The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-11-15
APPEAL TO
CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE
Funds Needed for
the Fire Claims
Commission.
From Thursdays dally.)


~ terday afternoon and made a
strong plea to that body to assist the
Planters and Merchants Associations
in advancing the sum of $4,000 with
which to continue the sessions OF the
Fire Claims Commission. The matter
was presented in the strongest light
and the Chamber promptly appointed
committee consisting of the president
and secretary to confer with the presi-
dents and secretaries, respectively, of
the Planters and the Merchants AS
sociations. AS the present funds for
the Commission will be exhausted to-
morrow. the conference will lie urgent.
1t is believed from the manner In ''hich
the Chamber of Commerce acquiesced
in accepting the views of Governor
Dole that there is little doubt about
the advancing of the money to the gov
ernment to be refunded with interest
by the Legislature.
1t was expected that the matter of
assisting in the raising of funds for the
permanent improvement of the wharves,
as a means of assisting in the exter-
mInation OF rats, would be taken up at
yesterdays meeting. but it was not
mentioned. 1t is understood that there
were certain members of the Chamber
of Commerce who had promised the
Board of Health they would bring the
matter up for discussion. but none of
them were able to put in an appear
ance at the meeting, and the matter
was therefore passed over without
comment.
There was some misunders tandinc as
to the manner in which the committee
having in charge to raising Of funds to
reimburse Castle & Cooke for the $500
advanced on the Quarantine wharf con-
struction last year, was to have gone
about Its work. There seemed TO be
an impression among some OF the mem
bers of the Chamber that much OF this
work devolved upon the secretary. The
latter. however. showed conclusively
that his part in 1t was merely in the
making up of lists of the Chamber of
Commerce and other local commercial
organizations and furnishing these 70
the committee. The refunding matter
was therefore laid over until the mex,
meeting.
Yesterdays meeting was to have
been held at 3 o'clock but owing tC
the departure OF the steamer Alameda
at 4 o'clock, the time for meeting was
half an hour later President Cook,
and Secretary Spencer had to do 10
of telephoning around town before {
quorum could be brought together
There were present Governor Dole. c
M. Cooke, J. G. Spencer, F. J. Lowrey
w. A. Bowen, l.. T.. Pinkham. w. w
Hall. Mr.. Wodehouse. II. Focke, f.. Il
Paxton, George Robertson, Il. Give
Davies, J. A. Gilman, Mr.. Parmalee.
Owing to the difficulty and time lost
sn in IL
Ing OF the minutes OF the previous meet
ing was dispensed with. A report was
asked from the committee having in
charge the raising OF funds on the quar-
antine wharf advances made by Castle
g. Cooke. The matter had been referred
back to the committee at the last meet
tng. for collection of the money pro rata
Mr. Bowen, of Castle & Cooke, said he
had inquired during the day as to tn,
status of the matter from Mr.. Pfoten
hauer, and the latter had informed hin
that the committee had submitted its re-
port to the Chamber. which thought II
could obtain more members before com
mencing the collecting. The question OF
securing more members had been left
to the secretary, and therefore the whole
matter rested with the latter. Secretary
Spencer denied that such was the case.
He said he went so far as to get the list
of the charter members of the Mer-
chants Association and the proposed
members. He had reported to the com
mittee he had these lists, but no action
was taken. and 1t was not suggested that
more members be added to the Chamber,
II was for the committee TO act upon,
not for him.
Mr.. Bowen remarked that Castle n
Cooke had not received anything on the
money they had advanced Mr.. Spencer
replied that no instructions had been
given him to this end. He said the list
would be handed to the committee at
once.
President Cooke announced that Gov
ernor Dole had called on him recently
and asked whether the Chamber of Com
merce could not take up the matter of
the fire claims. He had showed him n
letter from Chairman Macfarlane OF the
Commission showing the status of that
body, as 1t would be after the 18th of the
present month, and in consequence h'
had invited the governor to be pressn
and present the matter TO the membrs
Governor Dole said 81 am very glaC
Of the opportunity to appear before yoI
TO bring up the request of the Fir
Claims Commission, and think you will
be interested, as Chamber of Com
merce as I am as a member of the gov
ernment. That Is the matter of tn
funds for carrying on the work of th
Commission"
He read Mr.. hacfarlanes letter, an
stated that the funds for the Commis
sion We're running out, and unfortunate
ly the legislature divided the sum tota
of the appropriations into diferen
items. and the calculations on whic
these items had been based were mac
curate. SO that some of the items hav
hardly been drawn upon at all. and som
are entirely exhausted. Governor Dol
said further that he had been requisite
TO transfer one Item to another. whic
he had declined to do, believing II was
matter for the legislature to attend e
He had also obtained an opinion fror
the attorney general who took the sam
view. Mr.. hacfarlane said In effect tha
the division OF items had left money I
soma items and had been exhausted 1
Others. Al an executive session OF tn