The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-02-26
He RESENTS
THE SLURS
The Treasurer Is
Angered At
Abuse.
Challenges a Statement
That Banks Do Not
Trust Him.
Claims He Is Holding Up Nothing.
Waiting For Test-Treasury
Statement.

Treasurer A. N. Kepoikai became
audibly and visibly annoyed when ht
saw the leading editorial in an evening
paper at his Office yesterday. He at once
expressed desire to give an interview
to an Advertiser reporter, who at the
moment was engaged on routine item
OF news in the Treasurer's Office.
AT the present time the Treasurer
has lost the confidence of the banks and
in consequence the business community
is suffering" So ran the opening of a
paragraph in the article on which Mr..
Kepoikai said:
Nothing was said at any conference
OF business men and bankers to justify
such slur. The whole matter OF want
of confidence in the situation was
thrashed out at the meeting OF business
men and bankers with the Governor this
morning, where representative of the
evening paper was present, and there
was nothing said there to support the
statement before me- /, am willing to
leave this portion of the personal attack
to any of the bankers present.
Bankers have personally assured me
that | had taken the proper course in
giving warning to the departments in my
circular letter to them.
Mr. Kepoikai then indicated the arti-
Gle where it says: The Treasurer is
one of the most important of the Terri
torial officials. He can hold up large
amount of public work. AS long as an
expenditure is within the appropriation
on the statute book, the Auditor is COM
PEELED to issue the warrants. He cannot
say this shall be spent, that shall not
be spent. his authority extends to see
ing that there is such an appropriation,
and that the expenditure under that ap-
preparation is legally made. But the
Treasurer can hold up the payment of
the warrant on the plea of insufficient
funds, for a month, for two months,
practically indefinitely.
The Treasurer characterized the fore
going statements as nonsense and re-
ferred the reporter to the Audit Act as
proof that the evening papers view of
the law was wrong.
The entire responsibility for deciding
on the legality OF appropriations and
warrants under them rests with the Au-
dItor," Mr.. Kepoikai said as he read
section OF the law
All that | have TO do, when a war
rant is presented at the Treasury Tor
payment, IS to pay the warrant if there
IS money or to register 1t II there IS not. s
L do not propose to hold up any
thing. | am only waiting for the test
case SO that | can obtain funds. Every I
/ = ( Il, l.
men themselves say they are waiting for
The test case. To say that | am hold
ng up warrants is a misstatement of
facts as they exist now. The only rea-
son for holding up any warrants is that
here is no money in the treasury to
meet them.
To-day, at the opening of this Office,
here were outstanding warrants from
he beginning of the year amounting to
of which S73,64o.44 have
,een registered he cash on hand this
morning was $3oI46, being the only
valuable money to meet some of these
variants, part of which are salary war
ants, and the salaries and payrolls for
february.
With regard to the alleged confused
tatements' given by me, mentioned in
he evening papers report of the meet
ng, Governor Garter acknowledged,
fter an explanation, that the statement
prepared for the business men was
about correct. 1t was regarding the
words 'unaccounted for that the misun-
erstanding occurred. They merely sig
flied that the item Of S42,44o.22 repre-
ented such OF the outstanding warrants
5 had not been registered.
Mr.. Kepoikai, at the end OF the inter
lew, gave the reporter copy of the
'reasurs statements that he had furnish
d to the business men. These are here
eproduced:
FINANCIAL sTATEMENT-1904.
urrent cash bal. Jan l. 'o4$ 6S,592.O8
ire claims cash bal. Jan.
l. 1904 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 3,254.63
stimated receipts, 1904, less
special deposits ........... 1920, 900. 90
Estimated same as 1909 -
Total -. -. .........s2,3 61. 1896
EXPENDITURES
outstanding con-
tracts, 1903 IS 155.000.00
outstanding war
wants, 1908 -. 102.777.91
mos sal & pay
rolls a $120,vv1
per month =. :. ! 44o. 600 Go
- 1.s97.777.s1
valuable cash to meet Cen