Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-03-01
4SHORT. BALLOT CHARTER FAVORED
BY BUSINESSMEN AT PUBLIC HEARING
Hall of Representatives Crowded. and Varied Ideas Expressed
Majority Believe Present Charter Needs Radical Revision
Murray Alone Defends Conventions Proposal

toffieers. and the centerlng OF all the
powers CT the city and county In such
| few. ~. ~
by having few elective officers
and making them important said
Judge Frear, capable people will be
more winning TO run for office. They
viii not be hampered by all veto from
above or by e.ectiy. officers below
over whom they have no control. They
will be the whole thing and they will
I be in position to do things. They do
not get the blame il things go wrong
unless they are TO blame They can
! avoid blame by doing things.
Voters Can Be Trusted
This is no 'silk.stocking method
OF government fer the purpose of get.
ting in the socalled better element
The voters can be trusted to elect
men who are in touch with the people,
and not the socalled 'highbrows.'
Under the amendments it is pro-
vided that only the board of super
yisors be elected, and one or two 9TH
er officers, an auditor and mayor
The mayor would be elected from
among the supervisors themselves. We
give the mayor the right to vote but
not the power to veto. We believe
he should be one of the board OF SUI
pervisors with power concentrated in
that board.
I'VE Sropose that the mayor be
elected at large, that there be three
supervisors from the fourth and three
from the fifth, and that the auditor be
elected at large. 1t is further provid-
ed that the supervisors shall appoint
all heads of departments and that they
in turn appoint their assistants.
This is a serious matter. To car
ry the present city charter further in
the same direction would be a mis-
take, II it is found to be unsatisfactory
Why not give this new system a trial?
Then 1t Will be possible to compare
it."
Whitney Favors Business Government
Circuit Judge William L. Whitney
spoke emphatically in favor OF the
short ballot system and of the amend
ments as proposed by the chamber
He declared the short ballot to be the
only real business system. And the
government, he added, is thing that
every citizen wants to run as BUSH
ness proposition.
Citing the working of a large cor
poration with it's board of directors,
Judge Whitney said that exactly the
same proposition is illustrated when
It comes TO city government. He said
he thought that the selection of the
officers of the city should be left to
the supervisory
/ G. w. Smith pointed out that the en-.
tire charter proposition had been very
Of commerce, and taat tthee reeomnefi-'
dations made by Judge Frear in the
amendments was the consensus of
opinion of the chamber. He declared
that the. power ot appointment of sub
ordinate officers should lie with the
supervisors.
Make Responsibility Clear
The main point" he added, 'is to
put the powers in the hands of men
that can be held responsible to the yot-
ers In the appointment of these off,
GERS, leaving them to select the men
who would perform the actual manual
operations These amendments are not
offered in a critical sense. We have
endeayored to enlist your aid to assist
us In obtaining the best form of pro-
gressiye city government for Honolu-
lu.'
Murray Defends Convention Charter
Harry z. Murray, manager of the
water department, defended the con-
yenIi0n charter bill, saying that, to
some extent, he believed in the short
! ballot.
Il am accused Of being the man for
whom this charter vas made" he
said.
Present Charter Criticized
He wanted to know If the voters
wanted to have supervisors who would
spend only an. hour a day in the in
terest of city government. It is inn
possible under the present system to
get anywhere, he declared "If want
something" he added, Il cannot APP
pear before the board have to put
the matter before certain designated
supervisor. In that way we get no
where. Subordinates are given no
chance to talk to the board. I say
that the responsibility has got to be
/ fixed somewhere
What We lack here is city pride, -
Murray continued. Unless you abol-
ish the frontage tax, the superinten-
dent Of city works is nothing more
than a construction engineer He de-
clared himself in favor of the mana
geriaI form of government. adding that
the sooner the city begins work along
this line the better it will be for all
concerned
Logan Opposes City Division
SuDervisor Daniel 0can said no was