The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-19

THAT the anti-vaccination bill had re-
lty and had been passed over the Gov
.ernor's veto.
Mr.. Carter presented the majority re-
port from the Ways and Means Com
mittee on Senate bill No SO relating
to license for tailors and dressmakers.
Mr.. Russell said that he was opposed
to the bill and would vote against the
license system on principle. He wished
to point out that there were two kinds
of taxation, viz, direct and indirect.
At this point the speaker went into
long explanation of the terms direct"
and indirect" as used by political
economists since the days of Adam
Smith. He further explained how the
application of economic laws would lay
the burden of taxation upon the poor
instead of on the rich. Licenses were
a species of indirect taxation and hence
to be condemned The United States
Federal tax is indirect; the State tax
is direct The license system is only re-
sorted to in the United States in special
cases as in dealing with the liquor ques-
ton. The rich have not paid their share
of taxes in Hawaii in the past. IF it is
the desire of the Senators to further
Cypress the poor let US all vote for the
present license system.
/ Mr.. Carter said that he had heard
so often that the poor paid the bulk of
the taxes that he had begun to believe
it was true. Thus far. however. his in
vestigations led him to oppose such
theories as those advanced by Mr.. Rus
sell It was a fact that last year the
sugar industry had paid fifty per cent.
of all the taxes: but Mr.. Russell was not
satisfied with this. he wished the plan
tations to pay not less than ninety per
cent, or more, if it could be collected.
He did not believe that any one indus
try should be taxed in this way. We
should meet the facts; and our present
duty was TO go down into our pockets
for the taxes to meet the present short
age in our revenues. He wished to
point out to Mr.. Russell that it was the
merchants of Honolulu who are growl-
ing against the licenses and not the
consumers. as stated
Mr.. Russell said that Mr. Carter had
put words into his mouth and he wished
to emphatically deny that he was
stupid enough to want to tax the sugar
industry by itself He thought the ner-
chants growled on general principles
but that the present growl was caused
largely by the competition of outside
drummers. He wished to deny that the
sugar industry had paid its proportion
of taxes and in support Of this state
rnent he wished to quote from Governor
Dole's report that for the last year the
plantations mad only paid nine-tenths
of one per cent. while every consumer
pays tax Of forty per cent. to the
sugar industry.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
/ Mr.. White presented the following
: majority report from the judiciary
Committee on Senate bills % and 8;
and in connection Herewith, on House
bill SO:
: Minority report of committee o.
claims on bills Nos. % and So:
, Honorable s. f. Kaiue, President o.
the Senate. Territory of Hawaii
Sir-We respectfully submit the fol
/ lowing report on Senate Bills Is and
/ So:
, This bill. No %. provides merely ro
a commission to take evidence and re
port TO the Governor of the Territor,
upon the claims that may be presented
and il contains no assurance to any
one of any beneficial results il he file
tic Lot ,,1