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MR. GARRISON: We have spent some time with many people around the island. I might mention those. We have spent time with Virginia Isbell ; we have spent time with the West Hawaii Committee; we have spent a limited time with the Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and the Hilo Contractor ' s Association who are doing a study on this. We have discussed with them, with all of these people--as well as individuals, select individuals , around the island--as to what some of the things that we are talking about--whether they would work or whether they would not work ; whether they would improve or whether they would not improve. And it has , basically, been our consensus that the general recommendations we have made here have been county wide recommendations. The implications of those things , the language that is to be written on those has been differing in one form or another, but the basic idea is pretty well uniform from our experience and those who _:have -been setting the issue around the island. in reading the charter oursel'.ves and discussing it within our committee, we have all come to the same conclusions that the other groups have as well. That the charter we are living with is probably an excellent charter and that not too many changes or recommendations really need to be made. But those that could improve the distribution of the legislative process and the administrative process for the people of the island could possibly be improved in these ways. The redistricting, yes , there are a number of ways 'In _which it can be handled. Tb replace from seven members on the council with three at-large and four from each district --on the representative district. Or nine separate districts with no at-large. Maybe five with four at-large. There are a number of ways that it can be handled. But, of course, the challenge is up to you, gentlemen, to kind of make those decisions at that point. Our recommendation is somewhat uniform around the island, from those that we have talked toR, that a councilmari should be elected from his district and be answerable to the people of his district on a day to day basis. Rather than have the ambiguousness of being elected from some- place else anddropping by "once yin-.,..awhile to say hello and goodby and that is the end of the story. It seems to be a very workable process that most of the people who are reviewing the charter, including some government people, feel could be beneficial to the Island of Hawaii. MR. ISHIDA: Is it your organization ' s belief that there is no basis for at-large councilmen? MR. GARRISON: Yes, that is our belief and I am going to have to question one of my associates as to why we came up with that. It was some time ago that we did that. May I have just a moment---Mr. Chairman, could I interject another gentleman_ in-to the =proceedings? I would like to intro- duce the past president of the Kona Coast Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Gordon Bartsch He says what I wanted to say much better than I and I would like to have him say it. - 17 -