Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-03-29


secure the maximum of efficiency in city gov
ernment-either to get the foremost business
men of Honolulu upon the board of supervis-
ors or to adopt the city manager system and
put the city's affairs in the hands of one strong
businessman. @~F
Without questioning the good results which
might develop from the first plan, it is neither
feasible nor, il feasible, would in the long run
be conducive to sound city government The
second plan is both feasible (if we except the
political factor) and in the long run it would
be conducive to sound government.
The first plan is not feasible because seven
foremost businessmen couldn't be Induced to
serve upon the board of supervisors under the
present form of government; because even if
they could be induced to serve there would be
extreme difficulty in getting them elected.
The plan would not be conducive to sound
government because it would not be sound bust
ness. Neither Honolulu nor any other Ameri-
can city of 10000 or more can expect its lead
ing businessnlen to give ptlla major pogttah
Of their time to municipal office-and the men
who actually run large; teWns and cities .aa,,st
give up most OF their time to il or the admins
tration viii be failure.
Sound city government means businesslike
city government. No sound business runs on
charity and that is what Honolulu would be
running on IL it had to depend primarily upon
men giving mp their private business day after
day and month after month in order to take
public office.
The man who takes any important city office
in Honolulu today mnst make the public service
his first business; he must call early sit close
and stay late or his activity gets only 80 per
cent Of It's potential force. l-s.- :
Heamust be "of the job for the city all or.
nearly an the time. / He must be accessible to
the public an or nearly all the time. He must
be able ALBANY moment ito drop hrs personal
affairs to look after public affairs.
I1pnolulu's city government has grown too
large to be handled by few minutes of atten-
ton each day.
The form of our local municipal government
precludes the possibility of seyen leading.
Businessmen meeting as boards Of directors.
meet, to pass upon policies, relying upon their
manager to carry out the details. There is no
manager to carry out details of civic affairs.
There are half dozen departments, loosely
connected, there is mayor who is not expected
BIZ the majority of voters to be of big business
taIiber The board of supervisors cannot pos
Int system. They must divide into committees
and these committees must hold many long
meetings, must not only decide matters of de-
tail, but see that they are carried out.
IN times of grave emergency, such as fire,
Iood or epidemic, the crisis invariably brings
tie beading businessmen to the front. They
lake charge for few days. the crisis passes;
hey return to their businesses. !.
Ii Galveston, IN Dayton, in several other
american cities, out of gust such crises grew
the short-ballot and city manager forms o. gov
eminent. Emergencies forced upon the public
mind realization that the cities must be run
not On the haphazards of politics but upon the
proved principles of business.
All over the country, towns and cities are
.'Iing city managers. The result has not been
&8inst the American tenet of popular partici-I
.1tion in local self government On the con
larry, the removal of bossism, of political deals
md trades and manipulations, has given the
/oters new interest in their government
larger votes are polled than before proof
conclusive that more citizens are taking active
partlin their civic affairs.
tbs useless for Honolulu to expect to get
seven or five of its leading businessmen upon
the board of supervisors under the present sys-
iem.i There will be very great difficulty for
Years to come to get them under any system of
popular voting unless they get out and play the1
Iiofif5oo1 flx,