The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-10-20
REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE OF
THE KINGDOM,

With commendable promptitude
the Finance Department has pub
lished the Statutory Statement of
the Receipts and Expenditures of
the Kingdom for the quarter ending
3Oth Sept. last. There is nothing
very striking in the statement. The
revenue from various sources has
been well maintained and the long
list of expenditures contains the
usual items in the usual proportions
along with q number of payments
which had to be deferred till the
Appropriation Act should be passed
and do not therefore properly be-
long to tile quarter under review.
The amount paid out on the latter
account Is comparatively light as
number of the overdue accounts
were pushed over into the current
quarter. The Civil List and Per-
manent Settlements take $40, 1O3.OO;
the Attorney-Generaps Department
spent $2S,202.22; the Judiciary
Department $23, ,974. 90, the Foreign
Office expended $4,2O1.36 on the
management of the foreign affairs
of the kingdom and $12, ,242.44 on
the Kings guard and the Band; the
Finance Department spent $63, ,O25.-
73 of which S22, 200 went in weak
wilfull compromise of the scanda-
lous Madras claim" the expenses
OF the Legislature during the quarter
were 9,38O.9S; the economical
Board of Education got along with
~, 130.78; and the Interior Depart
ment drew on the Treasury for
$191 ,991.48 which includes the dis
bursements of the Board of Health.
These several expenditures give a
total of $3.50, ,652.94 which exceeds
the revenue of the quarter by $780,
23S.40, but as there were $204,-
2O3.O9 in the treasury on 30th June
and the Postal Savings Bank Re-
ceipts amounted to $40, 1892,
there remained $144 ,536.01 in the
Treasury to be carried forward to
the current quarter. The Revenue
was principally derived from Customs
Duties which amounted TO S133,-
653.86. The total receipts from all
sources were 1929, ,614.54 which may
be deemed satisfactory considering
that this is almost blank quarter
In the matter of Internal Taxes the
whole sum derived from that source
being $1,441.75.
The first thing that must strike
the mind of every one who examines
this statement is the gross amount
OF quite unnecessary detail which is
published. The whole affair makes
A'ohS ohuh oWO COiuulllo III tllc luOIH-
ing paper. A little more than hall
column would give all the informa-
ton the public needs or wants. We
presume the Minister prides himself
on adhering to what he deems the
letter of the law which calls for O
"detailed statement" Neverthe-
less he has used his discretion as to
the point at which detail should stop.
The letter of the law might be inter
preted to demand the details of all
such items as "Incidental," "Gen-
eral expenses of the Board OF
Health and SO forth as to which
the public is centainly more curious
than in regard to the salaries paid to
the Judges; Police and District JUS
tices and their clerks which reqnire
nearly half a column in which to set
them forth. In the revenue account
this love of detail is not so conspi-
cuous. The receipts from the rents
OF Government lands, from land
sales, from business and other
licenses, and from sundry miscellan-
eous sources which are grouped un,
der the convenient term, etc., are
Jumped together in one line. "Gov'
ernment realizations" is a phrase
which may cover any sort of receip
if details are not furnished. Th
item "San Francisco Consul's Fee
$1,656.84" gives no clue to tn
period during which this collection
was made which certainly could no
have been a whole quarter.