The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-06-29

ton made OF the small salaries pald
hy nation of millions. lie did
not think the application could be
made rs the member intended. IL
was true that the first Minister or
first Secretary received very little
more---he thought it was $4,000 q
year--than the corresponding Minis
ter here. If we we're to have sala-
ries in proportion to the number OF
people, then the salary of King
Kalakaua would dwindle down to
very small matter. But that Secre-
tary had staff of five clerks and
two hundred assistants, educated
men everyone of them. Besides
that the gentlemen was provided
with n mansion to live In. He wished
they could see their way clear 10
giving their Minister of Foreign
Affairs an official mansion. There
were no less than fifty men in the
State Department, who, so far as
regarded education and experience.
were capable of taking the place of
their chief So that it was useless
to cite to them that in nation of
fifty millions the men at the head of
affairs were receiving salaries but
slightly ahead of what was paid the
heads of departments in this nation
of few thousand people. The
minister there had little more to do
a great part of the time than to sign
a portion of the papers connected
with his department. Many years
ago he had occasion to reside in the
city of Washington, owing to a re-
markable situation in his experience,
and, upon his honor, he could state
that the Secretary Of State of fifty
millions had not as much work
to perform as His Majesty's Min
lister. of Foreign Affairs. But,
gentlemen, the subject before
YOU is retrenchment, the inn
mediate object being salaries. Not
exactly as the gentleman is inform
ed. There is no due bill pressing,
but the Government is owing money,
let the Assembly be honestly in
formed. There are obligations, |
might say, in connection with honor
able accommodations. But let there
he no accommodations let us re-
trench; | am at heart with you; let
us retrcnch! (Applausc.) We
must come down to palmer sailing.
Do not understand me, gentlemen,
that am standing here us a Minis
ter wanting to put OH little here
and there. Let Ministers salaries
be put down to 4,00O-we can live
on that-and other salaries in pro-
portion. Cloud applause.) The
Minister proceeded to remark on the
inflated style of living induced among
people in both public and private
life by the prosperity following the
reciprocity treaty. Although it cost
more to live now than it did at the
beginning of the recent prosperous
times, people bad failed to retrench
along with the contraction in
values. Let them combine and put
the affairs of King Kalakaua on Il
sound basis. There was never n
finer prospect for their little country
than now. Why should the realiza-
ton of that prospect be prevented
by unwise action at this moment? !?
Let it not be taken up that he was
making a confession. Long ago,
before he became a Minister, he
saw that seventy or eighty percent
of the revenue was spent on sala-
ries, and the remaining fraction
only went Tor public improvements.
Let them reverse that, and devote
the main portion of the national
revenues to public improvements,
and pay salaries with the twenty OF
thirty percent. (Applause.)
Rep. Wight said it was evident
the house was very much gratiiied
with the remarks of the Minister
Let them hope that he would carry
them out with as much force as he
had now expressed his sentiments
to them. He had no hesitation in
saying that if the Cabinet gave all
their influence toward reducing eX-
penses, they could attain to the
position stated by His Excellency
1t did seem ridiculous that out OF
the large receipts upward OF two
thirds was spent on salaries. He
did not profess that all the expense
of improvements were to be borne
by the present generation. He
believed it was right TO borrow
money for impro' ements that theil
Successors We're 10 receive the bene.
fit of as well as themselves. But tc
borrow money to pay salaries or tC
4, make temporary improvements h,
considered they had no right. II,
, hoped that tie Minister Of Foreign
Affairs would strenuously carry out
what he had now proposed, and tha
, salaries would not hencetorth beal
such large proportion to receipts
t 1t might look as if they We're reduc
ing this salary by 81 900, but las
year he had only $1,000. If they
' had been reducing all others, they
: ought to begin at 1000 and reduce
5 from that.
( Rep. Aholo was in favor of re
: ducing to $4,000 without consider
: ing the man.
= Noble Bishop said nothing he ha,