The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-08-18

81 am going to see that these for
eign corporations pay the Territory
what is coming to it, or they will have
to show me,' said Territorial Treas
urer Campbell yesterday,
The particular corporation. ir it is
corporation, that Mr.. Campbell had
in mind when he said that was the
Merchants Protection Association, a
concern that collects bad iebts, and
for which Supervisor Moore has been
acting as agent. Mr.. Moore, however,
according to information given to Mr..
Campbell, is going to cut loose from
the collecting concern and 60 into
business on his own account.
The Merchants Protective Associa-
tion, as has been said, is collection
agency, making speciality of bad
debts. SO far as it appears, there is
no reflection to be east upon it's busi-
ness methods in Honolulu Indeed,
Supervisor Moore is a gentleman of
the highest integrity. and would not
be party to anything questionable.
But the Merchants Protective Asso-
citation has got up against the law,
nevertheless, after this wise: 1t
seems that it advertises, in public
places, newspapers and what not, as
the Merchants Protective Associa-
ton, Ltd. corporation
Now, under the law of this Terri
tory, Chapter 100 of the Revised Laws,
foreign corporations doing business in
the Territory have certain obligations,
none of which the Merchants Protec-
tive Association has performed.
For instance, the law says that a
foreign corporation doing business in
the Territory must file with the Treas
urer copy of its charter or act of
incorporation, the names of its officers,
the name of some person upon whom
legal process can be served, and GER
titled copy of its bylaws 1t shall pay
n fee of fifty dollars to the Territorial
Treasurer, and take out license to do
business, unless it be an insurance COM
pany, which sort of concern is differ
emily treated. 1t shall file with the
Treasurer annually a statement Of it's
business, and the Treasurer is given
power to examine its books. And IL
this statute is not followed in all
respects, the corporation is liable to
punishment, being denied the benefit
of the laws of the Territory.
Now, none of these laws have been
complied with by the Merchants Pro-
tective Association, which neverthe-
less advertises itself as limited liza
bility corporation. And because the
laws have not been complied with
Treasurer Campbell wrote letter to
Supervisor Moore, at the offices of the
company in the Progress Block, call
ing his attention to the dereliction.
Yesterday Attorney Watson, in behalf
of Mr.. Moore, waited on the Treasurer
and informed him, among other things,
that Moore did not know whether the
Association was incorporated, nor
where it was Incorporated if it was.
The Treasurer, however, is not going
to stop at that. If the Merchants
Protective Association is incorporated,
it must comply with the laws govern
7 ing foreign corporations or the penalty
clause will be invoked. And that
would spoil it's business, because a col
lection agency not backed by the law
would not be the most effective thing
in the world. And, if it is not a cor
poration, then that fact must be made
to appear. In the meantime, as before
stated, the Treasurer has been inform
ed that Supervisor Moore is going to
sever his connection with the concern.
lis most emphatically true that
/ have severed my connection with the
Merchants Protective Association, and
gone INTO business on my own ac-
count, said Supervisor Moore yester-
day. 81 have been trying for months
to get at the exact facts of the status
of the Association, ana have been un-
| able to do so. Now, | am through with
it, and have so notified the mercantile
community of Honolulu"
|