The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1858-07-01

rector of the government press pretend to say tina
this $14, 622 is not drawn in part from the diff
ferent government departments? We're the trutf
told outright, we think the two sums would b.
reversed, and S14 900 would be shown as pait
in different ways by the government, while only
five or six thousand are from outside sources
We may be in error, however. Another ques
ton of interest to the public is, how much is re
ceived by the government press from the stamp
tax, and what is done with the receipts?
"The moral and political influence" which a
government press exerts is everywhere to degrade
a government to the level of a -jobbing
corporation, which result should not be lost
sight of, albeit the report loses sight of it en-
tirely. The policy of the Ministry is here clearly
indicated to maintain the press, let it cost what
it may, however poor the public purse may be in
consequence, and that its maintenance is g para
mount to any pecuniary consideration and
needed 8 4: to explain its measures, vindicate its
principles, and rebuke faction and captiousness.
Let the policy indicated only be carried out, let
the rights of individuals be trampeled on and
sacrificed to sustain an inefficient ministry and its
supporters, and the result will follow without
further concern.
The receipts of the Honolulu post-ofiice for two
years, as shown by the postmaster's report in the
appendix, are $751; 80; the expenses about
the same. Of the total receipts about one-fourth
was collected for the United States and European
governments. The rumber of foreign letters re-
ceived was Is ,097 the number of foreign letters
sent away was 81 ,442, making a total of 35,539
foreign letters passing the office during eighteen
months. The number of inter island letters pass
ing the Office monthly is stated to be 2,462. or
40, OSS for two years. The postmaster suggests
that a small postage of two cents be imposed on
inter-isiand letters. We have always opposed
this suggestion, which has before been made, as
calculated to check native correspondence SO far
as sending through the mails is concerned, and as
opposed to the true interests for which the depart
ment is established, and which is to foster and
encourage correspondence between the natives re-
siding on different islands, and let them feel more
united and acquainted. The idea of dealing with
our native population as though they were on a
par with the refined and educated masses of older
countries, is an error we too often fall into.
They could never be made to understand the rea-
sonableness of the tax, and if they did would
never pay it. So far as the foreign population
is concerned the proposed change might work
well. But if carried out, it would undoubtedly
have the effect of throwing our mail privileges
back. to what they were ten years ago, when
every man was a mail carrier for his %neighbor.
We trust that an intcr-island postal tax will not
for a moment be entertained.
What is said in the report about the Land Of
flee and sales of land we refer to those Interested,
as it hints that a considerable amount of the
land sold has been bought for and is : held ON
speculation Not being interested in land spec
ulation ourselves. and las the price of real estate
in and around Honolulu is evidently on the de-
cline, we Judge that the proposal to lease instead
of sell will meet general favor, albeit the report
gives the average price which the thirty-one thou
sand acres sold have realized, as only serenty-fre
cents per acre! No wonder spectators have been
on the move. An appendix, showing how many
acres have been sold to government employees,
would be a very curious document
What is said in regard to the need of n steamer
meet general approval. The only regret Is
that the Minister could not, instead of pointing
out the necessity, now point to oneof these much
needed and life-giving improvements as floating
in our harbor. But we cannot mend the faults
the past. and hope that his next report will be
able to do what this should have done.
The Road Tax Act, passed by the Legislature
Of 1856, appears from the report to have worked
well. and we have no doubt of the correctness of
the statements made. The old mode OF electing
road supervisors who were utterly incompetent TO
take charge of a cow-path, was productive OF
great evil, and we are happy to see II reform.
The roads everywhere are spoken of as being
better than in former years, but in some
places are still susceptible of improvement. But
this is "a work of time. The law, however, is
of being still further improved.
Had the report of the Minister closed here it
would have been more in conformity with prece-
dent. and less liable to censure but it gives us
three pages devoted to morals and religion, which
subject is altogether out of place, and wholly I'M
for, especially as the same topics are treat
ed at length in the proper place, the report of the
Department of Education. These last pages of
the report smack SO clearly of the paganohogy (f
we may coin an appropriate word) which has
characterized the columns of the government
organ for the past two or three years, when al
luding to morals, that little doubt exists as to
the origin of the sentiments expressed. No one
believe that the Minister of the Interior ever
penned them.
Says the report: Had the fifth commandment
been as strenuously insisted upon, as carefully ex-
and inculcated as the fourth, the con-
formity to its behests could not have failed to be
as strikingly observable as is the conformity to
the behests of that other commandment" The
assumption that the fourth commandment has
been held up as all important while the precepts
of the fifth have been overlooked, is entirely gratu-
itous, and betrays an utter disregard of facts. As
well might the report assume that because licen-
is more prevalent than Sabbath break
ing, therefore the incubation of the seventh COM
has been sadly neglected by the reli-
gious teachers of the people-than which nothing
could be more opposite to the truth. The fact is,
the fifth commandment is as often preached