The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-02-28
FINANCIAL.
ADJUSTING
Governor Carter Busily
Engaged Preparing
Statement.

Governor Carter was. engaged yester-
day. until late in the afternoon, upon
| the financial concerns of the Govern
ment. Auditor Fisher was in consul
tation with him, pointing out such
items of the running expenses of the
Government. in appropriations for the
six months ended Dec. 81, 1903, as were
omitted in the appropriation bill for
current expenses of the eighteen
months ending June 30, 1905 Such
omissions We're due to the leaving of
certain expenses to be provided for
by the counties. but the County Act
having been judiciaIly found void the
services for which such provision was
intended We're left without appropria-
tons. Therefore, it is taken, they fall
into the category of necessary expendi-
lures for which the Legislature failed
to make appropriations and which the
Organic Act authorizes to be made on
the basis of the last previous appro-
priations legally enacted for the same
purposes.
With the omissions in question in
serted in the current expenses act for
the eighteen months ending with the
biennial period, and some cognate ques-
tons settled, the Government will
know exactly what It's fixed obligations
will amount to. The sum deducted
from the amount of probable revenue
will show the Government how much
money if any it will have for selected
expenditures from the immensely ex-
cessiye appropriations the Legislature
made out of current revenue.
When all this is computed, a clear
and definite statement can be laid
before the business men and the banks,
from which they can see to what ex-
tent both Treasury warrants and
Treasury notes have assurance of be-
ing paid when due.
The test case so much talked about is
to prove the legality of going back to
lapsed appropriation acts for authority
to pay Indispensable expenses that are
not provided for in the appropriations
passed for the remainder of this period
since December 81, 1908. Besides the
own test case the suits
instituted by the Queens Hospital and
the Home for Incurables on claims for
the subsidies granted them by the
Legislature, Will decide points equally
important to a financial understanding /
all round. Not only if the hospitals |
W VIII the government KNOW 1T mas [
SO much more to pay than otherwise, |
but the broad issue may arise in these
cases as to what constitutes necessary .
expenses in the meaning that appro-
priations therefor by the Legislature |
create fixed charges that until paid are
public Indebtedness. 1t is well known
that no public debt accrues from APP
for the general benefit,
such as roads and miscellaneous SER
vices, involving no question of vested
rights, which the executive authors
ties have not been able to expend with
N the period. Such always become a
lead letter when the period for which
hey were voted expires. When, how
ever, an appropriation is made in pur-
suance of long established policy of
The Government, for an object that
las been maintained or aided from the
public treasury by votes of successive
legislatures, the question may be rails
ID whether expenditures made in reli-
tnce upon such policy, as well as the
Attest appropriation itself, should not
De regarded as making public in
just the same as the eXpen-
Iiture of labor and material on q Gov
.rnment contract awarded under an
appropriation by the Legislature.
It was learned yesterday that the
Governments test case, being an ap-
zeal from Auditor Fishers refusal to
ssue a warrant for the payment of a
ill for printing tax blanks, will be
inferred in the Supreme Court tomor-
ow afternoon. There is no provision
or expenses of assessment and eollec-
ion of taxes in the eighteen months
ill, because taxation matters Were
to the counties that never
anne into legal being. When the [
'ounty Act was knocked out. it became I
ecessary for the Territory to take up
axation business again. {
IfEalf AIAaa-nNR