Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1898-05-11
new OPIUM BILL COMES UP
Audit Act Passes Second Reading in
the Senate This Morning.
Licenses Of Notary PublicS Lead to a Discussion
Finance Committee on the Audit
Act-Hilo Railway.

communication from the House
notified the Senate of the passage
of House Bill GA, amending the
Railway Act.
Senator Brown presented the
following report signed by all the
me mbers of the Committee except
Senator Warehouse:
THE Special Committee to
whom was referred the Opium
Bill beg leave to report, that they
have prepared substitute Bill in
the place of the one referred,
which they herewith submit for
the consideration of the Senate.
The substitute Bill places the i'm
portation and disposal of opium
in the Board of HsslAh, and may
be said to be an offshoot of the so
called Gothenberg or Scandina.
Wan system which places evils of
this kind, notably the use of
liquor, in the hands of the Gov
ernment and not in the hands or
under the control of private indi-
viduals to make money out of and
from the folly and evil habits of
their fellow men.
"This Com mittee in introducing
this substitute Bill do so thinking
that it will in some manner lessen
the smuggling, and as said the
consequent corruption and brib
cry that follow the use aud
smuggling of this contrsband
drug, and do not wish to be un-
derstood as favoring or counte.
nancing the evil, but as some
people will smoke opium, and the
opium, although contraband, is
plentiful, it is thought that this
Bill may lesseu the use and stop
the smuggling.
"The Committee recommend
that the Bill 60 into effect on
January l, 1899, and in the mean
time, the Board of Health can be
preparing its rules and regulations
and make all necessary arrange.
ments, and as the Act will have
been tried before the next meeting
of the Legislature, that body can
repeal or amend the same as the
facts of its operation warrant.
"The Bill originally introduced
was not such a ose that could
commend itself, and was cumber.
some and intricate; the substitute
is simple and any opium smoker
or user of opium by enrolling his
name in the District in which he
lives may obtain a sufficient guam.
tity to use in each day.
The only expense to the user
of opium under the new Bill is its
cost laid down in the District
where he resides and a duty at the
rate of SO pound. The Committee
think that the less expense attend
ing the cost, the less likelihood
there will be Of smuggling.
4 "In submitting this Bill the
Committee earnestly hope that it
will be the means of checking the 7
smuggling and the many runors
of bribery and corruption, and
also of checking an increase in
the use of the drug.
"We recommend that Bill No.
10 be laid on the table.
The new bill was then read by
Senator Brown, passed first read
ing and ordered printed. 4
Senator Lyman introduced his
bill providing for an electric or
other railway in Hilo,and through
Olaa to the Volcano. The bill is
different from that introduced in
the House and provides for all the
made to the House
Bill. 1t passed first reading and
went to the Printing Committee.
Senator Waterhouse from the
Finance Committee presented the
following report: "Your Com
mitee of Finance, to whom was
referred House Bill 80, known az
the Audit Act, beg leave to report
as follows:
"As the Senate is already aware
this Committee has been engaged
since the beginning of the pres
emit Session in an examination of
the accounts of the various De-
and Bureaus of this
Government. In SO doing we
have become very kssnly alive to
the Immediate necessity Of such
law as the one before us,