Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-02-22

cnnge or OF buildings and the city;
charge garbage stations dumping grounds cemeteries, carts
automobiles horses tools property and apparatus used the
City and County, (Secs. 222l5 These powers involve
the expenditure of greater part OF the City and County
funds -.
This provision elective officer with such broad powers
appointment and control exercsbe independently of the
Board of Supervisors only part although the most sgnih
cant part still larger scheme reduce fgueheads the
Supervisors responsibility and pave the way for full
swing machine and patronage politics The feature OF
this scheme of Importance IS that which has to do with
the powers of the Mayor. -."=
Under the present charter the Mayor may appoint but only
with the approval Of the Board of Supervisors all officers whose
appointment election otherwise provided for and may
with like approval, fill when provision other
wise made for filling them. REV Laws, 1915, Sec lI04l
Under the Convention charter he make similar appoint
and fill similar vacancies but without such approval and
addition he expressly authorized to appoint without such
approval not only District Magistrates stated above but also
superintendent of parks and Fairgrounds and school buildings
bandmaser chief of the Fire Department all city and dis
tct physicians (who act also instead OF the
sheriff and his deputies who act coIpners health o
GERS sanitary inspectors and certain other ecers and employ
(Secs o., 65).
The Mayor also given other additional under the
Convention charter such the following: Charge of all health
of the City and County and all matters relating to food
supplies and sanitation except contagious and infectious diseases
quarantine public parks parng pleasure grounds,
school grounds and buildings animals and plants therein public
baths public land park policemen city hall building and grounds
other city property otherwise assigned (Sec o.
1t may be added in this that important power
the collection shown
the Convention charter adds the City and County powers
also exerable independently of control supervision by
the Board of Supervisors for the and collector made
apponabe only without the approval of the Board but by
officer the Treasurer who, by OF being elective
officer, is independent of the Board. ,&f
While Convention charter reduces by one the number
of present elective officers by keeping the number of Supervisors
the and making the Mayor of them instead of being
additional officer makes up by creating the elective office
of Superintendent of City Works that the proposed elective
officers re supervisors (ncludng the Mayor clerk
treasurer auditor attorney sheriff and superintendent of city
works, thirteen in all, in the present charter.
Thus the Convention charter violates the vital and
fundamental principles upon wcha city charter should be forml
lated namely Cd the short ballot and (2) the uni6caon of
powers. fH@fs4s
The ballot is so long that with two sometimes
for each Office the average will be-
ntegently informed in regard to them. Tebes opinion
the subject that six is the maximum number of officers that
should be elected ope election and that less number AID
visabe The powers of government scattered among
many independent officers that there pulling and hauling lack
of coordination and cooperation confused responsibility and diff
Guilty obtaining prompt and satisfactory service More
this under the next heading.
w. Specific amendments recommended:
There formula for good city government panacea for
the ills of bad city government Almost any form of charter
might work we'll under electorate infused with of civic
duty pride and the best of charters might fail yield salts
factory results under indifferent electorate 1t neyerthe
less that experience has shown the character of the
charter has much do with both the degree of efficiency attain
able and the degree of interest that may be developed
any given electorate
a The governing officers short ballot and Nneation of
poaVerS.
Experience is the best and guide Political philosophers
and endeavoed unsuccessuy for decades dis
devise remedy for the darkest blot the American
political sysealbad city government The remedy finally
stumbled upon by accident and then unrecognzed until
demonstrated by the test of experience 1t the short
ballot and uncation of powers And during the last
fifteen years FIVE hundred cities in the United States
have adopted this feature with general most beneficial results
Concetey this Tint the elective officers should be
fined small board Of supervisors those and than
others such the auditor and that practically all
the powersshou be vested in them
Among The advantages of this system the following: The
supervisors having all the power blame else for
failure give satisfaction they evade their full respon
sbty pass the buck others Being the officers response
Bile for whatever goes right wrong they constantly the
meight-for praise criticism the may be- The peo
n1ec and find Z do be-