Editorials

Tourism is leading the way to recovery

IF there was any lingering doubt about the resurgence of the visitor industry, the results for February should dispel them. Hotels and resort condominiums had the highest monthly occupancy in six years - 88.33 percent. The rate for Oahu was an impressive 92.81 percent, according to the firm of PKF-Hawaii, which has been monitoring the hotel industry since the 1970s. Waikiki hotels were sold out for several nights - a situation unknown in recent years.

Moreover, average daily room rates have increased - by 7.8 percent to $131.23. The result of the improvement in both occupancy and room rates is a 14.4 percent jump in revenues per available room over a year ago.

Clearly it isn't the visitor industry that is holding the state economy back. In fact, the industry is leading the way to recovery for the economy as a whole. The opening of the convention center, scheduled for 1998, should further strengthen the industry's position.

The closing of the Kau sugar plantation yesterday, ending sugar production on the Big Island, is another example of the state's growing dependence on tourism.

The improving condition of the economy and higher-than-expected state revenues have prompted Moody's, the national credit rating service, to maintain Hawaii's rating at AA, its second highest. These ratings are important because they affect the interest rate the state pays on its bonds.

Moody's says it's still concerned about the state budget and depletion of state reserves. The administration and the Legislature must keep a tight grip on spending. But the resurgence of the visitor industry offers hope for better times for the state economy as a whole.

Other editorials, in brief:

Hung Wo Ching

HUNG Wo Ching, who died Tuesday at 83, was a leader in business and philanthropy who helped break down social barriers against Asians in Hawaii. The son of poor immigrants from China, he achieved success first in real estate development and then through his rescue of Trans Pacific Airlines, which became Aloha Airlines, now the dominant interisland carrier. His accomplishments will serve as an inspiration for generations to come.

Evaluating SAT scores

A national study points out a distortion in state rankings on the Scholastic Assessment Test that has adversely affected the reputation of public education in Hawaii. The study, by two sociologists, Brian Powell of Indiana University and Lala Carr Steelman of the University of South Carolina, contends correctly that states can be ranked fairly according to SAT scores only after the scores are adjusted to take into account the percentage of students who took the test in each state. Without such adjustments, state SAT rankings can't be taken seriously. Unfortunately, Hawaii's mediocre showings have been taken more seriously than they deserved to be.

Same-sex marriage

THE possibility of same-sex marriages or domestic partnerships being granted legal standing in Hawaii has triggered legislative efforts in other states to reject such relationships, but cooler heads seem to be prevailing. The latest defeat of a proposed ban on same-sex marriages came in Colorado, where Gov. Roy Romer vetoed a bill that had narrowly passed the legislature. The issue will eventually come before the U.S. Supreme Court, which will have the last word.

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John M. Flanagan,Editor & Publisher

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Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner,Assistant Managing Editors