The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1884-06-18

II Is also to be noticed that the price paid
for hay is Sl250 a ton in excess OF the price
paid by the Board Of Health We would
also point ont that cleaning stables
ought TO be done by the men and that such
an item ought not 10 appear IN the hist OF
exrenditures. Finally the Committee point
ont that II Is an ahSupiity TO be paying
S4OO a month Tor outside help when We
have an Attorney General and his clerk at
liberal salaries: that the A G., has had
much time TO devote 20 lucrative private
practice and that If he would devote
himself TO his duties no further legal as
sistance would be required .-hl
In the Board Of Education the hand of
the same man who for time played the
part Of Attorney General Pra tta Is seen.
The President of the Board m hls Report
stated that only S4l,5SI.S3 had been ex
pended on the support Of schools, whereas
the Committee discovered that S6S,S56,76
had been expended. but that the unusual
step was taken Of drawing (thc balancel
from the cash general funds OF the Board
and from the school tax Of the district OF
Honolulu" The reason for this unusual
action was that the Treasury was 50 de
pleted that no other course was open, and
IN the face Of tins the President OF the
Board ds-cd to talk Of surplus Of S45,-
$500. posing as an economist when he
knew that he was putting forward figures
which were most thoroughly misleading,
II mot absolutely untrue. Attention is also
called to the fact that Mrs. Hendry. a
newly appointed teacher Is recelyinE; 81
500 wear salary, while $1,000 Is the high
est sum paid to any Of the lady teachers,
many Of whom have faithfully and ably
devoted many years OF their lives 10 the
instruction Of Young Hawaii The Com
mittee also deem 1t their duty 10 condemn
the course pursued by the Board in sum
marily disnissing teachers and agents for
political reasons
Tho Board ~ GeneAlogy accounts for
its expenditure of $1,000 OF tins the
GoverneSs Of HAWAII took Sf,4I+.3I; the
Adrertiscr and Eide S5S}4O, the remainder
went to half dozen natives, one Of whom
at the present writing occupies dIstln-
guished position IN the chain gang, and 10
srHdry cIrpSstCrs Now what in the name
Of fortune have si1t9ry orrpogisrs to dowIth
the Beard of Genealogyg What was 1
that they patched upl No explanation j
offered The results for this expenditure
as far as the public is concerned have been
MI
The essence Of the Finance Committees
Report however. Is to be found in the in
yestigations in the Finance and Interior
Departments The latter especially ap-
pears to have been conducted IN a manner
which is perfectly disgraceful 1t is not
TO be wondered at, for the present Minis
ter. in 1878 was Chief Clerk Of the Depart
ment, and had to be discharged from his
then position because the business Of the
Department was IN a much mixed state.
Credit Is given to Mr.. Pratt for tin
books Of the Finance Department, and Il
must also be given to Mr.. Godfrey Brown
who handed them over in such good shape
The remarks Of the Committee upon tn,
management Of the loan We print IL full,
they are the severest comment that can BE-
made upon the acts of Ministers.
uoAS AcT OF 1Ss2
Section Of this Aeg which provides that al
suns borrowed shall be kept ssplrAte and not a.
phed either directly or indirectly, temporarily o.
Otherwlse, 70 any USES or purposes ot1er tun thos
specified IN the Act sssss 20 hfrs bseH sfsti9asi
fglforsH as the money Tedtt=su fFusu ifr siif u
bgsis kHs bssti pfd directly iFtJ the qsIrrui fH
H+d atsbHrssa al The riii Of AItisisrs ritiJHt u
rTcrrHrs 70 the prurisi1Hs gf fhr tlr Ihs issue o.
bonds has also been irregular, as Tor instance
md that bonds Amounting TO Sjg,Opy were slgne-
on the lst Of MAY ISL and sent 10 san Frluclsc.
IN hopes OF finding purchaser there, but 10 onl /
being found willing 70 buy, they we're returned
and are nOS in the Treasury. As these bonds ne
.ndorsed principal and interest payable IL Saa
Francisco" your Committee recommend thIt I
-hsy Be destroyed and that entries TO that effect
os made IN the books Of the Department
We are further told that the bonds have
been used by the Minister of Interior as
collateral security for liabilities. This IS
nothing more nor less than an illegal trans
fer. The present Ministry have increased
the debt Of the country SSlS.9OO, costing
S53.30l for interest alone
A smart trick was played last year to
put money into the pocket Of son-inl law
Hayselden The commissions for tax as
SCISSORS in certain districts was raised to
four percent, instead Of three, as IN former
wears For two months work sOn-In law
received S4,Sl9.50; pretty good pay Ger
tainly The Governors of the Islands were
not notified of this change till January
1884. long after the change had been made
and the cash pocketed-
A curious method of covering themselves
for amounts Oyerdrawn Is an instrument
called "a Cabinet resolution" Under these
resolutions apparently the Government
considered that 1t could spend money asit
pleased II is unnecessary TO point out
that Cabinet resolutions" for such pur
poses are utterly unconstitutional, and the
Committee Is well advised when 1t recon
mends that amounts paid under cover OF
these resolutions require the closest scru-
tiny
1t Is a curious fact that C. L Gulick lent
the Government S1S,297.56 to tide 1t over
its financial difficulties Just after he be
came Minister. No one of course would
be cruel enough TO imagine that there was |
any connection between the two circum
stances. and vet 1t has an ugly iook; It
looks as if that was the price Of a billet.
Just at the end of the fiscal period sum
of $4,000 was drawn upon the loan fund.
under one of the favOrIte Cabinet resolu |
tons 1t was a thoroughly Illegal pro
ceeding. vet the Auditor General IN def
ance of law passed upon the accounts, the
Committee remark that they cannot come
to any other conclusion than that the Min |
istry and the Auditor General were acting
in 1oilrsi0H for the expenditure Of public
moneys, in violation of the Constitution !
and laws Of the Kingdom 1t may be !
sand at once that the AuditOr-Generalship !
has been a hollow mOckery, that under
every department the Committee ind !
cause TO blame the holder Of the office. Ac |
counts have been approved which should |
not have been approved: others have not |
been audited at all The Auditor General |
has kept no record of his work. and relied !
entirely on his memory for his Official acts
Pretty auditing tins,
We pass over for the present. the De /
partment Of Foreign Affairs-the fact that |
Mr.. Gibson, as proprietor of the Adrsr'issr. |
received money for work which has never I
been done. and which the Committee re
commend that he refund: that the corona
hon expenses appear to have been S53,
223l0S; that the proceeds of sales have not |
been covered into the Treasury as -'reallz |
ations,- but have been used for other pur
poses contrary TO law. That the present /
Chief Clerk Of the Department Is recon- /
mended to return $50 to the Treasury
s+s
G We come to the Interior Department. /
In a newspaper article 1t Is impossible to I
do the subject justice The books are in |
an unsatisfactory condition" There are /
twenty one accounts In which the Minister |
Of Finance and the Minister OF Interior 30 |
Hot agrse. The manner Ii which contracts |