The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1860-02-09
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
THERSD4Y. EEB. Q.


The last number of the PoIynesian contains
some four or FIVE columns of official correspon
dence relating TO complaints of Mr.. j. I. Water
house, made To the Government through the
Acting British Consul and Commissioner, VIM.
l.. Green, Esq. These Complaints relate princi-
pally to the (as it is claimed) unjust assessment
IF taxes under the new Civil Code. The cor
resrOndence comprises first, a letter from the
Acting British Consul to the Minister of Foreign
Relations, enclosing Mr.. Waterhouse's com
plants The reply consists of n lengthy letter
from the Minister of Foreign Relations, accom-
panied by a similar one from the Minister
of Finance, and another from one of the as
SCISSORS. Were not the letters 50 lengthy, we
should like to give them in full. The com
plants of Mr.. Waterhouse, which have given
= rise to this correspondence, are briefly these, as
stated by himself:
My agent in Lahaina rendered = return Of nv per-
soual property. also Of ry real estate ut that place.
The amount returned e. tle latter was the price il
WIS purchased for me by the hammer, and paid for
by me about two years since, during which time il
has been unoccupied and inlet The Assessors would
not accept OF this return, and put IL up twenty-five
PER cent. and upwards; and II they hal put down one
thousand dollars for every hundred paid, [ could not
help myself, rs there Is no right Of appeal, but must
suffer any imposition / may meet with.
The amount Of my Assessment in Lahaina has been
paid under protest, for which ] have received the re-
'ceipt Of the Tax Collector TO that effect. You will
perceive under this ruling tine slavery I am reduced
10 under the existing law. 1 have been given to IN
derstand by the Consul General and Commissioner
for France, thu the existing law Is contrary to treaty
stipulatIons-
Case 2. The Government Tax Collector has brought
ne in 4 bill for S255 u, assessed in Honolulu.
I informed him that assessment Of nv property it.
self was wrong, and made the following IN
The real estate was satisfactory the personal property
ut the time claimed (3lst August) was upwards Of
S2o.O 900 less than the amount assessed-that is what
was actually in my possession, they having no power
over my property that was not here, IS L have not
taken the oath Of allegiance; carriages, horses, dogs,
etc, were returned also wrong. He informed me the
law left no alternative, and his duty was to seize my
property Against such an unjust proceeding | have
no appeal. but beg to claim protection as a British
subject.
am friendly disposed to the Government, and l
sympathise with them in what i. just, and would be
willing to forego what might be my legal claim as to
the payment Of taxes at all before September, 1860,
but cannot forego my right Of returning a proper
assessment.
/ was ignorant of the law in regard to my making
= return Of my property. The Assessors have never
called upon me for my return, and have assessed me
unjustly, against which there Is no appeal. The
Government did not promulgate the Civil Code before
the month Of October last, and by this neglect have
kept me in the dark as to my duty in making Il re-
turn. / would refer you to Sec. LIST, Civil Code, 'No
written Law shall be obligatory without being first
printed and made public Also see Sec. 2. - All
laws enacted by the legislative power Of the kingdom
hall be deposited and preserved in the Office Of the