The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-09-22
Enthusiasm and Cooperation
Mark Fifth Annual Session
Of Territorial Gathering,
PERMANENT ORGANIZATION
IS SENT DOWN TO DEFEAT
Chairman Mckay George W..
Smith and Governor Pinkham
Deliver Ringing Addresses
Especial By Mutual wireless.l

HILO, September 21--The~ fifth le-
union Of Hawaii counties, socially and
commercially began this morning with
the calling to order of the Civic Cen
vention. William Mckay, Hilo mana.
ger Of the Inter. Island Steam Naviga.
ton Company and prominent civic
figure in the Crescent City, was elect
cd the permanent chairman, and Eu-
gene N. Deyo, secretary, of the Con.
vention, which sailed into accumulated
business with the vigor, enthusiasm
and experience drawn. from the four
previous years.
Debate went with snap and i'm
portant matters were handled in a
spirit that showed that good fellow
ship, socially, and an awakened vision,
commercially, have become habit
with the delegates. Governor Pink
ham, Chairman Mckay, George w.
Smith and Lorrin A. Thurston address.
cd the convention during the day. The
fourth convention Is stand on road
policy was upheld. The proposition to
make permanent the Civic Convention
organization was defeated.
Welcome Proves Real Aloha
Two hundred delegates were present
at the first tap of the gavel and after
the first few minutes Of confusion at
tending the organizing Of the conven.
ton we're over, listened to a snappy
and sincere welcome from the chair
man. Mr.. Mckay spoke not only as
such but as the representative of
Hilo in the welcome and he made it
warm.
The arrangements made by the Hilo-
ties for the visiting delegates are
excellent in every respect. Nothing is
lacking that will give comfort. The
women, with the party were agreeably
surprised by the women of Hilo with
q mock convention where woman suf-
frage was unsullied by mere male
votes. 1t rivalled that of the civic
enthusiasts in wit and brilliance.
George W. Smith, president of the
Chamber of Commerce of Honolulu, re-
lied to Chairman McKay's welcome
ind his short speech was a convention
classic in its brief and meaty defni
tion of the convention spirit. He said:
"Mr. Chairman-Your eloquent and
hearty welcome is appreciated and re-
'iprOcated by the delegates who come
from the other districts of the Terri
tory.
Conventions of this kind are not a
mere gathering of men, from various
walks of life, to meet without pur
Ose or action; they are epuchal in their
nature, milestones on the way, indicat
ing progress made and to be made
progress civic, social, political and
educational.
Conventions Elevate Ideals
"Civie, in that they elevate our
ideals of the citizens duty to the com
munity in which he lives, that while
recognition is given to the rights that
he may demand stress is laid on the
obligation which he owes to the state
"Social, by the bringing together
of the individual units whereby friend
ships are formed, aims and motives bet
ter understood, and the feeling of
mutual responsibility increased.
"Politieal, as making for more eff
Gcient, government, municipal, county
and territorial without reference to
party lines.
Educational, in the true sense of
the word; the drawing out of The ideas
of other men who have given thought
and study to the problems which daily
confront us, ideas that can and will
be applied in the solution of these prob,
lens and that can only make for the
benefit of the territory as Il whole,
thereby increasing the welfare happi-
ness and comfort of the citizen or
.Rlien in our midst
Hilo Receives Compliment
"From the evidence already witness
sd il is apparent that you gentlemen
Of the second capital of the Territory
have spared neither means nor effort
to make this Fifth Civic Convention a
success and, speaking for the visiting
delegates, let me assure you that we
shall endeavOr to second your work in
every way possible, thereby recogniz-
ing your courtesy and promoting the
ed for which this Convention was cal
led"
With this address before it as
model for its endcaVOrs, the convention
huckled down to its most important
tasks, of which reconsideration of the
rad policy of the convention was not
the least.
Chairman ThurstOn of the hold over
committees on roads arranged for by
tie Kauai convention, last year, pre-
scented the committee 5 report. Two
main points of this were its advocacy
of the previous convention 5 roads bill
and its insistance on the cantonnier
Cor section up.keop) system of road
maintenance.
The good roads bin in question prov
ides for the construction and mainten
ance of "territorial highway" nv the
territorial government, those roads be
ing selected which have intercommuni.
~ Importance, and the county road
burden thus lessened
Debate on this report was spirited
from the first. When the vote was put
on the resolution which the committee
offered there was split. in which Maui
end Kauai joined to defeat it, but in
which they were Outvoted by the other
units