The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1870-07-23
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Aobtrtistr.
SATURDAY. July %.
Legislative .Tottangs.

On Monday last the member for Waialua
brought forward a resolution to the effect that
the thanks OF the House were due and hereby
expressed to the Ministers, form general terms
behaving themselves so we'll during the session
now about to close. The Ministers sat still and
tried to look grave, but the member for Waimea,
Kauai, supported the resolution, and thought it
was proper to pass resolutions Of this sort. He
would favor not only this under consideration
but on the principle of the Mutual Admiration
Society, he expected to see q resolution praising
the officers of the House and the Mobiles and
Representatives, for the handsome way in which
they had ali performed their arduous duties.
The majority however had sense enough to see
the absurdity of the thing, and rejected the reso-
luton.
Quite n number OF bills were hurried through
on Monday, read by their titles only, on a third
reading, and several others were reported as hav-
ing been signed by the King, the titles of which
will appear in the appropriate columns of to-
days paper.
On Tuesday the horse tax bill was returned by
the King without his signature. The Minister of
Foreign Affairs moved a suspension of the rules
and that the tax be raised from fifty to seventy
five cents, it being understood that with this
change, it would receive the royal approval.
Thereupon a discussion took place on the subject
of that inevitable incubus of every Hawaiian
Legislative Assembly for the past many years.
Some wanted to discriminate between the different
ages of horses, but at length the bill was passed
with the amendment that the tax should be
uniform-seventy-fye cents per head upon all
horses, mares and colts. So, after years of petit
tions and the framing Of scores of bills which
came to naught, the tax is nominally reduced,
but practically increased, because that formerly
colts under two years were not taxed, but will be
hereafter.
During a short session on Wednesday, a whole
batch of bills was hurried through the third
reading, by the titles, and with but few dissen-
tiert voices. Honorable members were evidently
getting tired of the business of law-making.
Some few who had come hither with an axe 20
grind and had succeeded in their object, felt in
different, and wanted to go home some who did
not get their axes ground, were disguised, and
also wanted to go home; and the few really
working men Of the House were the only ones
who appeared to take much interest in the pro-
ceedings.
The same day, the committee to whom was re-
ferred the subject of the destruction of forests on
our mountains, presented a very interesting report,
in which after showing the evils attending their
destruction, it recommends the Government to
take possession Of tbs higher mountain tracts,
forbid the cutting of trees from them, and encour-
age the planting of more on all the lands.
On Thursday, the main business Of the session
the bill of appropriations for the next two
years-came up for It's third reading. 1t provides
for the expenditure of S1,166 ,396.25- But it is
well understood that many of the items are never
to be expended, particularly those for "roads
and BRIDGES The highest legal authority of
the country has decided that an appropriation
bill is not a law, but merely a directory enact
nueaf. to be carried out or not, as circumstances
require. -le .Lf
The bill, as amended. passed along on its third
reading, without opposition, until the item pro-
viding a subsidy of $4,000 for the Australian
steamships, came up. Several motions to strike
out, to reduce, or to circumscribe by fixed rules,
were made, and severally defeated, when Mr..
Lyons, the member for Kohala. very justly observ-
cd that If We wanted the steamers, to call here,
must hold Ouf some inducements, and that $780,
600 was the least respectable sum that could be
offered. In fact, the steamers were not obliged