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THE MAUI NEWS, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1915.
THE MAUI NEWS
Entered at the Tost Offlce at Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii, as second-class matter.
A Republican Paper Published in the Interest of the People
Issued Every Friday.
MAUI PUBLISHING COMPANY, LIMITED,
Proprietors and Publishers.
Subscription Rates, $2.50 fer Year in Advance.
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KAHULUI RAILROAD CO'S
WILL J. COOPER,
EDITOR AND MANAGER
DECEMBER 24, 1915.
FRIDAY
erchandlse Department
MERRY CHRISTMAS.
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The Maui News wishes all its readers a very Merry Christmas.
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LET'S TAKE IT AS A LESSOX AND GO AHEAD.
THE MAUI NEWS has no quarrel with County Auditor Wilcox.
On the contrary it appreciates the fact that he has done good work in
unraveling the tangle in the Makawao and Wailuku waterworks, and
that he has not had any too enthusiastic support. Also it credits Mr.
Wilcox with he'ng honest and sincere in the discharge of the duties of
his oil ice as he understands these duties. Just what the law docs require
o'f a county auditor, isn't very clear. But it is clear that it outlit to
include the checkingof the accounts of every official in the county oftener
than once in three years. If it does not, that is not Mr. W ilcox fault.
The point is that very important work that should have been done,
has not been done. If Mr. Wilcox believes that this work was a part
ot his sworn duty, then he must in his own mind stand convicted of
neglect. But the MUI NEWS has not yet so condemned him.
But it is very certain that many persons do believe that the auditor
has neglected his duty; and it is very likely that the courts may have
to decide whether he is legally so guilty or not. County Attorney
Bevins states that it will be his duty to proceed against the Auditor's
bondsmen as well as against Edmund Hart's bondsmen, in order to
recover the circuit court clerk's shortages.
If the county auditor is not responsible for the checking of county
officials' accounts, who is? This is the question that the public demand
an answer to. And if nobody can be held so responsible, it is certainly
time to condemn the work of the legislature which has made such a
situation possible. Mr. Wilcox was elected by the people. It is ex
tremely doubtful whether or not the supervisors can compel him to do
anything in the line of his duties; nor if it were his duty to check up
the accounts of the county departments, that the supervisors could
prevent his so doing. The courts would probably sustain the auditor
in compelling the supervisors to pay for all reasonable work necessary
in the performance of his duties. Did Mr. Wilcox ever call on the
courts to help him?
The question that will have to be answered is simply whether it
is up to the auditor to audit the county departments or whether it is
not. Nothing else enters into the mater.
We do not believe that Mr. Wilcox was intentionally negligent of
his duties, whether he actually was or not; but we do know, and every
one will agree, that any system that does not provide for auditing
oftener than once in three or four years, is badly conceived, and sooner
or later must come to grief. The thing we want right now is not so
much the placng of the blame for something that has happened and
cannot be undone but the making impossible of a repetition of such an
occurrence. The MAUI NEWS will most cordially join with Mr.
Wilcox, and with every other citizen of Maui in working to this end.
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FINISH THE JOB, MESSRS. SUPERVISORS.
Everything points to the fact that the chloroform sponge is being
liberally applied to the Makawao and Wailuku waterworks insestiga
tions. Both appear Jo be on the point of breathing their last. The
grand jury of the October term passed the buck back to the supervisors.
The county engineer tried to do his duty and collect some back rates
from. Makawao delinquents, and got sat upon it was 1 ad politics.
The County Auditor submitted a comprehensive report at the last meet
ing, and the pigeon-hole is yawning for this.
It must not be inferred that absolutely nothing has been done. The
supervisors have accomplished something in putting in charge new
superintendents for both waterworks systems. In the Wailuku water
works, at least, this has resulted in the collection of a good bit of monty
due to the county. But the evident disposition to go no further should
be resisted. The fact that the Makawao system is costing the county
$1000 to $1200 more per month than it returns in revenue; that it has
been shown that but a small fraction of the water that enters the pipe
line is paid for; tha the system is in bad physical condition; and that
nothing definite has been done to remedy these conditions, is evidence
sufficient that the work so well started is in nowise finished. There is no
valid reason why all money owing for water should not be collected, or
else lose the use of the water until such debts are paid. There is no
reason why every meter should not be registered properly. There is no
reason why all the ieople of Maui should be paying for an inefficient
and badly managed piece of property. There is a different of opinion
as to whether or not the Makawao system can ever be made to pay
its own way. But there is no difference of opinion that it should be
operated on a strictly business-like basis as far as management an J up
keep are concerned.
It isn't going to do much good to try to fix the blame for past
mismanagement, but it is going to be a blot on the record of the present
board of suiervisors if it sidesteps its duty and permits things to con
tinue to drift.
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CHRISTMAS.
Another Christmas is at hand, and the struggle in blood-soaked
Europe still goes on. Nor is the end in sight. Again on this birthday
of the Prince of Peace will the self-style Christian nations grapple in
the deadly strife. Again will suffering wives and mothers, at home in
their misery and despair, pray to the gentle Nazarene for peace and
for the victory of their men-folk at the front. Agan will American
churches 4e thronged with worshipers, who wll on the morrow be
again clammoring with tongue and pen for the agencies of war to slay
the'r fellow men. Followers of Chrst? Perhaps. But He who taught
the love of enemies and the turning of the other cheek to him who
smites, must near despair at the irony of such profession.
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Editor Luther D. Timmons, of the Garden Island, has been appoint
ed iostmaster at Lihue. Timmons is a good democrat from the land
w here democrats are the principal crop, which possibly accounts for the
appointment in part. It doesn't account for the fact, however, that
Mr. Timmons is a deputy tax assessor, secretary of the Kauai chamber
of commerce, chairman of the industrial accident board, and a few more
things we can't remembered off hand. The secret of all this office
holding is that Timmons is a hustler and never backs away from hard
work.
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Auditor Wilcox might do worse, in spending that $1000 appropriat
ed by the supervisors for special auditing work, than to employ an ex
ert to trace out the threads of the circuit court accounts tangle to
their end. Because the court's work has been interwoven pretty closely
with most of the other departments of the country such a checking up
would at the same time be a check on the finances of practically the
whole county. Now that the results of neglec't are apparent, it is high
time that we find out just where we do stand,
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Of course it isn't militarism it's only preparedness. Militarism
will take care of itself.
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