Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-05-17

/ the general expenses of government;
that from and after said date, all reve-
nues from customs duties were paid in
Between the 14th Of June, 1900 and the
31st of March, 1902. there has been
collected from customs duties in the
Territory of Hawaii and paid into the
Territorial Treasury of the United
States. the total sum of $2.293. 224.33,
an average amount Of s106,625 month
! ly, as appears from a statement of the
Secretary of the Treasury under date
of May 3, 1902. hereto attached as Ex-
hibit No lab, which revenues the local
government was receiving at and dur
ing the time of the bubonic plague
when the property now being claimed
for was destroyed and the obligations
to pay for the same were incurred.
The net customs receipts, after de-
Quoting expenses of collection amounts
to s2.135. 1880.
The Territory is not asking to be re-
imbursed for any of the moneys ex
pended out OF its local treasury.
amounting to sSO7,OOS.o6.
Besides the loss to the Territory OF
the customs duties, amounting to So
293.224.33, the postal receipts. amount
ing to about $4,000 per annum, to-
gether with the merchandise tax
(recently declared by the Supreme
Court to be UNCONSTITUTIONAL which
yielded revenue of about $4,000 per
annum, are no longer a part of the To-
cal revenues: hence, II follows that
the revenue Of the Territory. since
June IA, 1900. has been reduced by the
amounts above stated. while the cost
of carrying on the government has not
been reduced. To Offset this loss of
revenue. in part, the late Legislature
passed an act to provide a tax on in
comes of two per cent per annum on all
incomes over $1,000 annually, from and
after the LIST day of July, 1901, and
from which was realized. according to
the report of the Auditor, last year.
S290,O00. A copy of said act is attach
ed hereto, marked Exhibit No. 10.
Taxes upon property. real and per-
sonal, are assessed on a basis of one
per cent of the actual cash value OF the
property and in very many instances
far in excess of present selling values,
and II is impossible TO increase the rev.
enues by an increase in taxation under
the present conditions without working
a great hardship.
Under the terms of the Organic Act.
Sec. So, which section is hereto at
tached, marked Exhibit No. 16, the
Territory has no. authority to make
loans for the purpose OF raising money
TO satisfy the fire claim losses, and
there exists no possible means OF OBJ
tanning money for that purpose.
Honolulu, by reason of its geogra-
phical location, affords a regular and
necessary stopping place for many yes.
sells carrying passengers and mer-
chandise between the United States,
the cities of China, Japan, Australia
and the Philippines, and at the time OF
the breaking out Of the plague there
large number of United States trans.
ports engaged in the carrying of troops
to and from the Philippines, and at
the time OF the breaking out of the
plague there a large number of United
States transports engaged In the carry
ing Of troops to and from the Philip
pines that were required to stop for
needed repairs, also to take on passen-
gers freight and fuel so that the ac-
ton taken by the local authorities to
prevent the spreading of the disease
to such vessels and to the cities OF the
Mainland, in the suppression and eradi-
cation Of the bubonic plague. became q
matter OF national concern, as well as
of local necessity.
Hence, for the consideration stated,
and for the reason that II has been JIM
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