The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-08-01
DisproVe Assertion II Is Cheapest
Way of Governing Main
land Municipalities
GOVERNMENTAL PAMPHLET
QUOTED BY D. L. CONKLING
City Treasurer Shows How Ho-
noIuIu Would Fare Under
Change OF System

"There has been good deal said
about the low cost If commission pov.
'rnment," ID. l.. COnkling, city treas.
urer said yesterday. However, the
Following figures CLEANED from a Stats.
teal pamphlet on the comparative cost
or council and commission government.
recently issued, by the department Of
commerce at Washington, do not sub
stantiate this opinion.
According to this report, cities of
the size of Honolulu even, are run at
higher per capita expense under com
mission government than under the old
style mayor and council plan.
Taking the conservative present est.
mate of 100000 inhabitants for the
city and County of Honolulu, Oahu,
II Is seen that on this island the per
capita levy of property taxes was $II..
~ for city and territorial purposes in
1919. Out Of twenty-four mainland
cities ranking in size from twenty.tw
to lS9 among the largest cities Of the
nited States only nine were taxed less
per capita than Honolulu, and with the
exception of Birmingham Alabama and
Reading, Pennsylvania, all are con
siderably smaller than Honolulu.
Relative Per Capita Taxes
"Tne following figures will be inter,
estlng for comparison, showing the relu.
tive per capita property tax levy. The
figures in parentheses indicate the rank
IN population of each city compared
with all other cities in the United
states, in 1918. The following are un.
der the mayor and council form Of gov.
erEment:
Honolulu, C5sa), $ll42; Indianapo,
lis, (22), $l5.4l; Hartford, (54, $25.-
"; Youngstown, Ohio, (6D, $l4.73;
Troy, n. Y, tSO), $l9.O6; Peoria, (SS),
1880; Little Rock, Hl4), $7.7l; Dav,
export, (l33), $l7.35; Charlotte, n. C.,
l6O), $7.S3
"ln the following cities under com
mission form of government the per
capita tax levied on property in 1915
was: Birmingham Alabama, (33),
1882; Lowell, Mass, (5O), $15.i7; Salt
Lake City, (53), 1899; Des Moines,
(64), $500; Pueblo, Colo, QlS),
$ll.52; Topeka, U3O), $I6Os; Mont,
gom"ry, Alabama, l46), 1914; Austin, !
Texas, 1s5), $3.50.
City Manager Plan Costly
Another more interesting set of fg-
ures is the comparative per capita tax
rate IN eight cities which were under
mayor and council government in 1913 |
and commission government in 1915. In
seven Of the cities the change was at
the expense of increased taxes. Read
ing, Pennsylvania reduced it's levy six
cents by changing to the commission
form of government.
1.-THE figures following the cities,
are first old style government in 1913, |
and then commission in 1918. Day, |
ton (45l, $l2.S4-$l4.97; Reading !,
(5hB) $S.3O-$S.24; Wilkes Barre,
(S3), $9.ll-$lO.69; Allentown Penn,
sylvania, tlO2) $7.48-$s.S5; Corning.
ton, kyr QO9) $S.82-$9.37; Saginaw
Mich, HlD $l266-$l27O; Spring.
field, Ohio, N22) $lO.7l-$I335; JoP-
lin, Mo-, (lS9) $9.2l-$974.
- None of these cities except Dayton !
and Reading are near the size of Hon
OluIu, either in area or population. "
The per capita property tax collect.
ed in Honolulu for city and county pur-
poses only, was 1886 in 1918. This is
lower than in any of the cities above
mentioned some ofwhich have less than !,
hnIt the population of this city.