Evening star., 1932-01-20
HAWAIIANS PROFESS ABILITY
TO SOLVE OWN PROBLEMS
Leading Citizens, However, Doubt Olti-
mate Success Unless Form OF
Government Is Changed.

lived in Honolulu for so years says he
sees no startling change in conditions.
RiIev n Allen, editor of the Honolulu
star bulletin, says that visitors from
abroad are coming and going as freely
as ALWAYS. But these views are not
shared by the wives of naval officers.
II do not think" says one, that
Honolulu is a safe place for women
whether they are the wives OF naval
officers or OF civilians. Two wives of
officers have recently been grossly in
suited by gangs of hoodlums.'
Police Chaos Seen.
A member of the Legislature said to
me today: THE Honolulu police force
is almost non-eXiStent. 1t Is protected
bv a useless Civil Service Commission
and II is impossible to eradicate unde-
sirable members. The appointments of
successive political administrations are
mixed together in chaos, and the police
force must be completely georganized.
So must the Office of city and county
attorney. We are going to clean up this
mess The situation is largely due to
conplaisance and neglect by influential
white men here The better element is
entirely responsible"
A. G. M. Robertson, formerly chief
Justice of the Supreme Court of Homo
lulu. takes a more lenient view of the
police force. He says it has been known
for inefficiency rather than for graft
He adds that so far as crimes of vio-
lence are concerned statistics should
show how Honolulu compares with other
cities of similar size and situation. My
impression is that the comparison would
be favorable to Honolulu.
-5el1% N1,,N,
Roy Bush and George Dennison, both
of the board of supervisors, agree that
an elective chief of police has been the
basis of difficulties and that an ap-
pointive chief will make great i'm
provement Nearly all important off,
cials in this city are white.
II think it fair to state" says DR..
Paul wilmington, leading physician
who was brought up on these islands,
that our problem is similar to that of
any American community Of this size
at this time"
Judd Called Weak.
Mrs. Gertrude M. Damon, president
of the League of Women Voters and Of
the Humane Society, says that official
figures for sex crimes do not represent
the true condition, and that there Is a
tendency to minimize and drop such
cases.
There is a general feeling that Gov.
Judd is q weak executive, prone to play
politics. The Governor declined to be
interviewed, saying that press Of busi-
ness prevented. The following statement
was made by Edward M. Irwin, editor
and publisher Of the Honolulu Times,
who has long been a resident OF Homo
lulu:
For a hundred years the native Ha-
yaiians and the whites in Hawaii lived
together in peace and harmony. Crimes
such as rape were almost unheard Of.
But we imported population. There
poured into our land confusion OF
peoples. Chinese, Japanese, Russians,
Portuguese, Spanish, Filipinos and
Koreans.
Their sons and daughters are Amer
ican citizens by reason OF their place
of birth, but in large part they have
not only failed to absorb the Ideals
and traditions Of America, but have
cast aside those of their own ancestors.
They call themselves Americans and
insist on all privileges Of American
citizenship while refusing to assume
its responsibilities, and they are rap
idly becoming the dominant factor In
politics
Most Law-Abiding.
1.-THE more substantial element Of the
community, particularly the white
whose roots are in the soil Of Hawaii
and the Hawaiians, to whose ancestors
this land once belonged, are for the
most part law-abiding and abhor such
crimes as have recently shocked the
Nation.
"Now they are awake, but it is q
question If they have not awakened
too late. They can and will cure the
present illness, but can they build ur
healthy body out of the material
they have to work with? There is q
limit to the capacity Of the melting
pot"
E. White Sutton, treasurer Of the
Honolulu Bar Association, says thai
the commission form of government
has been in the back of the minds OF
many here. 1 believe that the present
situation will be cleared UP for year
or so, but, with the growing Oriental
population, the future is In doubt.
(Copyright, 1882. by the North American
NewSpaper Alliance. Inc