The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1905-06-23
ATKINSON IN
WASHINGTON
tMail Special to the Advertiser.)

Washington, d. c., June 3.-There has
been a lull in Hawaiian affairs here
during the past week. Memorial Day
was celebrated Tuesday, which broke
in upon the continuity of business mat
tiers before the Departments. Secre-
tary Atkinson, who is still making the
rounds of the Departmental offices on
Important consultations, yesterday sail
ed down the Potomac to Fortress Mon
roe to remain over Sunday. Although
he has been working very hard he
states that matters have not yet reach
ed a stage where he can make any def
mite announcements.
THE Interior Department is not at
all enthusiastic about taking up the
proposed authorization of the refund
ing bonds. The officials find that
there are delicate legal questions in
yolved, and, as far as seen
vet, there . is no way of get
ting those legal questions. involved
in the proposed refunding ISSUE
before the Attorney General for de-
4cision. Desirable as it might be from
the standpoint of the territory OF ha-
wall to have the refunding bonds au-
thorized by the President and accepted
by the Secretary of the Treasury In
the same class with government bonds
as security for deposits in Nationai
banks, the Interior Department per-
sists that those are questions with
which 1t has nothing to do. The law
specifically declares that the bonds for
territorial improvements must be APP
proved by the President : But the ola
bonds, which it is now proposed to re-
fund, SO the Interior Department Of
ficials argue, come within an entirely
different class.
Mr.. Atkinson has been too busy with
other important matters to press the
bond business vigorously here yet. he
will be given opportunity for a very
careful conference at the Interior De-
partment, so that the program, cal
culated to put behind the refunding
bonds the same. guarantee and also to
make them equally desirable as Sc
.curities as the improvement bonds, can
be undertaken, IL at all, in the best
way.
Immigration Commissioner Sargent
and Surgeon General Wyman Will be
in San Francisco within few days,
.enroute to Honolulu. Queen Liliroka-
lani, after brief stay at the Ebbitt
House, whittier she went after closing
her Twenty first street residence, has
gone west and is expected to sail by
the Sonoma. which carries this letter.
Mr.. and Mrs. Haywood are still here
but expected to leave very son for the
west and for Honolulu.
HARBoR IMPROVEMENT.
The Army Engineering office in the
War Department still has no definite
word about the plans for project at
Honolulu, but it is thought that before
very long the papers will be here and
the final approval Of the War Depart
ment authorities can be had. Little
apprehension exists here, lest contrac-
tors attempt to combine on their bids
for the project and force the govern
ment to pay exorbitant prices for the
dredging. Officers here say that there
is a big Government dredge at Port
land, Oregon. which Is available Tor
the Honolulu work. If contractors are
unwilling to perform the work for what
the engineers regard a reasonable fig
ure, it is planned to move the dredge
4I,,Itr md n
.dertake the work at days labor.
NO EXTRA SESSION..
Although it was announced hardly
more than week ago with much en-
phasis at the White House offices that
President Roosevelt would call an ex-
ira session of Congress for October To-
it is now even more emphatically stat
ed that no extra session will be called
till after the November elections. The
simple reason is that the leaders in Sen
ate and House brought the pressure
to bear upon the President, as they did
two years ago when he proposed To
call an extra session at the beginning
of October. They talked to him sc
strongly and appealed to him so for
chilly as the. leader of his parry that
he yielded. Not only has he, within
few days. been telling his callers
that he has decided to defer the extra
session till after the election, but he
has officially announced that he will
start on a trip through the South OF
about two weeks duration, beginning
on October II. That will bring him
back to Washington, after a tour az
far south as Florida and as far South
west as Arkansas, about November l.
The election this year Is November g.
when Massachusetts,, Rhode Island
and Ohio will elect legislatures and
full complement of state officers. Sew
eral other states elect some officers.
From all the Information now avail
able the President intends to call an
extra session about November IL, but
the wiser ones are very skeptical
whether he calls an extra session at
all. There will be but three weeks
between November ~ and the date on
which the regular session of Congress