The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-08-03
TRENT AGAIN REFUSES
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ments should pass through the hands
of Mr.. Sam Johnson before it reached
the employees who had earned it, felt
| sure that such a plan if followed would
be in direct violation of the plain pro-
visions OF the law.
Not wishing to have any trouble, or to
cause any, called an Chairman Geo. w
Smith of the Board of Supervisors just
few minutes before the meeting on
Tuesday afternoon was scheduled to be
held, and told him that if a blanket
| warrant should be drawn payable to
any one individual for whole depart
ment payroll, / felt that my RESPONSE
bility as treasurer and my duty to my
5ondsmen would make it imperative
upon me to refuse payment. l said to
him that had come to him in a friend
ly way as chairman of body, a ma
to me: and that if it should be in
Fsisted that blanket warrant be drawn,
wanted the matter to be referred to
the courts in a friendly manner, so
that my responsibility in such a case
could be judicially determined,
Mr.. Smith treated me very nicely
indeed, and asked me to show him
what points in the law 1 relied upon to
sustain my position. 1 frankly and
ca n6i6lV roraSanfa6 NV whole caca tn
him, and he seemed-seemed, now mind
you-to think that my points were well
taken. l told him that if 1 wanted to
do politics I would not have come to
him to discuss the question, but would
simply have waited until one of the
blanket warrants came to me; then re-
fused payment, and fought the thing
out in the courts.
after the adjournment of the Tues
day afternoon meeting, Chairman
Smith came to my Office and said,
Well, Trent, it is all off, What, the
blanket warrant propositions l asked.
Yes, l got them together before the
meeting this afternoon and presented
the situation fully, and it was dropped
Then every man is to get an individual
warrant 1 asked. Yes said the
chairman of the Oahu County Board
of Supervisors, and 1 handed him a
check on Bishop & Co. for county war
rant No. 1, for $50. for his salary as
supervisor for the month of July, and
he went out in apparently a very good
hunor, ana was happy to feel that a
most undes.ra BILE situation that had
seemed to threaten had been fortu-
nately averted.
You can imagine that I was very
much surprised this morning when
blanket warrant No. SO was presented
at my counter, ordering me to pay to
Mr.. Samuel Johnson the whole sum of
the earnings of forty-four people who
had worked hard for the small wages
they receive, and who, I thought, were
entitled under the law to receive direct
from the county treasury the whole
sum of their earnings, without any in
termediary paymaster, or discounts, or
holdouts of any nature whatsoever.
Il turned again to Sec. rs of the
County Act, which says, The Auditor
shall issue warrants on the County
Treasurer in favor of persons entitled
thereto etc. I wondered if Mr.. Sam
Johnson could really be entitled to the
earnings of forty-four different men.
| asked Mr.. Johnson to wait a little
while until 1 could communicate with
the chairman of the Board of Super
visors on the subject. Then as quickly
as 1t could be done, a letter was die
tated and typed, and then handed to
Chairman Smith in his office by my
young lady stenographer. He read the
letter, and asked her to say to me that
ne would be down to see me in a few
The letter was as follows:
'.Ofice of Treasurer, County of Oahu,
Territory of Hawaii.
Honolulu, August 2, 1905.
"Mr George W. Smith, Chairman |
Board of Supervisors, County of Oahu i
Dear Sir: There has just been pre-
sented to me warrant No. 63 for ST. |
46.44 payable out of Garbage Depart |
nent' to Samuel Johnson.
This seems to be intendede to cover |
he pay of some fortw men. more or |
ess. working in the Garbage Depart
nent. Under the law providing for the |
payment of persons having claims |
against the county / do not feel that I |
nave authority to pay this total sum !
@ Mr.. Johnson, and I must therefore
respectfully decline to honor this war
ant in its present shape.
Il am, sir.
Your obedient servant,
RICHARD H. TRENT.
County Treasurer"
ssf~boi rroap Smith fa;1a5 70 oo,oa IN |