The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-01-22
MERCHANTS WILL LOOK
into TAXATION PLANS
Committee of the Association Appointed to
Consider the Questions Asked
in Schedule |.

There will be a storm about the ears
of Tax Collector Pratt before the bust
ness men of the city make out and file
full set Of answers to the questions
in Schedule I. This was foreshadowed
in the discussion of the matter in the
yesterday and the committee appointed
to take up the question will not permit
| it to drop until they have had some
understanding with the department. 1t
was openly asserted that there have
been received, at the tax Office, the re-
turns of many corporations without the
answers which are comprised in the
schedule, while now it is intimated that
This is classed as the grossest kind
of discrimination an6 the business men
Will resent the action.
The meeting of the Association was
Well attended and was presided over
by vice-President Dimond in the abb
sence of President Macfarlane, confined
TO his house by illness. The element of
humor was interjected early in the ses-
sion by the reading by Secretary Har-
ris of the following letter:
Montgomery, Ala, Dec. %. 1902.
The Merchants Association, Honolulu
Hawaii.
Dear Sirs: I note in today's Press
Dispatches" a communication from
Hon. T. Thos. Fortune, special labor
commissioner sent to your islands by
Hon. Mr.. Shaw, Secretary of Treasury
of the United States. in re scarcity of
labor with you, for the plantations If
you will place me in touch with the
proper. parties, who would be willing to
advance transportation from this sec
ton to your country and in addition
allow me a reasonable per capita re-
Enumeration for my services in gather
ing them together, 1 can furnish from
900 to 10000 of our Southern negroes,
the best farm laborer in the world.
Hoping to hear from you, I am
Very truly yours,
s. K WILLIAMSON.
No action was taken and the matter
of the tax blank was called up by Vice
President Dimond He said that he
thought there was no reason for the in
sistence upon answers to the many
questions which so closely affect the
business houses, and that there We're
particulars asked for which were not
necessary. There was along discussion
over the matter and finally the matter
resolved itself into the appointment of
a committee consisting of Messrs. Di-
mond, Helm and Soper for the purpose
of taking up the question of the kind
of inquiry which is made into the af-
fairs of the various corporations doing
business in the Territory.
The Association then received the re-
port of its committee sent to the joint
body, which considered the matter of
a census of the OTientals in the city. /
The report was received and adopted !
1t is as follows:
To the Builders and Traders Exchange,
the Merchants Association and the
Honolulu Trades and Labor Council, I
The joint committee appointed by
your several bodies for the purpose of
taking a census of the business and
trades of Honolulu. beg leave 20 report
as follows:
Your committee have investigated the
,ost of taking such a census and believe
il is beyond the limit which in your
committees opinion your bodies would
De willing to expend. The Hawaiian
census of 1896 cost 1888 per hundred. Il
To be exact, practically a complete
census of the city, including 10000 to
5000 people. would be necessary. The
cost of taking the census of 1896 in
Honolulu proper cost 4.S7 cents per
head. This would mean about $4,000.
Even if the census were attempted to
De taken by your committee, without
government authority, it would be in
and inaccurate at the best.
Your committee have arranged for
compiling statistics from the Internal
Revenue office as to Chinese. which viii
pc absolutely reliable as far as they go.
There may be some slight expense at
ached TO this compilation, which your
committee ask leave to report later
when the statistics are compiled.
Your committee therefore recommend II
hat they be discharged and that the
several Organizat ions herein rapreserft-