The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-08-20
THE COURT DEFICITS.


less condition of the courts. The organ
of Humphreys and Gear, judges t.
whose deliberate extravaganza the def
icit is chiefly due, gets at the matter
in this engaging way:
Justice Frear's estimate of the money
required to carry the courts through
the remaining six months of the year
shows that his estimate made to the
LEGISLATURE should have been S40,OOt
rather than $50, 600. The condition now
presented in the finances of the CIR
cult Courts represents an error in fore
casting.
The plain facts regarding the short
age of money for the courts are that
the estimate placed before the Legisla-
ture did not take into account the add
ed expense of the grand jury. The
appropriation for the period was $780,
600, and the Chief Justices estimate
of funds required to carry the courts
through the remaining six months OF
the year is $4,000, preferably $1,000.
The continuous charge of unwarranted
expense and reckless extravaganza
finds no confirmation of fact. 1t is
part and parcel of the continuous nag
ging by which it is apparently hoped
to convince the people that personal
spite should be made the paramount
issue in the comment on public admin
istration and the officials 1t VIII De
a source of qualification to all honest
minded citizens if the Senatorial Com
mission can find the time to go 10 the
bottom of the court question and the
character of the administration when
has been and continues to be the OBJ
ject of childish spite on the part OF Two
or three disgruntled individuals
Now for the facts In making his
forecast Chief Justice Frear naturally
thought that as $4,000 paid the ex-
penses of the courts in 1898 and 1899
and left an unexpended balance of
Sc. 1S6. SO, and as s13,670 sufficed for 1900,
the sum of s36 600 would foot the court
bills for 1901 and 1902. he did not over
look the grand jury as this extract
from his report will show:
Expenses Supreme and Circuit
Courts This appropriation should be
increased to $4,000. This is $1,000 more
than the amount appropriated in 1900
or $4,000 more than that appropriated IN
1898, which was, however, not all ex-
pended. A general increase of business
may be expected during the ensuing
two years. THERE WILL BE THE
EXPENSE OF GRAND JURIES which
we have not had before. There may
be- besides the general Increase of
business due to the growth OF the
country more or less litigation with
reference to fishing rights under Sec
ton 90 of the Organic Act. If third
Judge is appointed for the First Cir
cult, there will be q further increase of
expenses
Taking all these things into consid-
Grafton the Chief Justice thought that
5000 would be enough. If he erred
anywhere it was in assuming that
Judges Humphreys and Gear, whose
clnnlOFinSr
against the so-called enormous cost
of government in Hawaii" would be
decentiy economical in their drafts up
on the court funds. He did not foresee
that the apparent eagerness of both to
force an extra session of the Legisla-
ture, would lead them to throw public
money to the birds, particularly to the
vultures. Had he done so the prob /
ability that $4,000 or even 100000
would be called for might have occur ;
red TO him. He now sees that with
Gear on the bench it will need $4,000 ,
more TO get the courts through for the /
remaining short period.
Now what did Gear and Humphreys
do? In 1900 for the six months ending
June 18th, the total expense account
Humphreys was appointed July 3, 1900 i
The six months following, the expense
of the Judiciary amounted to $S,SS5. AZ. I
making the total of 13,670.20. In the
following six months the work of Am /
ericanizing'' the courts was becoming
more vigorous. For the six months +
ending July ], 1901. the expense of the I
judiciary aggregated $1S,674.31-or more .
than had been expended for the entire /
previous year The same extravaganza
has been the rule since and OVER /
TwO-THIRDS of the amount charged +
against the Judiciary department has
been expended upon the order of either
Humphreys or Gear. The First Cir !,
cult, before the appointment of the
Third Judge, had used up more of the I
appropriation than the four other cir
cults and the Supreme Court combined.
How was it done? BY SHEER, DE-
LIBERATE AND u l. P A b L E +.
WASTE. The paying out of money for
incidentals, not strictly required, in
creased nearly three hundred per cent
In the Hagey gold cure case Gear kept
twenty-four jurors under pay for elev-
en- days in addition to the panel of
twelve that heard the case. During
one term Humphreys alone employed
three bailiffs. After deciding that only ]
one judge could hold court at time, /;
the clerical force required for three
courts was kept on the payroll. Dur
ing this period there were two ste
nographers under pay, one of whom
was generally idle, and yet Humphreys
employed a third. a young woman. at
$40 per day. These are but examples
of what must pass for a systematic
policy Of waste.
Having said most of this before. and
convinced the public of its authorize
tive character, the Advertiser would
L. LIZ, |