The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1868-07-04

pie Of the imbecilc management to which we 80 oft
en- call attention. Of all work done for the Govern
ment, the translation Of laws should be most faith
fully and correctly performed, and it is omewhat
singular that with all the native-born foreigners,
we should be 30 deficient in good translators.
1t is to be hoped that future Assemblies may
prohibit smoking. both for thei- own sake and
that OF visitors, and conduct their sessions in this
respect in accordance with the practice of all civ
iIized countries. Only one or two seriously dis
graceful cases of drunkenness have occurred in
this Assembly, though the custom ofliquor drink
ing among the members has largely increased.
The first important business of the session was
Ithe settling ofcontested seats. OF these the case of
Nv. G. Jones of S. Kona was the most prominent.
iThe only real question here was with regard to
the power of the Assembly to 60 behind the ere
dentials, and question his eligibility without petit
ton from constituents. This was settled by a(
cording said power to the Assembly, and il was
also settled that the Mobiles and Representatives
have, as the House is now constituted, equal and
coordinate powers in deciding as to the eligibility
Of all members. It was also established that in
all cases OF this sort, there shall be a new election,
instead of the seat d~evolving to the candidate re-
cciving the next highest number of votes. The
other contested seats were all retained by the sit
ting members, it being held that there was alack2
Of evidence in some cases, and IN Others the mum.
Der of illegal votes cast, and the number prevented
from voting by early closing of the polls, being too
small to affect the result of the election.
The horse-tax bill doomed up early in the session
rs a matter of importance. As it has since been
vetoed, it requires but lite notice here, save that
1t would have seemed more likely to have received
the royal signature had it been in its original form,
and as supported by the radical side of the House,
who were beaten by a majority of one. This spe-
cial tax with others will probably come before the
Committee on Taxation whom the Assembly APP
pointed to give the whole subject OF Revenue
from Taxation careful consideration, with instruc-
tons to report to the next Legislature.
At an early date also a resolution to indemnify
the Government for the expenses of the Kau Relief
Expedition was passed, with little or no opposition.
The main business of the SESSION arranged itself
under the heads OF Educational, judiciary. SANTA
~, Military, Internal Improvements, Foreign
Trade and immigration. We will briefly sum up
what was attempted and what was accomplished
in these different departments.
In the educational, the ministerial measures were
TO provide for registering all school children,
and forbidding the transfer from one school to an
other without a written permit by both teacher
and parent. Also to compel the providing OF
school books, by allowing the teacher to charge
books deemed necessary to the parent, and by en-
lbiing the tax collector to collect the pay for the
same. The Committee measures, which by the
way, received the sanction of the Board of Educa-
ion. were embodied in a bill providing that the
parents should choose one member of the local
'chooi boards, which boards were to have the ap-
pointment of teachers, subject to appeal to the
Board OF Education. This bill, after passing the
Assembly without opposition, was summarily We
ocd by the King, whose refusal to sign said bill
anne to the Assembly just ten minutes before tho
'our OF prorogation. Much indignation was felt
m the part of the representative members, and, to
ay the least, the affair places the Ministers in a