The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-05-13
THE LETTER WHICH PRINCE
KUH|O COMP 1A|NEO Of
Nothing to Get Excited About---A Reasonable
Statement Of How Things Have
Been Going in Hawaii.

Following is Kamehameha's letter
in the washington Star of April 2s,
which brought out reply from the
Delegate:
HONOLULU. April IL. 1so4.-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
II ali things run as smoothly as they
have begun. they viii 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
resolufeiy, and 1t is believed with SIKH,
TO devise the best financial metnods
to solve its difficulties Having elap-
Grated his plan he has convened the
legislature in extra session to give II
legal authority. It is the same pooy 81
men who a year ago recklessly squan-
dered time and money for four months
fruitlessly. A majority then displayed
the greatest disregard for legislative
propriety and honesty 1t was rat
Erally felt that neither reasonable nor
efficient dealing could be expected from
the same men in acting upon the oiiii-
cult financial conditions.
THE FINANCIAL CONDITIONS.
no 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 a number OF sources or
income. such as waterwoTks and rent
of wharves and public lands me
treasury was in a somewhat plethoric
condition when annexation came, and
for the past four years we have been
living upon our own accumulated rat
But this has come to an end, and he
government has been finding itself
confronted with a monthly expendi-
ture Of say $4,000, and an income OF
oraiy 1000
For the past six weeks Gov. Garter
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 a fashion, and prop
ably as 5udiciously as was possible a
large number Of salaried positions nave
been struck out. There has been
general reduction In the amount OF sal
aries, especially of the larger ones.
The appropriation to volunteer mill
tarv Is abolished, dispensing With such
display. The band is dismissed, with
its music. which for over thirty years
has defectated the public on all occa-
sions. The subsidy to the Queens
Hospitar is withdrawn. threatening to
leave much suffering unre1ieved- The
costly system of education Is sorely
f.11t into. The board OF health Is large
" cut down. Road and street inn
movements are remorselessly con-
fracted, except as some Of them are
provided for under liberal loan act
Altogether the whole public system -
placed on short commons.
WARNED AGAINST LEGISLATURE.
Such is the governors scheme. all
elaborated in, full schedule, published
and submitted to the legislature Inc
business community regarded it with
favor. as an unavoidable economic
necessity. but how would the legisla-
ta,re. largely composed of Hawaiian
natives. receive it? Their treatment OF
such matters in previous sessions had
been largely irrational and might be
described as s.nonkeying" What
ground was there for hoping now Tor
reasonable and efficient DEALING the
vo,Ing governor was earnestly warned
against trusting the business to the
legislature There was another method
possible of managing it. 1t grew ou'
of a provision in the organic act en-
abling the executive in the absence OF
appropriations to fall back on older ap-
propriations It had resulted from the
legal invaHdity of the county act. thai