The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-05-13
The LETTER WHICH PRINCE
KUH|0 COMPLAINED OF
Nothing to Get Excited About...A Reasonable
Statement Of How Things Have
Been Going in Hawaii.

Following is "Kamehamehas" letter
In the Washington Star of April rs,
which brought out a reply from the
Delegate:
HONOLULU, April ~. 19O4.-Gov-
ernor Carter seems after all, to the
general surprise and qualification, to
be having things entirely his own way
with the newly met legislature. This
Is only their fifth day of session. and
If all things run as smoothly as they
have begun. they will finish their very
| important work within one week more
| The territory has been and is in
most severe financial strait. The gov
ernor has been giving himself most
resolutely. and it is believed with skill,
| to devise the best financial methods
| to solve its difficulties. Having elab-
| GRATED his plan he has convened the
legislature in extra session to give it
legal authority 1t is the same body of
men who a year ago recklessly squan-
dered time and money for four months
fruitlessly \ majority then displayed
the greatest disregard for legislative
propriety and honesty. 1t was nat
urally felt that neither reasonable nor
efficient dealing could be expected from
the same men in acting upon the diff
cult financial conditions
THE FINANCIAL CONDITIONS.
To state briefly what these are: The
revenue of this territory was. by an
neXation, cut in half, in consequence
of the transfer to the federal govern
ment of all revenue from the customs
and post office, leaving the territorial
government only the taxes to depend
upon, besides number of sources of
income, such as waterworks and rent
of wharves and public lands. The
treasury was in a somewhat plethoric
condition when annexation came, and
for the past four years we have been
living upon our own accumulated fat.
But this has come to an end, and the
government has been finding itself
confronted with a monthly eXpendi-
ture of say $4,000, and an income of
only $4,000.
For the past six weeks Gov Carter
has been diligently applying himself,
with the aid of the several heads of
departments, to the almost desperate
task of cutting down expenditures
nearly one-half This task he has ac-
complished after fashion, and prob
ably as judiciously as was possible. A
large number of salaried positions have
been struck out. There has been a
general reduction in the amount of sal
aries, especially of the larger ones.
The appropriation to volunteer mill
tary is abolished, dispensing with such
display. The band is dismissed, with
its music, which for over thirty years
has delectated the public OH all occa-
sfons. The subsidy to the Queens !
Hospital is withdrawn. threatening to |
leave much suffering unreleved. The |,
costly system of education is sorely
cut into. The board of health is large
ly cut down. Road and street i'm
are remorselessly con- /
tracted, except as some of them are |
provided for under liberal loan act. |
the whole public system is |
placed on short commons.
WARNED AGAINST LEGISLATURE !
Such is the governors scheme all
in full schedule, published |
and submitted to the Legislature. The .
business community regarded it with
favor, as an unavoidable economic .
necessity, but how would the legisla-
ture. largely composed of Hawaiian
natives, receive it? Their treatment of
such matters in previous sessions had
been largely irrational and might be