The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-09-24
TAX ON SAIL0 RS.

POST in a recent issue commenting |
on the refusal of the Legislature TO
do away with the tax of two dollars
per head put upon everyone who ar
rives ut these islands from abroad,
for the support of the Queens Hos
pital, confuses this impost with that
which sailors on Hawaiian vessels
pay to keep up the Marine Hospital
Fund, and roundly denounces the
Hawaiian Legislature for its refus-
ing to do justice to the sailors who
ship under our flag. The Marine
Hospital Tax levied upon our sailors
is something very distinct from the
tax which passengers have to pay,
and primarily had nothing to do
with the Queens Hospital. Under
an old law twenty-five cents per
month is to be deducted by the
masters of all Hawaiian vessels
| (whethcr engaged in coasting or
foreign going commerce), from the
wages of each sailor and the sums so
levied and paid to the Customs to
form fund for the maintenance of
Seamen's Hospital and for the
care of sick sailors until such an in
stitution is provided. Out of this
fund the Minister of Interior is
authorised to provide for the tempo
rary relief and maintenance of sick
or disabled Hawaiian seamen until
hospitals or other suitable institu-
tions are established for the pur-
pose within the Kingdom. The law
provided that, after defraying the
expense of such relief, the surplus
from year to year should be invest
ed until fund had accumulated
which would be sufficient to provide
hospital accommodation for sick sea-
men. But final clause of the Act
authorised the Minister in case a
general hospital existed at any of
our seaport towns to contract with
the same to apply any part of the
Marine Hospital Fund to the sup
port thereof, on condition that full
provision is made for the accOmmO-
datlOn relief and maintenance of
sick and disabled Hawaiian sea
. men," Under the provisions of this
clause some Minister Shuflled the
whole trouble of the thing off his
shoulders by applying not a part, "
but the whole of the seamen's con-
tributions towards the maintenance
of the Queens Hospital at Honolulu
making no provision whatever fol-
the Hawaiian sailor who might be
hurt or taken sick at any other port
of the kingdom.
The arrangement thus made
would, on the face of it, have beer
j a good one, provided that in making
his bargain with the Trustees of the
e Queens Hospital the Minister who
y is responsible for it had seen to i
= that the law as to the relief of thu
c sick and disabled sailors was carried
e into effect-had seen in fact tina
o the sailors who pay this special ta2
= of SO per annum got something il
II return for it. This was not done
S neither as has already been said
It was anything done for the relief o
e those who needed it either at tn
s outposts or abroad. All that til
o Queens Hospital gives in return 70
n the handsome contribution to it
h funds compulsarly taken from on
e sailors, estimated we see by MI
/. Green for the current period a
# $500 a year is TO take in sick o
It hurt sailors who are duly discharge
IS from the ships they have been sery
1t ing on for the space of not nor
o than three months after the dis
il charge,
il The trustees when appealed t
e some time ago in the case of sic
'e sailor on the Australia, whom the
d insisted in charging for, maintaine'
le that the owners of the vessel, no
the sailor, were liable to pay. S
IN they are primarily, no doubt, res
Is ponsible to the Hospital, but the
G. always recover what they pay ont {
Id wages of the men who have alread
it paid out Of the selfsame wages S
Iy per annum as an insurance fund {
)? secure from this our Goyernmer
y free hospital service. The case of
)e sick sailor on the Australia, who
a couple of years or so ago was ca
il ried on because the Hospital wouI