The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-12-12
SPECIAL ELECTION
QUESTION PUT UP
I. TO CITY Fathers
.s"tt'o"| 1asIaaSEf RssssS' e bS @'''-.
Tomorrow Evening , n
TWeNTYsonE HUNDRED ~ il.
CITIZENS HAVE SIGNED
People Backing Move Declare
} Thousands More Are In Favor
ofrthe movement u at'o.

Tomorrow evening the board Of stf-
pervisors will be asked to eau special
election to decide on the fotation Of
$3.50, 900 worth of bonds to finish GER
tain water and sewer improvements in
the city which are admitted to be badly
needed by every person who has given
the subject any thought. W.. -,,t.ge,...
The money is to be used for the fol.
lowing purposes: 49, u -
Filtration plant to cost $4,000. r.,
Water mains-Makiki and ,Manoa,
$74OO; Waikiki, $500; BsiS6uki, $37,-
900; Kalihi and Palamd, $4,000; Central
districts, 1000.
Sewer mains-Kewalo, $4,000; Puma
hou, $4,000, Kalihi, $4,000; lwilei, 49,
5085 Waikiki, $4,000.
The argument that will be used to
persuade the supervisors to call spec
lal election is a petition signed by more
than POO voters of the city. This Pc
tition was circulated for about ten
days by less than a score of volunteers.
Very few of the persons approached re-
fused to sign it when the purpose of
the election was explained to them.
Those who circulated the petition de-
clare that with more time and more
men it would not be difficult to secure
at least 5000 signatures to the petition,
OF more than one-half of the electorate.
AS it is, the petition carries the names
of one-third of the number of voters
who voted for the bonds at the election
in November.
supervisors May Balk
1t is possible that the supervisors
will weigh the question carefully and
they PROBABLY win ask whether 200
names is enough to justify them in
calling a special election. If they
should refuse on this score it will only
result in delaying the work while an.
other 1000 names are secured.
To do this, however, would mean al
most as much work as having an cleo
ton. To secure 5000 names practically
would be equivalent to holding an cleo.
ton. But it is hardly likely that the
supervisors will refuse to call an cleo
ton on this score, as that il is under.
stood that a majority of the supervisors
is in favor of calling an election il the
movement for such an election is in
| ltlated by the people.
When the bond issue failed at the
last election owing to a number of
causes, among them being that the issue
was lost sight of in the confusion Of
a general election, that the issue was
divided up into too many items and
that q great many voters who had not
given the subject any thought did not
vote on the bond question, a number of
supervisors expressed themselves with
regret that the bond issue had lost be-
cause % these conflicting elements.
They also stated that if the people
should call for a special election they
would be in favor of it, and particu.
larly Mayor Lane, who declared that
the improvements were badly needed,
said that he would back any movement
on the part of the people for a special
| election.
City Dads Can Act
Under the law there is no number
specified as necessary to justify the su-
perVisOrs in calling a special election.
AS a matter of fact the supervisors
could call such an election on their own
initiative as in the first instance. The
question of numbers cannot therefore
justly be brought up against the cleo.
ton. AS a matter of fact much less
number than POO would justify the
city fathers in calling the election.
The present petition contains the
names of many of the most promine mt
persons in the city. 1t was signed
without regard to party affiliations in
the spirit of civic pride. The work that
is to be accomplished by the money
from the bonds will all be done by con
tract, it will not be available until af.
ter the spring election for county Off
ces and the question a.. to who will
spend the money does not enter into
the problem.
In other words, it is a deliberate at.
tempt to further city improvements on
the high plane of civic pride and ia in
effect disinterested call to hurry along
certain municipal projects that WA
hAye TO, be launched in order. to keep
! 4f6A6idid abreast il not ahead of its
strRdv growth
1t is not unlikely that the meeting
of the board of supervisors tomorrow
night will be one of the most spirited
held for some time, IA number of per.
sons who were originally opposed to a
bond issue have changed their mind
after considering the subject and il is
understood that many of them will be
present tomorrow evening to express
themselves on this vital question.
\ The whole matter probably will be
goRf over Sarefully and the supervisors
no doubt viii be governed in their de
cision by the weight of evidence