The Hawaiian gazette., 1883-02-14

/ DURING the Legislative SESSION OF 1907
two items which met with great opposition
from the Conservative side of the house,
We're passed. Both items were strongly
supported by the Ministry and especially
by Mr. Gibson, the Premier; these were
$4,000 for the Coronation and $4,000 for
the entertainment of foreign official guests
, and incidentals Ten Thousand dollars OF
this money can and has been iisbursed for
Coronation expenses; every dollar and
considerably more has been used mp: as
to the actual expenditure of this sum
there can be very little comment. Having
| been voted. Ministers had legal right to
use IT. as to its ACCESSIBILITY it is quite
another thing, Ministers are not bound to
spend every appropriation: for instance
that celebrated Chinese steamer subsidy,
though voted in 1880 was never used. But
npon the expenditure of that $4,000, there
will be and is good deal TO be said. AT
the time that vote was passed, the Premier
was dazzling the king and the Legislature
with visions of numerous titled personages
who would come to his ''rdrte' show.
There were to be deputations from the
United States, Europe, Japan. China, Siam,
BurInah and the Isles of the Sea. Had
those golden visions ever been realized
the $4,000 which WIS voted, would have
been by no means adequate TO the proper en-
tertainment of these distinguished guests
IN posse. who fortunately have never become
guests in esse The public will no doubt
keenly. scrutinize the manner in which the
$4,000 has been expended, it will want
to see that everything has been done in
as economical manner as possible: but il
will require a surplus to be handed over
from the vote for the entertainment OF
foreign official guests and incidentals. All
the Premier's despatch writing, including
Foreign Office, London. all his scheming
and well-nigh fraudulent use of public
money, flor the expense of Mr. Kapena's
trip to Japan, though charged to the I'm
migration fund, bad no more to do actually
with immigration than it had to do with
Choctaw Indians) all the brazen statements
put forth in the Premier's well paid organ,
have resulted in WHAT in bringing to
these shores fee Japanese gentlemen of
very moderate rank, in making them very
uncomfortable by the isolated position they
have been placed in, and further in caus-
ing them considerable annoyance and en-
gendering i'll feeling between them and
our Court for the manner in which they
have been treated.
In the accounts which the present Cab
met will have to render some day, and that
day is by no means so far distant, there
may appear an item, TO entertaining five
japanese gentlemen and incidentals, So
600 Now we certainly hope that those
much to be pitied gentlemen received a
proper entertainment, that they lacked
nothing of the Injuries of life: but even
entertaining them on liberal scale, and
further allowing handsomely for inciden-
tails it is quite impossible that $4,000
could have been spent A very liberal
allowance would be $1,000 a week, which
would come up to 5000 for the period OF
their stay. There will then be $4,000 left
to pay back to the public treasury.
1t is quite probable that some astute
member of the Cabinet thought when the
Appropriation Bill was passed that the
insertion of the word ''incidentals" after
foreign official guests, would leave an OPP
portunity for using a portion of the
$4,000 for other purposes The reading
OF the item, however, quite shuts out that
hope. The entertainment of foreign
official guests and incidentals,r incidentals
of what the Coronationl Oh no. Incl
dentals pertaining to the entertainment Of
Foreign official guests The present
Ministry struck out the clause allowing
them to transfer; if any money out of the
$4,000 has been spent ftg any other pur-
pose than the entertainment of the said
guests, the Ministers are personally liable
for the misuse of ths fund, and whether
in office or out could Be forced to pay up
to the country out of their private means.
This it is that the country intends to look
sharply into, the Premier has had his fun,
unless he has very carefully curtailed
his expenses, he ii is who viii have to pay
the piper for the music