The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1904-03-24
YIQLATES The LAM
CONTINUED from PaG -

the refusal of the Tax Assessor to ac-
cept treasury warrants in payment of
taxes, which was reported while the
Treasurer was absent on Maui as hav-
ing been under his instructions.
I'VE accept treasury warrants from
the original owners in payment of their
own taxes" Mr.. Kepoikai answered.
but not from holders who had bought
! the warrants at a discount from the
persons to whom they were issued. 1t
would not be right to allow brokers
and bankers to pay their own taxes
with warrants issued to other people on
which they make a good shave"
Treasurer Kepoikai's written order to
Tax Assessor Holt, under date of
March 1, instructed him not to accept
warrants for taxes, as was stated in
The Star, except such warrants as are
drawn for salaries and pay rolls" The
order is still the latest written one on
the subject.
! On returning from Maui the Treasur-
er had a consultation with assessors re-
sulting in his giving them oral au-
thority to use their own discretion to
a large extent. AS the system now is,
warrants are being taken at the discre-
ton of the assessors. 1--WE do not take
warrants which have been transferred
or bought at a discount" said Assessor
Holt. Warrants are taken, however,
from parties to whom they were issued,
when such parties owe taxes"
The Treasury Department has never
followed the law, it is claimed, in the
matter of paying and registering war
rants. This has caused a misunder-
standing among bankers as to what is
the law on the subject, which misun-
derstanding is given by some as the
direct reason why they have not been
willing to handle warrants, making a
special session necessary. The treas
urer has selected which warrants he
will pay and which he will register
Cashier w. G. Cooper is quoted in this
mornings paper as saying that his
bank will not take warrants because
there is no law to require them to be
paid in their order, and because the
Treasurer may decide which he will
pay, as he has been deciding. The law,
| however, has the following:
Section o. Warrants SHALL be
paid by the Minister of Finance as far
as practicable in the order of their
number and date of issue, and when
! ever in his judgment there are sufficient
funds in the Treasury he shall issue
call for outstanding registered war
rants in the order of their numbering
and date of issue Such call shall he
made by publication for one week in
two or more daily newspapers in Homo
lulu published in the English and Ha-
waiian languages, and interest shall
cease upon all such called warrants ten
days after the publication of the first
notice"
Treasurer Kepoikais course with ref,
erence to the warrants is on the sub
jects of his difference with the COVER
nor. The latter contends that when the
money is not available to pay warrants
every one should be registered and as
money comes in the registered ones
should be paid in turn just as they were
registered, without any discrimination
. Under this plan the statements of the
bankers show that they would have no
reason to refuse warrants up to nearly
a million dollars, for if the Treasury
Department followed the law, warrants
up to that amount are certain to be
paid by November, and that is the only
assurance the bankers say they desire
There is no authority" said the