The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-07-11
Legislative Assembly.
35TH DAY-July 10th.
AFTERNOON SESSION.

The House re-assembled at 1:1O
p. m. and resumed the considera-
ton Of the Governor bills.
Noble Smith, continuing, said:
He did not wish to occupy much
more time. There were only two or
three points more upon which he
wished to speak. One point raised
in objection was the expense. He
would like to call the attention OF
the House to the report of the
Auditor General. There were $780,
600 assessed which were not col
lected. The assessors may have
done their dnty, but the Minister of
Finance cannot tell whether they
have or not. He believed that the
supervision of a capable man would
save his salary many times over.
So much for expenses. Some
of the duties are provided
to be performed by the sher-
ifs. They may do very well in
performing some of them, but the
principal item, that of assessing and
collecting of taxes is left with the
Minister of Finance in Honolulu.
The question will be asked, Why
don't you put all these duties on the
sherlffs? The speaker thought it
would be very unwise TO do so, as
the sheriffs have by virtue of their
office very large and arbitrary pow
ers and if they do their duty as
such officers, they have all they can
do. A sheriff should be a young
man, not necessarily in years, but
in activity and thought, while the
Governor should be man of large
ability, staid, and steady in habits,
and conversant with the needs OF
the Government. If any one at
tempts to construe these remarks as
an attack on the Ministry he does q
wrong. This is the same rs tho
Minister'S report on the audit Act,
! and cannot be construed as an at
tack on them, any more than thai
report is an attack on the Auditor
General. He then quoted the words
of the Minister of Finance regard
ing that office. He also quoted the
words of the committee to whom thu
report of the report of the Ministe
was referred, where they say that
they do not deem it advisable to dc
away with the office of Auditor a
present. Does this report condemn
the Ministry? l think not. Nov
the Ministry want the office of Gov
ernor abolished, the committee re
commend the continuance of tn
office, but the abolishing of it
abuses, and it is done in the sam
spirit as the report from the selec
committee on the Finance Minis
ter's report. He therefore move
to take up the substitute bill.
Rep. Kinney saidthat Noble Smit
wished to have supervisor owe
each of the islands. He said tina
the contention was for local gov
eminent for each island, and t
take the control, or self govern
ment from Honolulu. When w
come down to the pith of this argu
ment it resolves itself into loci
self government as opposed to tn
General Government. He did nc
think this a display of insincerit
on the part of the Ministry, whe
they step into the breach and sa
this must not be so. They say
that is the issue why don't you ei
tablish local self government, {
once? He said that was dangerou
expsdient, but self government ha
already been established in the OF
districts, so far as it is consister
with the class of people making Il
the population. All the world owe
there is always wide distinctio
between matters to be left to loo
self government and what shall no
Our contention Is, there are &C
tain rights that should go to loo
self government and there are ce
tain things that should not go Their
This bill gives all rights to loo
government and in this respect
in error. He spoke of local Sc
government in other countries al