The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1860-07-12

government had no systematic organization prior
to the year 1910. In fact. there was then no
real government-the King was sovereign, but
his chiefs were nearly equal to him, and between
them the whole authority was divided. There
were no public works, or public houses, or public
servants, properly speaking 1t was IN May,
1912, if We remember rightly, that DIR. G. 2.
Judd, at the request of the Chiefs, entered their
service for the purpose of organizing a govern
ment. At this time there were no duties or i'm
ports, and all taxes TO the chiefs were paid in
kind. At the time the Doctor entered King
Kauikeouli's service, the government. if such it
NAV be called, owed oUer one hundred thousand
dollars.
About January, 1913, 1--WE have not the exact
date,) a duty of three per cent. on all foreign
importations was imposed. This, of course, was
imperfectly collected, but still it was the germ of
a revenue for the government. 1t continued till
March, lS43, when the British Commission, then
in authority, raised it to four per cent, which
continued till July 81, lS43, when the Hawaiian
flag was restored, and the duty returned to the
former rate of three per cent, and continued the
same till July, 1845, when it was raised under
the provisions of the Statute Laws to five per
cent. In the spring of 1916, the French Treaty
was negotiated, and from that date the duties on
spirituous liquors were raised from FIVE per cent
to SIS per gallon. The revenue law of 1S45, i'm
posing five per cent. on merchandise, continued
till superseded by the Civil Code, June &c, 1860,
a term of over fifteen years.
Whatever may be the difference of opinion
respecting the policy instituted by DR.. Judd,
there can be but one opinion among all impartial
men, respecting his financial sagacity, and the
ro,,or;+ oftond;n~ b;S dp,ip,Sfrot,N He
in Office elepen years, and left the public treasury
with a surplus of about 500 700, although he
had found the government about 800, 600 in
debt, as we have before stated. Notwithstanding
that he left the treasury $40, 900 better off than
when he found it, he succeeded in carrying out
a large number of public improvements, at a
time when facilities for making them were few
and difficult among them, the old custom-house,
and the wharves near it, the market-house, the
Polynesian Office, the courthouse, the improve
ment of Queen street, the Nuuanu road and
bridges, the road over the Pail, and several roads
on the other islands. Besides these, if we
rightly, the water-pipes were purchased
under his administration, and in 1914 the
schooner Ka,nehameha III. was bought for
SIS, 900 or more, which vessel was afterwards
away by the French.
We have thus alluded to DR.. Judd's successful
administration to contrast it with the present
order of things. Since he was turned out of
,fice, seven years have elapsed, and though pub
ic improvements have been vigorously prosecuted,
number of salaried officers and general expen-
es of the government have been allowed to in
,rease in n far greater ratio, till now we find the
about 5000, 900 worse off than it was
when the Doctor retired, in 1858.
The present debt of the government originated,
We believe, in August, 1857, when the first Ex-
hequer Bills were issued. On the LIST of April,
$50, it stood at $128,777, showing an increase
ince August, 1857, at the rate of nearly 5000
er annum. Surprising the increase continues at
he same rate (S50,O0O a year) for the next ten
ears, that it has for the past three years, (and
re judge from the report of the Minister of
nance that it is intended to continue borrowing
noney,) then it is fair to presume that our public
ebt will stand on the first of January, 1870, not
KS than ]
S02S,OOO!
is no idle theory, but will absolutely result
the present policy pursued by the govern
rent. How, with the other expenses of the
is the interest on half a million of
ebt to be provided. A large national debt is a
ertain forerunner of national poverty, bank
uptcy and ruin, unless in the case of powerful
or maritime nations. Let our ma
onal debt only go on increasing, and the day
assuredly come when the sarcastic question
T our neighbor, Brother Jonathan, What will
ou take for your melon ~patch?" will have a
arked significance. Ten years is but a short
and many who read these lines may live to II
illness the truth of these remarks. ii
Let our Legislators then pause while they have in
in their power to apply the cure and check the IL
of that cancer which is showing itself on ST
e political body. q