Ka Hoku o Hawaii, Volume XXXI, Number 34, 22 December 1936 — NEED FOR MORE CASH FOR COUNTY [ARTICLE]

NEED FOR MORE CASH FOR COUNTY

While pledtfintf oooperat ion willi WPA activitics ne\t yoar, rcpr«sentalives of riiy-<'ounty an<l eounty boards of supervisors, met We<lnesday morning at Jlonolnlu in (iovernor Joseph B.■.l > oir!<lexter'fci olTi<-e a:i<l emphasized a pves>ni^ r need for more funds in 19.*n an<i proposcd ways and meuns of gettin<4 il. The meetit)K was cal]cd hy Frank 11. Lo<-ey. WI'A a<lministrator. to diseuss a n<?cessury readjustment of tbe WPA setup lieie due to the faet. tbat month]y allolnienl s trom the federal governinent have heen cut from S3ol>,oOt> 1o

While Uiiinl represeiitative.-, ex~premtf a w!iii«nes«s to dn iiie beM 11jcv eoulel next,.year to\\ard riin)isl)ing: materitils and .supplies fur WPA projects, anel taking b;H'k v'<muU% ēmployes who liuvc boc!ii absorbed b\ work"relief rolls, the time lias eome when the city-county aiul c-ounties shouki be pro\'uled uītb more money.

In -4.he discussion of finam-ial needs, thefee proposal for obtaiuing more funds for < v>unt\ nnd <.'ity-<.'ounty ])urpose were mvde.

An in«rease of i or 2 ceni.> a gallons in the gasoline 1 a\ on the theory this would make more !uiuls availalile for pnblk- iinprov;Miients and eonsequently provide empk>\ nient for more men.

Continuanee of the poll*tax. but divert;the funds to eounty and t'ityeounty purposes from territonal pur poses.

inerease of tbe tax on lieavy niotor vehicle equīpment and trailers on thē theory th.it sufh ■ equ3pment is responsible for tearmg up the roads and should be inaele to pay for it.

A read3ustment of the gross ineome tax rates, with a vie\v to having the territory obtain a lagerr amount of revenue I91" ics purposes from tliis souree.

Governor who attended the conference as an observer, left the \x>ard representutives wilh t\vo wamings.

The first was that the eii Y-eounty and the counties must prepare thomselves now to assume the burden of the eare of ii»digents aiui otliers now on so-callecl l -clirect relief * whioh is financed by the half of 1 percenttax on salarles, wages and divideruls.

The;other|was that it is unlikely ] that the federal gbvernment will givel the territorv more tlian $200,CW a mon-1 th for WPA, and that the county governments must be prepared to furnish materials and supplies if anythiug in the wav of worthwhilc projeets is tobe accomphlised, addingthat the $200,000 mu st go for th e pay of lal>o r. "The half pf 1 per cent situation is goinK to faee you very shortly." the governor said. "This direct relief wi'll expire next June .'5O unless the legislat.ure takcs ai'lion tcuvard extending it.". The goyernor pointed out that this money lrad Ikhmi used for direct rel!ef, »ddiog this uas he purpose of the law aml woukl havc to oome to an end.

"Consequently M he contirnied. "you men huve got to look forward during the uext year to assuming the direet relief burden. U' not, people are to suffer. There is only alK)uts2Bo,ooo in tho fuml now. We all know, of eourse, that tliis mouey was tntended for work relief, but an oniergeucy was crea\cd when the rounttes foui»d they had no funds for indigent miiel' and it had to ln; obtained from othcr sourcēs."

(»overnor Boindexter said it was not fair to imi»se on the working people alone the hunleii of i lie care of indigents, adding tliāt indigeivts shouldt>e taken caiy of bythetaxpayers as a wh<>le, and that tlve ««hligat|on was a couniy and city-ooimty one, .

H®"also polnlwl oul tliut afte) the flrst U»« x lho w«uklns; peoplo wiwlil 'ho tnx»Hn»y tl»o i m>vfcrnm«Mt, aml suul t li:it •*!«> u»KI thts to tlu> hiilf 1 «m nt iini'mPlO.viml ivMtax K 1« 151 > ■ w!«»Uy unfn.Hr mM «'im n«>t Vh' jn>»ti

Th<» miv«n')U>r »»lso wanuMi t!<;»! SM.H)U«r 01* iator thc fodrv:i! ment jr<»tnjī tosliui «.liiwn \Nl'\ »ptiv«ios. antl tliot th-> .'»»-.tnti»«v nn<t li«us»t Uouin n«'« t<* p!-ui f«r tl»o iutww "\vh»>n ;.«>u *vW m>t have <" Mr 4 L«w-i'y (n u«mM . f j;»vatfr »N«unl} iO i« «** IKM :»«*

iimleiiai ;ui<l . su|.»i)lH'fforWl'A projecT;-, s;ud Hj;il in ri j A-enl, itiniiilis WPA «iKpi'mlil ures for Kauai. -.\ifilokiti :ind Mani li;ive iiicreased K r reativ (Uie to the f;u'l thui relkf ro'Hs lia\'ē ljad toab.sorb large nui)ibers ol eounty workers.

When i>uiXirvW)r Manuel K. Agaiar of Kauai indieated that a eertain WPA proje<*t on Kauai \vould have be.vii inoie &a-ti.sfaetor> ~if it hiul betm handled uu<ler eontraet,: Mf. Loeey i-etorted wi 1 ]i~tlr(TStaī eioent thal llie WPA ha<l found it <lill'ieult tohand!e t>ome of t.he (īarde»». Island ••I have done tlie best I ean," Mr. Loeey said. ■'anel if you people on Kauai (lon"t like th«' WI'A. tben I'l! Ket it out ol Iheie." Mr. Airuiar said that "Loeey has heen runni{iK, the \vh<»!e show 011 Kauai,'' but adde<l Ihat "t hioirs <, r ol to u. point \vhere ha<ī U>." ■■— ■ . Ife continued: *>We want toemp ( oj as inany men as possihle—we \v:int> to jtist as many votes- 011 the payi f oll as \ve ean." 'Well/' >Jr. Locey repljcd. u the WPA h:\s atready, taken 2:20. v.oters a\vav from you an<l now it \\ould like 1o have you take tliem haek."

Supervisor .īulian li. Yates of Ilawaii said there were many indiger.it aliens on reliel" roll. and thiit it uiight he a good *thing to return them to their honielands. "You 'ean't do that." asserted Supervisor Toshi Ansai of Maui, '*They have given the best; part of their lives to building up this terrilory." Mr l ■or > py said the cliiklren of here were Amenean eitizens, and tīiat thc parents eoukl not very weil be sent out of the country and the ehildren left, here. I •'Then, v said Mr. Yates,. \lefs tax ihe people who brought them j here, They worked them unUl they eoukin'l. work any longer and theiī threw on to the eommunity."

Governor Poindexter ended tliis depate with llie assertion that neither eohgress nor the loeal legis]ature woul-d enaet legislātion for a eportation ol' that nature.

Ka ijolcu O Hawaii wislies all its readers a very Merry Christinas.