The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-04-13
Solons Prefer ITO Trust Doctor
Pratt" Than @Any Flu
ture Mayor
AMENDMENTS APLENTY IN
BILL TO BE REPORTED OUT
Measure As II Stands Gives
Mayor Full Power To Hire
and Fire

Control Of the public health will re-
main with the territorial board of
health, under the provisions of the new
Charter Act, as Il will be reported out
on the floor of the senate with amend
ments by the select committee OF Oahu
senators. Va
! am free TO say, announced Senator
Castle to his fellow members, that I'D
rather take a chance with Doctor Pratt
than whoever may be selected the next
mayor Of Honolulu. .5.. ..,.. i 2,
There was no opposition from the
other Oahu senators present to this
policy and, in consequence, the entire
first sentence Of Section "a Of the bill
as it came from the house was stricken
out and a substitute win be prepared,
clearly defining the paramount powers
Of the board OF health. The deleted
sentence reads as follows: I
"The mayor shall have charge Of all
health matters Of the city and county
and possess all the powers and perform
all the duties pertaining to health regu
lntions (the bill should read "such du-
ties'') ns are now or may hereafter be
required by the laws of the Territory
. and the ordinances Of the city anc
county, and all matters relating TO food
supplies and sanitation in the city and
county, with the exception Of natter
relating to lepers, infectious or con.
tagious diseases and quarantine accord
ing to- the provisions of the laws in
such matters, shall be under his direc.
ton and control. !" ...'. .5... "a, 81 q
support the Board .&&.' .#&. ..-sE :
Or. ,. 8, B. Pratt, president of tho
board Of health, pointed out to Senator
Cooke, chairman of the senate health
committee, that as this section reads
II would compel the city to build and
mnintain separate insane asylum. Thi
point was not raised in committee, how
ever, as no disposition to curtail tn,
present powers Of the board developed
The meeting yesterday afternoon was
purely informal. Members drifted IL
and out and much of the time only
three of the six senators were present
Those that did attend showed, how
ever, that It is the present disposition
of the committee to stand by the tes
vote taken Monday, which declared II
favor Of giving the mayor unrestricted
powers to hire and fire, without con
frmation by the supervisors, and of di
viding the board of supervisors thre,
and three, from the fourth and fftl
districts respectively. r..s.- ~
In proof, the committee struck GU
from line thirty mine of Section sixty
four the clause requiring the mayor {,
appoint a chief of the fire department
subject to the approval of the board O
supervisors, and this action was takei
explicitly for the sake Of conformity
The present charter permits the cit,
attorney to practise privately if h.
wishes The city attorney doesn u TAX
advantage of his freedom, but he couli
If he wished, and others have. TIL
new charter expressly says: ~
1.-THE city and county attorney shall
not represent any party having claim
account or demand for ALLOWANCE
against the city and county, nor shall
he or his deputies engage in an,
private practise involving litigation
during their terms of office" a.
VIII Oppose Brown .. "E
The second sentence of this section
was stricken out, leaving the city at
torney free TO practise. Politically an,
personally, the effect of this clause i
that there win be plenty of Democrati
opposition to Arthur Brown, the incum
bent and the leading candidate 70
the Republican nomination, f..
. Brown is content to hold Office Othe
attorneys think more highly of thei
private practise and, if it were fOI
hidden, would be loath to run agains
him.
These amendments, however, are ter
tative only II remains to be see
how the bill will look when it is n
drawn aud what action the senate vii
take on the committee's report Othe
changes were tech nical purely, save 70
Section lO4, which now reads:
The city and county attorney ma
~ appoint deputies and such other en-
Moves as he sees fit, who shall hol
their Offices at his pleasure, and tn
specific duties of each shall be pref
eTibed by him."
As amended, the section reads: GA
officer of the police department sha
be~permanently detailed by the sherit
for the purpose Of doing the deteetiv
work necessary and preparing an
prosecuting the litigation Of the oflic,
and who shall continue to serve o
such detail during the pleasure of th
city and county Attorney
Cihches Lakes JOB 49,.
The political and personal applies
ton of this amendment is that
cinches Harry Lake in his job.
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