The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-07-18
WORK OF FIRE
CLAIMS COURT
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OLilIjIIO OOOIII
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claims and the procedure Of the COM
mission, and yet was absolutely neces-
sary if we were to make awards on as
certained fact and not on mere guess
work.
THE number of clerical errors we
| discovered early determined us that
| the only safe way was to take nothing
for granted, not even the addition of
column of figures, and that every
one of the Gas claims must be gone
| through in this thorough, careful WGs,
Notwithstanding the drudgery it in
| volVed for the commissioners and the
amount of clerical work it required.
I'VE early found that the Board Of
Health records of property removed
from condemned buildings to ware
! houses, and returned from warehouses
to owners were of no service whatever.
! For instance, the Board of Health rec
ord would show an item of 10 cases
removed from a certain place 20 a
! warehouse, but there was nothing to
| show what the cases contained. We
! therefore had to call for other evil
! derce The Board of Health reports
| of appraisement of the value Of prop
| erty condemned and destroyed were
! found of the greatest usefulness.
"The multitude of the claims, and the
| many times multiplied number of items
! each involving clerical work. and con-
| sderatiOn by the commission brought
up to a point where the time within
which the legislature apparently eN-
| peCted the work to be completed had
! expired and the work was still incOm-
| plete The legislature had appropriate
! ed $l7,400 in all for the expenses of the
commission, but had divided it into
! specific items such as for the pay of
! commissioners, the pay of clerks. COun-
sci, stenOgrapher, interpreters, bailim,
and government witnesses. The only
one of these funds in which we could
| effect a saving was that of witness
! fees. This item was $1,000 and it is
practically unused. But we could not
use it for any other purpose.
The commission was then in the po-
! stiOn of having largely completed it's
| work, but without funds to finish it.
! If it could be enabled to go on with it's
! work it could be completed in a CONF
| paratively short time, and at compar-
! atively small expense and the whole
matter which has hung like a mill
stone about the neck of the territory
be finally disposed Of If the work was
to stop, all that had been done would
! W
would have to hang over until another
| legislature met. In this juncture, af
ter consultation with the governor an
| appeal was made to the merchants of
! the community. Sixteen business
| houses agreed to come to the rescue.
Four notes for $1,000 each were made,
and each was signed by four business
houses. Each of the four banks took
one of the notes and advanced the
money, the governor agreeing to rec
Ommend to the legislature the repay
ment of these notes to the makers.
| This enabled the commission to go on
and complete it's work. 1t is estimated
| that the entire cost of completing the
work will be S4T00 to $4,000 in addition
! to the amount appropriated by the
| legislature, less the item of $4,000 APP
! propTiated for witnesses This inclddes
! the clerical work necessary in complet-
ing the records of the commission,
! preparing the report of the commission
| to the legislature. and to the governor
| for his report of adjudicating these
| claims getting the record of the
| awards to the auditor and treasurer,
and SO finally putting the claimants in
a position to realize on their awards in
| the regular course of governmental
| and business procedure. The pay of
| the commissioners ceased some time
! ago. No pay has been received by any
OF them since the f1nal awards were
made. 1 am still spending consider
able time in preparing the reports, bat
| l am serving without pay. Tha only
! expenses now going on are in conpec-
ton with the clerical work and adHer-
! Using necessary to get the certificates
| of awards into the hands of those en-
titled to them.
| Now as regards the fees charged on
! the delivery of the certificates of
award. Two or three things must be
| borne in mind. First the commission
had the power, ii it had seen fit to ex-
ercise it, to charge a fee on the filing
of claims. Next the claims are not Il
legal claim against the territory, ex-
cept as the legisla ture made them such
by this act. This act is simply a rec
ognitiOn on the part of the territory,
not even of a moral claim against it,
but of a benevolent impulse toward
those particular members of the COM
munity who suffered especial loss in a
great general calamity. The territory,
through the legislature, therefore had
perfect right to attach such cOndi-
tipns to its bounty as it saw fit. 1t
did attach certain conditions in the act
itself, and empowered the commission
to attach any other proper ones to at
tain the end which the legislature in
the act itself declared was of doing
substantial justice.
Here then the Legislature had APP
propriated $l,5OOOOO, or so much of it
as was needed as an act of benevo-
lence and moral obligation to gas
claimants. In addition it appropriate
ed ST., 400, or, when the $4,000 unavail-
able witness fees are considered, only
$50, 400 in order to get this $780,,
COO to it's benefciaries. But the whole
effort would have failed of accomplish
ment for the lack of an additional few
thousand dollars had not the mer-
chants come forward, Now then the
matter presented itself to the commits
sion thus Suppose we could bring the
whole GAS claimants before us and
state the position to them. Would they
rot willingly and unanimously have