The Hawaiian gazette., 1884-06-25

venue from this source Of slS67SOO as compared with
the former period
The stamps remaining on hand in the Treasury were
counted and found to be correct The sale OF embossed
stamps at the Custom House for the late ennla perioa
was $217S6 50 as against S24 1928 for 10S0Sl which
shows gain of S964367 and reduces the loss Orevenue
from sales of stamps to S10034.33
THE ACCOUNTS OF THE DEPARTMENT
The books of the Finance Department have been well
and faithfully kept and reflect credit on the Registrar OF
Public Accounts An additional clerk has been asked
for in this department. and in view OF the increased
abors of the Registrar your committee recommend that
an appropriation for that purpose be granted
LOAN ACT OF 1882
Section of this Act which provides that all sums
borrowed shall be kept separate and not applied either
directly or indirectly temporarily otherwise to any
uses or purposes other than those specified in the Act
seems to have been studiousy ignored, as the money
realized from the sale of bonds has been paid directly
into the general fund and disbursed at the will OF minis
without any reference to the provisions OF the law
The issue of bonds has also been irregular as Tor instance
we find that bonds amounting to S50OOO were signed
on the LIST of May 1888 and sent to San Francisco in
hopes of finding purchaser there but no one being
found willing to buy, they returned and are now
in the Treasury As these bonds endorsed principal
and interest payable in San Francisco your Committee
recommend that they be destroyed and that entries to
that effect be made in the books of the department
Another issue which also meets with our dlsapproval
was made on the lst of May 1888 when bonds to the
amount of $4,000 delivered to the Minister OF the
Interior who used them collateral security for sundry
liabilities incurred by that department These bonds
were finally realized the 10Th of January 1854 over
eight months after their issue from the Treasury The
total sale of bonds under this Act to the date of
examination has been S6S00O0 add to this the sum OF
SI3 900 realized from the Loan Act OF 1876 which makes
an increase of the public debt under this ministry of
SSS,900 and entails yearly payment OF interest OF
S5330l.
Your Committee note with some surprise that COM
missions paid to taxcOectors and assessors for the last
year in certain districts have been raised to per cent
per cent has ALWAYS been considered liberal commlS
sion for district like Honolulu. which will strike the
House more orcby when they know that the Assessor
for Honolulu received for his month
work the sum of S4,Sl9.5O.
Notice of this change not published as usual but
the several Governors notified OF the TACT on the
18th of January, 1884.
THE CUSTOM HOUSE.
The examination of the books of this important Office
showed that the accounts had been well kept.
The revenue from this source has been large during
the period and seems to have been faithfully accounted
| for.
Two small items of expenditure attracted the atten-
ton of the Committee OF SO, paid Oct
3rd 1882 for % cases of kerosene oil short also S4lS7
Nov 18th 1882 for bale of bags short. The Col
lectorGenera stated that these payments were made
for articles delivered by mistake or lost III some other
way Such mistakes should not occur.
There also an item OF S34og5 pad September lst
1888 for watching kerosene oil 1t was explained that
the building of the kerosene warehouse was so
an open lot the old stOrehouse and men employed
! to watch it.
The Collectorenera notified the Minister of Finance,
Feb 9Th 1883 of the need for the new stOrehOuse.
The attention of the ColectorGeneral was called to
the complaints that large quantities of opium were being
Struggled into the country and that 1t was reported TO
be cheaper in price than for many years and he was
requested by the Committee to make such suggestions
as occurred to him in regard to the matter:
The following is the statement which he submitted
upon the subject =
1.-THE only way to guard against opium-smuggling is
to increase the guards and night watchmen. A boat
should be manned for a night harbOrwatch. With this
in view. some $4,000 more than appropriated by
the last Legislature has been asked for this year
Il think that the amount of opium in the Kingdom.
and the amount used Is largely overetmated for these
reasons:
During the past two years 699S Chinese have arrived
and 2001 have departed leaving increase OF 4y9I for
the two years These 69gS Cinnamon were nearly all
Young healthy men, who did not opium, and
who have not to any extent taken to its since their
arrival while very large proportion OF the 2oOO who
! left the kingdom, were opium users
1.-The heads of the police say, there are not as many
places in this city to-day where opium is used as there
were two years ago, therefore much smaller quantity
would put the price down. and give the impression tha'
2As to price there are several kinds of opium and
while brand put up San Francisco might be selling
for ten dollars per half pound tin the best Hongkong
brand would bring twenty to twenty-five dollars TOR the
same quantity.
the plantations and that they overlook It's use so long
as the men do it in such quantities as to unfit
them for work.
Now. when the Opium Law went into effect the
managers did not overlook the using of opium but were
on the lookout to catch those using it and frequently
thew had the Chnamen's quarters searched so those
using opium did it so secretly that not great deal
was found Now it is used more openly, and naturally
the impression is that great deal more is used.
Increasing the penalty for smuggling, or having
opium in possession would no doubt deter some from
attempting to smuggle
1t would appear that there had been some neglect in
the matter of guarding against smuggling for the Com
mttee have ascertained that for months night
guards have been employed to watch the steamers oft the
Oceanic Steamship Company while in port
Thus opportunity has been afforded for almost I'M
limited smuggling, not only of opium but OF other artl-
cle of small bulk There is no need for seeking further
for the avenues by which opium has been introduced
The CoectorGeneal stated that the reason that such
watchmen were not employed was the fact that the
appropriation for guards was not sufficient and added