
and desire the privileges OF taking
la part, when. in my 'dgment, it is
+ desirable.
Action Needed.
! | wish to get to work at once.
| To clear the way review the situa-
ton as follows:
! No system has been. nor can be de-
vised, that will automatically insure
vigorous, prompt, sound, intelligent,
economic administration or event inte
gritty.
Systems, unduly elaborated, cannot
/ fail to confuse the public mind and
fritter away employees time.
Paper work often means no actual
work.
Several years ago one branch of
territorial department was actually
| clogged with paper work.
When men of integrity, capacity and
persistent application to their duties
are, unfailingly, elected or appointed
| to office, our difficulties will dsap-
pear.
1t is time for us to give up our
fetch of sending away for theoretical
experts, who neither know US nor our
conditions.
Hawaii Has the Brains Needed.
We have plenty of we'll managed,
private big business overshadowing in
volume public business in this terri
tory
Adapt and apply their methods to
public business and the problem OF
sound economic government will be
promptly solved.
/ have, as busy as | am, read and
studied several volumes written and
issued by municipal research authori-
ties and officials. | assert that there
is little in them applicable to the ter
ritory or counties of Hawaii and in
proof quote briefly:
Henry 6ruere states on page II, in
The New City Government, "Neither
popular rule or commission plan can
bring about efficient and progressive
government" 4
After investigation ten commission
governed cities, he states, on page
"a, Those who travel to Des Moines
or to Galveston to find their govern
ment patterns Of efficiency will come
away sadly disappointed" On page
S5, he writes "cornmission GOVERN
ment in itself provides nothing more
than an incentive to better service and
removes some of the obstacles that the
old plan places 10 the road Of an
official desiring to make good"
"H he has the capacity and the
desire for efficient service, commits
sion government affords the opportu-
nifty to utilize his powers.
"Unless the governments that pre-.
ceded them were wholly barren Of
method and utterly incompetent, the
administrative changes as yet wrought
by commission government are not,
for the most part, especially notewor-
thy" The volume, "MunicipaI Ae-
counting by the Bwreau Of Municipal
Research" offers few suggestions ap-
piicable to the territory or counties.
We might adopt some of their ideas.
but, mainly, we will have to devise
our own systems.
They supply forms used I'm New
Rochelle, N. Y, Montclair. N. j., and
the cities of New York and Philadel-
phia.
As it takes as long time to go
from Hile to Kona as from the above
cities to Cincinnati, Cleveland or even
Chicago, for county illustration, and
to Omaha, for a territory illustration.
we can realize of how little value
even these professional experts, with
their local ideas, would be to US in
the range of distance We have to COW
| er.
Let us formulate the business of the
| territory and counties, just as big bus.
mess does here in our midst, and in
the same order. SO Suggest the fol.
lowing start
First: Territorial and County Assets.
Act II, s. L. 1909, provides for in.
ventories of public property, both of
the territory and counties, and their
verification by the tax assessors
This law is incomplete. loose, begins
nowhere and ends nowhere. No of.
| fetal is directed to keep a live ledg.
er account and the total assets of the
territory and counties are unknown
and not summarized.
The auditor of the territory and the
auditor OF each county should keep
active ledger accounts of the assets
of each political division starting with
a complete and accurate inventory.
There should be a highway inven
tory and ledger ACCOUNT, which with
depreciation charges would give US
some idea Of what we are wasting or
roads, and what is of permanent value
Additions to these ledger account:
should be made only after a unit Of
work has been completed and under
proper certification These asset
accounts should be made public eacf
six months.
Second: Supplies and Contracts.
We now have a, very good system o.
competitive bids on supplies, work and
contracts, all Of which are publicly
advertised, opened and awarded anG
n -