The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-03-12
Want a Man of Integrity fol
Position.
A Petition to CoIlector-Genera1-F
They Have Been Disseminated
Against-Chester Doyle's Visit to
KauaI-Bail Offered for Iwato.


worked up over the arrest Of
Hoshina, clerk in the appraisers
office of the Custom House, than at
anything that has taken place
since the Chinese-Japanese war.
The men under arrest have as
many friends as enemies, so that
the opinion as to the guilt or in
nocence of the persons is equally
divided. The Rising Sun, edited
by Sato, an intelligent japanese,
published in yesterdays issue
rumor to the effect that Feuruya,
the Japanese merchant who was
arrested in connection with the
smuggling affair, had been expelled
from the ring and had his revenge
in blowing on the men who were
in it. Feuruya denies that he
knew of the transactions until he
was landed in the station house.
The Japanese seem to be under
the impression that Hoshina has
manipulated invoices in way
that has acted as a drawback to
the business of those who did not
grease his palm. To do away with
this the Japanese Commercial
Union held a meeting yesterday
afternoon and appointed COM
mittee to draft a petition to be
presented to the Collector-General.
Following is a copy, without the
petitioners names signed to it:
HON. JAMES B. CASTLE, Collector
General of Customs, Republic OF
Hawaii;
SIR:-Your petitioners, represent
ing large commercial interests of the
Japanese residents in the Republic,
respectfully state:
That they are large importers of
merchandise from Japan which is
that it may be properly valued in or
der that the duty may be fixed, must
pass through the office of the ap
praiser in your department of the
Government. From recent disclosures
your petitioners are cOnstraiuei to
believe that you will recognize the
importance of having in the ap-
praiser's office a person of japanese
nationality who, while, proving faith
full TO the trust imposed in him by
you as the head of the Customs De
partment, will be just and honorable
TO those who have business relations
with him.
We as merchants and tax payers, as
men who contribute largely toward
the maintenance of the Government
by way of import duties, believe we
have, IN certain instances, been dis
criminated against through the in
trumentslity of the late incumbent
"a assistant to the Appraiser.
We, therefore, beg that, in the selec
ton of a person as assistant to the
Appraiser yOu will be guided, as far
as possible, by the suggestions of the
merchants, who may be made 10 suff-
through the methods which a dis
honest person in the position might
adopt.
We have no desire to dictate or re-
commend anyone from the CONNER
cial Union, but We respectfully ask
that the person who you may apuoini
to the place may have the endorse
ment of men of standing in the Japan
ese colony.
the course pursued by white mer
chants when you were asked to ap
point Mr.. Fishel TO the position of
appraiser. A person acquainted with
the lines OF goods handled by Japanese
merchants will give better satisfaction
to the Government aud to the mer
chants than one who is not.
We respectfully petition that a per-
son with this necessary qualification,
coupled with honesty and integrity, |
may be selected.
What effect this petition will |
have upon the Collector-General
in selecting. a successor to Hoshina |
can only be imagined. The posi-
ton is not one that carries with it
any authority to fix values. The
man is merely clerk or messenger
to perform such duties as the chief
of his department may assign.
Chester Doyle's mysterious jour
ney to Kauai seems to have ended |