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Ex-liquor chief
should earn his pay

THE ISSUE The Liquor Commission wants the former administrator to work until his retirement.

THE city Liquor Commission's requirement that ousted administrator Wallace Weatherwax work to earn his last three months of pay before his retirement is not an unreasonable demand. Though he may have hard feelings about his exit, Weatherwax should take the high road by complying, which would help salvage his reputation as he leaves the job.

Weatherwax agreed to resign as head of the agency that has seen years of scandal with eight former investigators convicted of racketeering, extortion and bribery among other charges, a highly critical management audit and a continuing federal investigation.

As part of a settlement, Weatherwax was placed on administrative leave with pay and will be allowed to retire at the end of October. The settlement also calls for Weatherwax to be "available to assist" the commission "through transition, should the commission so desire."

The commission has told Weatherwax, a lawyer, to report for work Monday at the Corporation Counsel's Office, the city's legal branch, to process a backlog of liquor investigation cases. The settlement disallows him to return to his former work place, but because commission files hold confidential information, Weatherwax cannot do the work at his home as he had wanted.

Weatherwax's pay is within the highest level civil service employees can earn, between $70,000 to $100,000 a year. No wonder Mayor Hannemann wants to see some return for taxpayers' money.

However, Weatherwax's lawyer, Eric Seitz, contends the work being assigned is "entry level," and "intended to be demeaning."

There appears to be no effort to humiliate Weatherwax. Rather, it seems that the commission wants a good day's work for a good day's pay, which the settlement does not prohibit.

Seitz has threatened to sue the city, which could prove costly if his client is forced to report to work. The legal intimidation only exacerbates an already unpleasant episode.

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Oahu fruit is ripe
for irradiation

THE ISSUE A Hawaii company plans to build a facility to irradiate fruits and vegetables.

OAHU farmers can celebrate a major boost next February when a commercial radiation facility opens near Honolulu Airport. The apparatus will enable them to disinfect papayas and other fruit and vegetables with X-rays so they can expand markets on the mainland and in Japan, which bans untreated produce.

Michael Kohn's Pa'ina Hawaii has submitted an application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for operation of an "underwater, pool-type commercial irradiator," and approval is virtually certain. The technology, the preferred method of killing bacteria, fruit flies and other insect pests, has widespread acceptance and the commission should give its quick go-ahead.

The proposal may face Luddite opposition similar to the unfounded protests that preceded the opening of an irradiation facility in the Puna district of the Big Island five years ago. Opponents exploited preposterous fears comparing the process with nuclear power and even nuclear weapons.

Henry Curtis, president of the Life of the Land environmental group, concedes that the process "may not leave any radiation on the food," but he is "not sure if it affects the nutritional value or if toxics might be produced."

Those concerns are baseless. The Food and Drug Administration began approving irradiation of food products more than 40 years ago and it is now used in 37 countries. It is endorsed by the American Medical Association, the World Health Organization and other authoritative bodies.

As for Curtis's concern, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports, "The foods are not changed in nutritional value and they are not made dangerous as a result of the irradiation."

The new facility should provide an economical incentive to increase production of papayas and exotic fruits grown here for shipment elsewhere.

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