The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-01-18
OFFICIALS FIND
/ Ways AND means
TO BUILD SCHOOLS
Special Statute Covering Case
Of Lack Of Money Provides
For School Needs
SUPERINTENDENT OF
EDUCATION \, . WORRIED
He and City Treasurer Find Way.
Out Of ouandary City Dads
Got Themselves Into
- . .

Superintendent Of Public Instruction
II. w. Kinney is much interested in the
discussion which recently took place In
the supervisors meeting with regard to
holding up the work on the needed pub
lie schools until the money necessary
for the work is actually available. lie
thinks that the work should 10 on as
it has always gone on in the past and
as it is being handled in the other
islands. .,5t 7.ga \
In speaking Of the needs of the de-
partment Yesterday he said. j! 'fz4Es
The increase In the school popula-
tion Of Honolulu proper is estimated ut
least 1000 children q year. On this bns-
is the Legislature male its appropria.
lions for the biennial period which be.
gan on January i, 1916, and which will
end on December 81, 1917. i
Appropriation Not Extravagant
"Thus for new buildings for Honoiu-
,lu proper was given $4,000 3 for a
twelve4room building on the Central
Grammar school grounds, $4,000 for a
twelve-room building at F. Iahumanu,
and $4,000 for other buildings in the
city; the last named amount should
provide for at least sixteen bungalows.
This will make total of about forty
new rooms, or twenty for 1916 and
twenty for 1917. AS you will see, we
will have to figure on fifty children to
arOom, so the amounts are by on means
extravagant. a.Ba .&lg
, These 1000 pupils will be on our
hands this year The department has
asked that buildings be provided 10 ae-
eommodate them, particularly the
welve-room building. on the Central
Grammar school grounds. The depart
ment will provide the teachers aud, un-
der the law, it is the function of the
city to provide the buildings; and [
may say in this connection that the su-
pervisors. have in the past ever bcen
extremely ,,ready ITO provide school
rooms and the departmept of public IN
struetion owes them much Thanks. y
Children Withngt Room "a p n ..ar
81 have no direft Indignation in re-
gard to the, trouble which ois reported
to have arisen, but IL what / read is
correct, that another legal opinion has
come forth (which would prevent tho
carrying out Of the building program,
the esultEinevitably will be thai ap-
ptoximately 1000 children will not be
provided with school room. Z. .....r.
81 am not an attorney and will
therefore, not presume TO discuss the
matter from its legal angle. In Inter
preting the statutes, employ common
sense only. II seems very unfortunate
that the city of Honolulu should TINS
suffer from these newly rendered legal
opinions, when the other e0unties-as
was Honolulu until about two months
ago-are able to provide adequate
school facilities to the satisfaction of
the pupils, parents aud teachers, and
quite apparently without danger, dam
age or other sinister consequences, as
these laws have been thus administered
with success for several years and to
the evident satisfaction Of the legisla-
ture, which last year continued to ap-
propriate on that very basis
City Treasurer's Attitude
The city treasurer, who was In con.
ference with The superintendent of pub
lie instruction, is Of the opinion that
the manner of handling the school
building problem this year will be the
'aIne as II was last year, and in other
years since the school law went into eff.
feet If there is not money actually
available il will he no shindFance to the
work AS all that is necessary that the
work be carried on and the only bar
that might be interp0sed 10 the work
would he in the absence OF aGprOFer ap-
preparation authorizing the expenditure
of the money. .sgrsr. =.
In the absence of such an appropria-
ton ii would be hazardous for the
auditor to approve contracts for the
work to be carried on. In the absence
of money in the school fund and until
such time as the taxes are received,
which win not be until May, the treas,
urer Of the city is authorized by law
to advance such money ms may be ne
cessary out Of the general fund or sash
basis Fund for the purpose of financing
the schools and this will be done.
WarrGnts May Be Registered
When this money is exhausted by
the drain of the registered warrants on
the one hanN and theNcarryiuy of the
current expenses Of the city on the
other hand there is no reason that the
warrants in payment for the work on
the schools may not be registered II
the banks are willing to accept the
city paper from those holding It, says
the treasurer. .a.r,f- :.
When the taxes are received then
the bank 3 general fund and cash basis,
fund can be reimbursed from the rel
ceiPts of the school fund and in this
way there need be no delay in fhe
erection OF the structures so badly
needed. = ..t.E.-. =,
. f..T' .. ~. .t.r. .'