The Hawaiian gazette., 1882-12-06
Indignant Tax Payers.


EptIoR GAzETTE.-FrUm Waiakea TO OokRls
tho victims of the 100000 dollar loan, are in
estate of mind y hardly to he expressed by the
term, indignant. To impose upon the tax payer
ofthis little nation, the incubus of heavy public
debt to squander portion of the revenue thu:
obtained, for useless aud even silly purposes
merely 70 tickle the vanity and line the pockets OF
a few Office holders and corrupt politicians, is
certainly aggravating enough to those who have IL
pay the piper J" but to supplement this evil work
by the appointment to position of trust and nteg-
rity, impose upon taxpayers the most preposter-
Gus and unprecedented property valuation, with
the objects view of enriching themselves and OF
increasing the government revenue, debted by
extFayaQant appropriations, this verify is TOO much
From the whole length and breadth of our dis
tEict, universal cry of indignation IS ascending,
At the lavless system Of valuations imposed upon
Us BY an incompetent and thoroughly unprincipled
assessor, a man than whom no more eminently
,IrntteR for the position, could hardly have been
found, King Solomon mist have had such case
in mind when be wrote the Ord verse of the XxYr
chapter of Proverbs.
Allow us, Mr. Editor to offer few facts 10 the
public through the medium of your paper, which
can DO substantiated by many OF our leading
citizens.
Commencing ut Waiakea, our assessor has made
a"royal progress ~ through our district, ignoring
in most cases the invitations and requests OF some
Of our largest property holders TO visit, inspect
and estimate values fairly and honestly Compari-
tiyelv worthless wild bush lands, of little value
save for wild cattle runs formerly assessed at 81
rep acre have this year been raised to 50 perdcrc
Lands available for canes, although entirely I'M
prepared for planting, formerly $40 per ACRE, have
Jumped at one bound TO $50. Growing canes,
,eittort regard 10 0qe or 7Hdiuy' Wnetner new
plants ratoons, or crop canes ready for the mill,
heretofore estimated TO be worth from SIC TO
aIOO according to age and condition, are in most
instances valued at 500, and We are informed
that in one case, the most extraordinary figures Of
1900 per acre was reached.
In one notable instance, piece of almost worth
less bush land, partially destroyed by the lava
how, for which 500 or 500 IS far taxable val
nation and which was returned by the owner at
about that figure has been raised by the ADDITION
in close proximity, rendered comparatively val
ueless by the encr0achments OF Madame Pee, has
been returned at 50 per acre. We presume the
assessor prudently was making provision for posi-
BILE mineral discoveries in these lands!
We are also informed that GU acres OF land near
Hiio, recently sold for 5000 have suddenly appre
ciated in value, on The books, to S23,OOO.
In fact, we're we TO Judge of tbs mans talents by
the facility with which he is able to write ciphers
after any given number, We should consider our
present assessor the most successful Cain 'aisey
ever known in this district.
I. would certainly appear to casual observer,
that these valuations were all Predetermined and
That the trivial questions of age situation, present
condition, &C., &C., of property we're unknown
factors in these most astonishing methods OF cal
culation. In some few instances however for rea-
sons no doubt evolved from the inner conscious
ness, properties of apparently equal values have
bean estimated at widely diverse rates. Witness,
so per acre for a field of canes near Hilo,
and 1884 per for canes Jel0HgiHg 10 another
oKHsr, the two fields being separated only by a
cart road and the canes deemed of equal value
per acre, by thoroughly competent judge
Before the the list of such cases might place
before you, Mr. Editor your ccmpositor would
stand aghast and your devil would descend to
the regions Of Inferno. Let the foregoing suihce.
Never within the memory of the " oldest inhabi-
tant" has such an unjust and arbitrary system
Of spoliatlon been practised upon a respectable
community. The feeling that outrages, unpre
cedented and inexcusabe have been perpetrated, !
il 30 strong, that appeals are being filed in such
numbers as to render the prospective duties OF the
Appeal Board onerous in the extreme while
scarcely any moneys have yet been paid into the
collectors Office Over 60 natives have already I
DO doubled within the next few DAYS, and the |
majority of onr foreign residents are Obliged to
take the same course. The planters have taken /
united and decided action, and every man Of them 1
from Waiakea to Ookala has already appealed. 1
or viii do so within few days A public mass /
Meeting has been called for the 18th inst. Send /
up your war correspondent If you desire TO report
to the public some interesting facts.
We do not object 10 riches, filthy lucre IS a most |
excellent thing but we do object to being made 20
suddenly wealthy, transformed with such marvel /
Gus celsrity into Bloated Bond Holders by a |
roke Of the facile pen Of our assessor lest in the
Essnltaut temporary alteration Of mind We for
set ourselves and pay taxes on our paper fortunes.