The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-05-21
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Advertiser.
SATURDAY. MAY 81.
Inter-IsIand steam.


The ghost of the old steamer KiLauea, which
periodically floats before the Hawaiian people, il
again in sight, this time conjured up by the re
. port Of the Minister Of Finance, who devotet
three pages to it. As we shall have frequent oc-
casion to refer to what the Minister says, we
refer the reader to the report on the supple
ment of this paper.
The Legislature of 1868 passed a law authoriz.
ing the Minister of the Interior to contract with
any individual or company who would engage tC
provide inter-island steamers of a certain ca
pacity and speed, ard to pay the sum oil
SO 900 a year for weekly steam service to
Hawaii, and $4,000 a year for weekly steam SER
vice to Kauai, making in all $4,000 for two
years. This law clearly specified what the service
was to be, and the sum required to meet its pro-
visions was inserted in the Appropriation Bill,
for this and no other object. An additional sum
of Sc, 700 was also voted to make up a deficiency
spent without authority during the previous year,
making n total Of $50, 200 for inter-island steam
service, during lS6S-9,-S3O, 900 to be spent
only under special instructions, and Sc, 200 with
out special Instructions.
The report of the Minister of Finance states
that the above two sums have been withdrawn
from the treasury and expended but in what
way, or how used, is not stated. Referring
to it, the report says: the Assembly placed
at the disposal of the Minister of Finance the
sum of $50, 200, for the purposes of inter-island
steam navigation, this sum being unrestricted By
any directions"
Now We maintain that the Legislature did, in
the law referred to, clearly direct how this sum
of $4,000 should be spent that it declared
that it was to be spent solely for a certain object,
which was inter-island steam service during the
biennial period provided for by the bill. Yet the
Ministers come before the people, and coolly assert
that the sum was simply % entrusted to the dis
erection of His Nlajesty's Government and on
this specious plea it has been withdrawn from the
National Treasury. What has been done with it,
we are not told. Certainly it has not been spent
for the object for which it was voted. With as
good reason the S6O, 900 voted for a palace might
have been taken to buy lands, on the plea that it
could be obtained whenever wanted. If such
an administration of public affairs is to be con-
tinued, why not dispense with the Legislature at
once, instead of keeping up this public farce of
appropriating moneys for a specific object, and
having them used for another If this is not OBJ
tanning money under false pretenses, let the Min
listers define what is.
The report goes on to say, /" every effort was
made to induce individuals and companies to
undertake the enterprise. and TO this end much
correspondence was had with parties in foreign
countries, which necessarily occupied much time"
Now we will venture to assert that proper efforts
have not been made to introduce foreign steamers,
and certainly no public advertisement has yet
been issued inviting foreign steam service. " Cor
respondence " has unquestionably been had with
the " North Pacific transportation Company
who, however, decline to put on vessels except
under the American flag, which excludes their
offers altogether, as the law allows no service but
under our own flag.
But the public very well know that a firm in
New Zealand, the owners of several fine steamers,
and in every way competent, offered to enter into
contract to furnish all the steam required for the
subsidies stipulated. They, however, were snub-