The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1875-04-24

oiiuet the name OF me Natural History and
McrOscopical Society, . and the following officers
were elected
Hrs MAJESTY TIE KISG, Perpetual President.
His Excellency W. L. Green. Kce-Preadent $
A. J Cartwright, Treasurer.
C.. J. Lyons, Recording Secretary.
q. Trousseau, NJ. D., Corresponding SeoresGyy-
The Society will hereafter meet in the Museum
Room OF Aiiiolani Hale on the first Thursday
evening Of each quarter. -
IT IS ESTIMATED that the falling of of revenue
through the customs Consequent upon the opera
ton Of the treaty Of reciprocity, will amount to
about $4,000 per annum. or $50, 900 for the
fiscal period Of two years. This estimate is based
upon statistics Of the past four years and an ex-
animation Of the schedule OF goods to be admitted
free under the treaty. The task to which those
at the head Of affairs must soon address them
selves is TO provide ways and means for making
up this deficiency in the revenue. The difficulty
is not in the amount, which is comparatively in
significant, but in the source from which it is to
come and the mode in which it is to be collected.
BY the terms Of the treaty, we are inhibited from
following the one course which would be obyi-
ously suggested-the imposition Of an export duty
on domestic produce. And, aside from possibly
a moderate amount to be expected from enhanced
duties on some articles Of luxury, it does not
appear that we may reasonably look for much
assistance from the customs department, which,
BY the way, is already pretty well provided with
a code Of fees and charges. Besides, as we
remember the terms of some of our existing
treaties with foreign powers, ~(notably the
Danish) no alteration in the rates Of our duties
can tax effect until after the expiration of twelve
months public notice given Everybody will
admit that personal taxation has reached the
highest limit that can safely be adopted, in the
circumstances Of the people and most property
holders will say that real estate is taxed quite
high enough. The system Of charges for licenses
might however with ~propriety be remodeled, for
it isat present confessedly unequal in it's bear
ing upon the business and industrial pursuits Of
the country. '
An examination Of this subject would seem to
indicate plainly that, in order to provide the nee
essary means, to carry ON the Government, under
the operation of the new treaty, we shall be COM
PEELED to resort to some, with US, hitherto untried
modes Of taxation. OF these, there are two that
may be suggested. One is the imposition of an
income tax and this,-though in it's nature a
direct assessment, and for that reason always uupop-
ular,-seems nevertheless to contain the element
of fairness. The other mode is to levy a small
internal revenue tar upon the agricultural pro-
auctions of the country. In favor of this last it
may Justly be urged that, as the agriculturists
are to be the direct and considerable gamers by
reciprocity, they cannot complain if they shall be
asked to contribute a fair proportion Of the
amount required to make good the loss of revenue
to the Government resulting therefrom.
Although the solution of these questions will
not be demanded before the meeting of the Leg
~Islature next year, the members. of which are in
the meantime to be elected, it is well to give the
subject q thoughtful consideration in advance.
WE WERE in error in stating last week that the
native newspaper KUokoa is patronized by the
Hawaiian Evangelical Association. By reference
to the abstract of Minutes of the Association,
published in a Supplement to the Friend Tor July,
1874, we find that it was
ResoIvsd-1st, That il is desirable that the ar
rangement whereby the fourth page of the RuokoG
newspaper is devoted specially to our use, should
terminate at the close Of the present year. 1-f
End, The Hawaiian Board is authorized by this
Association to appropriate money not to exceed the
sum Of $500 toward the establishment of q Weekly
Christian Newspaper, which paper every member of
Na1
The Board paid 5000 for the use of the fourth
page Of the KuokOa during 1874, and in previous
years it paid 81 900. By the second resolution
above quoted, it will be seen that the Association
agreed to support the establishment Of a Christian
newspaper. The G0zsHe Of this week takes ex-
ception to the course pursued by the Lahui Hd-
raii, in " making itself a political and controver-
sial vehicle" 1t ought to be simply "a medium
for religious and moral instruction. And, con-
cludes the bigh-toned Gasene-' native churches
should not be called on to support political papers,
out Of the common property Of the churches,
raised for very different purposes'h Of course,
these considerations which now weigh so heavily
upon. the mind of the Gazette, were trifes light
as air during the years when the KnokOG got a
round subsidy for a weekly page Of " religious and
moral instruction, - the other three pages being
devoted to "politics and controversial communi-
cations" and-Robiana Lo! Now however, the
boot is on the other leg.
Yesterdays Islander credits the Ga%eue with
suggesting tina. our land policy needs modi6ca-
ton to render such an enterprise Immigration
successful" 1t was the ADVERTISER OF last Sat
urday which made the suggestion and nothing