The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-03-05
Short Session to Permit Shaping
Up of Many Bills and
Z Resolutions.
House Will Have Struggle Over Rates of
Pay for TransIatng Senators Condemn
the BaiIiff Act-.-Many Reports.

Work was the order for both houses
OF the Legislature yesterday. not only
during their session, but as wen during
the afternoon wher a half dozen COM
mittees got down to hard and effec-
tive labor. The Senate vas busy with
reports on the acceptability Of various
proposals for appropriations, and the
House took up the matter of Ellis on
their first reading as well clearing up
such things to a great degree, so that
there viii be ample work for commit
tees for some time to come.
The only fight in the House was upon
the proposal of Fernandez that the
prices of translation. proof reading and
pfinting of bills shall be at higher
lrate than is being paid. Kumalae was
in favor of the rate of seventy-five
cents for transiating a page. saying
that 1t was necessary that there be a
ably lawyer. to do the work, as such
men alone know the phraseology and
are able to turn out bills in proper
form
Harris took up the cudgels for fair
rates, he saying that the recognized
rate is fifty cents for page. and to
pay any more is purely gratuitous.
Finally after he. had brought out from
Speaker Beckley that before the ap-
pointment OF committees the price paid
was fifty cents. the Speaker suggested !
that the matter go over so that the Com ,
mittee on Printing might have chance
to report on It, and this disposition was
made.
1t has developed as curious feature
of the employees ofethe House, that the
Republican majority of the Committee /
on Printing, has. allowed the employ !
ment of ]. II. Prendergast, former
Home Rule member of the House. as
the clerk OF this important committee.
There has been as we'll an agreement
ststween Chairman Fernandez and
\ itsor Republican member Humalae,
that the translation of the bills shall
be done on the basis of Home Rulers
getting the patronage when the bills
have been introduced by Home Rulers,
and Republicans when the bills have
origin with members of that party.
The predominating end OF the introduc-
tfon business is with the minority, and
among the translators. according to the
for IL was impossible yesterday
TO get a list of those who are on the
payroll of the House. is Mrs. Robert W.
wilcox, wife of the late delegate to
Congress, and that a place is being held
for wilcox when he returns, which is
expected to take place within the com
ing two weeks.
The Committee on Finance got down
to work yesterday afternoon for the
first time, and has determined to make
the appropriation bill as rapidly as pos
sible. The committee has had prepared
a series Of tables showing that the pas
sage OF the law wiping out the poll,
road and school tax will mean the loss
Of about a quarter of million a year
In revenues to all the islands.
Several of the committees of the
House have taken up their work sys-
the clerks named thus far
being: Finance, EIgin; Expenditures,
Sims. Printing, Prendergast; Public ,
Lands and Judiciary, Mossman; Public
Health. Blake. In the Senate. among
the clerkships already passed out are
Public Lands, Towse; Expenditures,
Ables. The exporting of the books in
the Auditors Office is now under way,
Sims and Abies working over them. and