Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-02-02
MERCHANTS GIVE
REASONS GALORE
FOR BACKING OUT
Many Excuses Met by Carnival
Committee on Decorations
of Business Streets

Here are some OF the reasons why
| the merchants Of Honolulu refuse to
get behind the unit plan OF decOra
! ton proposed to them by the Carnival
: An assessment Of ~ per cent on
Carnival stock is being collected.
This assessment. as a matter OF fact
was levied last year and only past
due payments are now being col
lected.D
why not buy Joe Cohen's STUFF
Only some places we're decorated
last year and we paid for IL"
All decorations committees have
found that this is one of the almost in
superable objections to any unit plan
of decorations There are always
some merchants who will not join
! Then there are others who would join
/ but object to carrying those who
won't The result is that. in the end
! the whole burden falls on the shout
ders Of the public spirited few.
( This condition is one which the Car,
nival decorations committee resolved
| yesterday by a vote of 4 to not to
perpetuate Instead, the committee
I resolved to recommend that the mer,
according to their own tastes.
More Stock Excuses.
! To continue the list of excuses and
objections, still another class replies
The Carnival doesn't do us any
good"
IF we pay and the others do not
where do we get off,
Doesn't Carnival stock include the
cost of decorations?
| Joe Cohen says he can do it for
| 25 cents a foot" (The Carnival was
! charging so centsO
IF you get the others in the block
to come in, will"
| What has become of last year
| decorations
TOO many people coming around
asking for money"
| Times are hard
| Qualified donations too numerous in
variety to classify.
| THE Young Women's Christian AS
ISOLATION is collecting money"
These are not imaginary replies. in
vented to typify a general situation
! They are the actual answers received
over and over again by Clarence Wa
! terman, member of the decorations
committee who was detailed to &c
over in person the eleven thousand
and odd feet which the committee
| proposed to decorate.
Showed Certain Deficit.
The result of his canvass was that
nearly half the territory mapped out
land that half included the cream OF
the district. banks, agencies and Big
wholesale firms eKcluded) yielded ar
average of only about 30 cents a foot
| where so cents was needed If the
decoration scheme was to be put
! through, the canvass showed that ar
absolutely certain deficit must be
| shouldered off on to the public-spirited
! few.
"We regret to report the commit
tee on street decorations accordingly
informed the general decorations com
mfttee, that we have met with very
poor support for this unit plan, the
main objection being that there were
entirely too many plans on foot which
demanded contributions and subscrip
tons from the merchants.
| Your committee feels that, to war
rant any scheme of decorating being
! adopted, there should be a willing en-
thusiasm by the merchants who pay
for the plan, and that, lacking this en-,
| thuslasm, your committee is not JUS
titled in attempting to force into effect
any plan of decoration, apparently
| against the will of many of the mer:
chants
Made Investigation.
This report was presented last Mon,
| day. The general decorations com.
mittee declined to accept it until a
further investigation had been made
With additional data in hand. the com.
| mittee met again late yesterday and,
after an hour of debate, passed the
| following resolution
| / Resolved: That, after canvassing
one-half of the area which the decora.
lions committee proposed to decorate
| the results show that the merchants
/ OF Honolulu are not in favor of the
! scheme presented to them by the com.
m1ttee but are in favor of decorating
according to their individual prefer.
ences; and that,
Therefore. this committee recon-
mends that the merchants of Homo
| lulu decorate their own stores individ.
ually and that this committee concen.
trate its energy on lighting effects.
We also draw attention to the fact
that Joel c. Cohen is willing to dupli.
cate for 25 cents a running foot the
scheme of decorations erected last
year, for which 81 a running foot was
then charged
The reference to Mr. Cohen is to his
connection with the decorations
scheme attempted last year, which he
! backed financially.
This material was offered to- the
decorations committee this year at a
figure which it did not think proper to
faccept. Thereupon Mr.. Cohen came
forward with his substitute proposal
to repeat last years scheme. at a cost
this year OPS cents front foot.