The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1902-07-18
CAN REPAY
THEIR LOAN
The Fire Commission
Has Enough
Money.

The Ere claims commission has al
ready taken I'm from claimants sufii-
Client for the payment Of the loan mad.
by the merchants OF the city to contin-
Ne the work ~ the court after the ap.
preparation had been exhausted. The
, total amount borrowed by the COM
mission was $4,000. and there were be-
sides come added expenses since that
| time. and considerable more will be re-
quired. The collections OF Clerk Riggs
amount to about $500 which included
! the sum ~ $500 paid by the Chinese
| consul yesterday for about 5000 certifi-
Gates.
About soc0 certificates have now been
given out by the commission so that
but 200 remain. The end of the week
viii probably see the last OF tho awards
given out. az at that time Secretary
Riggs stops work There may perhaps
be few individual claims In which the
claimant has left the country or is not
particularly anxious to ascertain the
decision Of the court.
There Is still considerable talk as to
the cashing or dlscountng of the war
rants. Auditor Austin said yesterday
that he would probably begin giving
out warrants Monday evening. and
Treasurer Wright will register them at
once, though the warrants Will not
draw interest until after August 5th.
The second and third certificates will
be given out at the same time htt they
date August 9Th. 1903, and August 9Th,
/ 1904 respectively
! Banks where certificates have been
! presented say they VIII not discount
them until the veXing questions involv-
ed are finally adjudicated In due time
the various banking iustlt- t,u4,5 will
probably set together and agree upon
"a rate OF discount. Nothing is likely to
be done, however until after the war
rants have been registered.
4 good story IS being told in con-
nection with the charge OF fees by the
commission and the refusal of the
court to give cut certificates or permit
their inspection until the claimants had
paid this charge
Judge Whiting who. with Judge Rob-
inson, represents nearly all the Chi
nose claimants to the number of over
900. went to j. NJ. Riggs. clerk OF the
commission, on the first day the awards
We're given out. and was refused per-
mission to examine the records until
he had paid the accumulated fees,
amounting to some s2i00. upon the rul-
ing OF Chairman Macfarlane. The
Judge studied over the situation awhile
and then called on Secretary Riggs
again.
What il the charge on No. SAT" he
asked the clerk, naming one OF his
claims from q long and imposing list
Fifty cents" answered Mr. RIGGS,
after consulting his books.
What is the fee on No. 5S7?" was the
next query of Mr.. Whiting
-Four dollars" answered the clerk.
still unsuspectingly.
, Now please tell me the charge on
No. 1906" was the next question, as
Judge Whiting went down his list. not
ing the replies of the clerk as given
! Again Mr.. Riggs patiently hunted up
, the certificate and gave the amount of
the charge which had tn be paid before
it could be given out. Mr.. Whiting had
not offered to pay any of the fees, and
the line Of people at his back was
steadily increasing, with prolonged
clamor for recognition from some of
the claimants.
do you intend to go over your en-
tire list in that manner" asked the
clerk In despair as the object Of the
/, questioning was beginning to dawn
upon him.
THAT is certainly what we intend to
t DO" replied the Judge.
But that will take all day.
quite likely, and probably two ana
three days: but we intend to stay here
until we get the necessary information.
| You know that is what you are here
for" the Judge calmly replied.
The cler kwilted then and gave per-
mission to the attorneys to examine
tho certificates on condition that they
not look at the awards. The fee charg
ed by the commission had been noted
in one corner of the certificate. and
from this the attorneys computed the
total OF the charge of the commission.
II amounted to 5000. the figures given
by Mr.. RIGGS, and was finally paid un-
der protest.