The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-12-11
TEN PER CEN'T
MUDDLE
CROWS
Money Ready to pay the Chi
neSe Fire Claimants, but no
Identified Chinese to pay
Them to,

The Chinese fire claims warrants have
practically all been held up by Treasur-
er Kepoikai, on the ground that there
have been no proper assignments of
such claims to counsel and he has no
authority to pay the money out except
to the Individual named in the warrants
or on their signatures. Yesterday the
sum of S9,975.50 was paid out altogether
to holders of ten per cent warrants, and
the Chinese warrants to the number of
about 200 were presented. The trea-
surer refused to pay any of them, ex-
cept to those to whom the warrant
shows the money to be due.
Difficulties multiply in the way of
paying out the ten per cent, and near
ly all concerned are heartily of the
opinion that the ten per cent payment
is more of a nuisance than anything
else. Work and expense increase all
round, and the treasury and the Chi
nese consulate are up againsta problem
that no one has vet been able to solve,
Insurance companies have a protest
against the payment of claims where
they claim to be interested, suits to at
tach warrants for debt are being pre-
pared in some local law Offices and the
Territory steps in and deducts taxes
due in each case. Some of the ten per
cent warrants are for only a few dollars
and the taxes amount to more in many
of these cases.
The problem with the Chinese is how
to pay the money. The warrants are
all in the hands of the Chinese con-
sulate, which received the claims gave
the claimants receipts for them, and
assisted the attorneys in presenting the
cases. The claims however were
never assigned, and the warrants are
to the order of the claimant in each
case. Hundreds of the claimants cam
not be found at all, others will have to
be hunted up at probably greater eX-
pense than ten per cent of their claim
makes worth while, and as far as
Identification is concerned there is no
one not even in the consulate, who
claims to be able to identify the various
claimants Several hundred are thought
to be in China.
Secretary Poon Quai Leung of the
Consulate has had number of confer
ences with the treasurer, but no way
out of the difficulty has been adopted,
and the likely result is that only the
large merchant claims will be handled
now. Suppose the claimants all came
ito the treasury said Leung, who is
to identify them l cannot do it, L am
sure. / shall not advise them to come
anyhow, for l don't think it would be
right for them to gather here losing
time on the proposition"
NHe way Oul VI the ulIlCully lutl has
been suggested is to turn the matter
over to the consulate and let the consul
pay the warrants. This does not APP
pear to be satisfactory to the Treasurer,
/ however, and there Is doubt as to whe-
| ther II would be worth while to handle
| the matter even that way. The Chi
nese claimants look to the consul for
pay, as they filed their claims with the
consul in the first place.
THE warrants are held up" said
| Treasurer Kepoikai, because there are
no sufficient assignments of the claims
| to those who present them. We have
the money here to pay the warrants for
| ten per cent, and warrants are paid as
| they are presented. In the case of the
Chinese warrants they were not assign
ed and can't be paid to anyone but the
claimants"
| The 5000 Japanese claims have not
been presented as yet and may not be.