The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-08-22

President W. IL. Castle IN the
chair. Roll called and absentees
noted.
REPORTS OF COMMITTEES.
Rep. f. Brown reported 3 bills
printed and ready for distribution.
Noble Robinson reported from the
Committee on Commerce on the bill
relating to the storage and deliSery
of liquors in the bonded warehouse,
recommending that the bill be laid
on the table, and that another re-
sponsible assistant be employed to
better facilitate the work connected
with the storage and delivery of
liquors. Adopted,
Noble Smith read report~ from
two Of the Judiciary Committee on
the petition of II. a. Widemann re-
ferred to it relating to double taxa
ton, recommending that the sum
of S56.04 be refunded Mr.. Wide
mann and they also offer an amend
ment to the present law relating to
the collecting of taxes.
Rep. c. Brown read report from
two of the same committee OH the
above petition, recommending that
it be laid on the table. They think
that Mr.. Widcmann should seek re-
dress from others than the Govern
ment.
Noble Widemann said that he was
sorry that he had given the COM
mittee so much trouble. He did not
bring this petition in for the purpose
only of recovering the S56, but he
thought by so doing he might call
the attention of the House to the
fact that such things could and did
exist, and that they might amend
the law so that it would be impossi-
bic to impose double taxes on any
one. Section 4 of chapter 81 Ses-
sion Laws OF 1886 provided that :
Every agent for any person tcmpor-
arily or permanently absent from
this Kingdom, and every banker,
broker, money lender, attorney al
law, trustee, treasurer, executor,
administrator, or guardian, shall be
assessed separately in respect OF
each property OF trust which he re-
presents, etc, etc. Section ) of the
same Act directs that: All the above
mentioned parties shall for the pur,
poses of this Act be deemed agents
and shall be answcrablc for tho
performance of all such acts, mat,
ters or things, as are required TO be-
done by virtue Of this Act in respec
of the assessment Of the property
which he represents and the pay
ment Of taxes thereon and makes
him subject to the like penalty o.
liability for any neglect, refusal o
default as any other person.
The Minister of Finance in hi
answer to this House of my question
addressed to him stated: That HI
had given no special instruction tc
the parties named in the resolution
either directly or through the ta2
assessor relative to the assessment
of taxes, except in two cases of bank
ers in Honolulu (the only two) whel
the question came up as to whethe
the law called upon them to return
the list of their depositors and t
pay taxes on the amount deposited
charging the same to depositors
Both these bankers-Messrs. Bishol
& Co. and Claus Spreckels & Co.
disputed the proposition that thu
law obliged them to do so. The
question was brought before thu
Cabinet and it was decided that the
law did not so compel them TO pay
the taxes on the amount deposited
! charging the same to depositors
, AS both banks returned TO the tal
assessor the list of depositors the,
, evidently did not dispute the pro
priety of furnishing the list of de
; positors provided in section A a
above quoted, and the Cabinet de
cided that the law did not compC
them to pay taxes on deposits
(Were these the deposits that til
depositors had already assesse
themselves withO My question wa
in regard to assessment and not /
regard to collection of taxes. Ha
the question of assessment been dc
! cided first by the Cabinet the pay