The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-08-23
LEGISLATURE CAN ENACT NO
RETROSPECTIVE LAW
Present Tax Rate Becomes Fixed
January Must be Raised Before
That Date.

There is no longer any doubt that an
extra session of the legislature will be
called before the expiration of this year.
Such a coursejlpon the part of the gov
ernor is madM dMimperative by the grow
ing deficiency of funds. The necessary
proclamation for the special gathering
of the legislature will be issued by Gov
ernor Dole within thirty days after the
elections in November.
The necessity for holding the extra
session has been more apparent every
day and it has been subject of consi-
derable moment to all of the heads of
the various departments. 1t was hoped
by the executive council that the ex-
pense attached to a special session could
be avoided but the recent announce
ment by the Superintendent of Public
Works that work on the sewerage
system would have to be curtailed at
once on account of the deficiency
brought matters to an issue. Other de-
partments had begun to feel the .neces-
sity for more funds and the proposition
of raising them without calling a ses-
sion of the Legislature has since been
carefully discussed.
No solution however has been found
and unless the session is called the gov
ernment will become hopelessly in
volved for the ensuing year. So of the
two evils the lesser in the form of ar
extra session will be chosen. There ap-
pears to be only one solution of the diff
ficulty after the Legislature meets and
this will be the raising of the tax levy.
Whether this increase will be ordered
remains to be seen but this will be the
measure which the legislature will be
asked 30 enact
The receipts of the government have
already run behind close onto 5000, 900
since June IA when the Territorial Act
went into effect. Some estimates place
In any event the deficiency is steadily
growing which is readily understood
when it is remembered that the customs
duties amounting to 81 200 900 formerly
received by the Hawaiian Government
now go to the Federal Government.
The recent property tax rate of 1 per
cent is entirely inadequate to make up
the deficiency caused by the loss of the
customs revenue and proposition is to
have the rate raised to 11R per cent.
The reason for calling the extra session
is that the present tax rate becomes "a
fixed law on January 1st and unless
some measure is enacted changing this
rate to the required amount it will no
impossible to get any relief for a year.
: Ssllhe Tegular session of the legislature
meets the first Monday in February so
this will be too late.
The principal matter covering the
question of an extra session is he law
regarding the power of that body TO
enact a Retrospective measure and
whether the tax levy becomes fixed.
Government officials who have studied
these matters and considered the situa-
tion from both a legal as we'll as a
business standpoint have, it is under
stood, decided that no retrospective
measure can be enacted at the reg
ular session and that the tax levy
becomes a fixed rate January 1st. The
only solution they say is for an extra
session to be called.
Tt is stated positively that this mat
ter will be laid before the executive
council at it's regular meeting tomorrow
and the question in all if it's phases
be considered. Inasmuch as the mat
ter has narrowed down to only one plan
for relief the extra session is now
foregone conclusion among government
officials