The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-06-22
ATKINSON IN
WASHINGTON
Secretary on the Jump.
Count Cassini's
News Tip.
mail Special to the Advertiser.)

Washington, D. c., June 3.-There has
been a IuH in Hawaiian affairs here
during the past week. Memorial Day
was celebrated Tuesday, which broke
in upon the continuity of business mat
ters 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
volved and, as far as seen
yet, there is no way of get
ting those legal questions, involved
in the proposed refunding issue,
before the Attorney General for de-
cision. 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
the same class with government bonds
as security for deposits in National
banks, the Interior Department per-
sists- that those are questions with
which it has nothing to do. The law
specifically declares that the bonds for
territorial improvements must be APP
proved by the President. But the old
bonds, which it is now proposed to re-
fund, so the Interior Department Of
f1cials 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 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
curities as the Improvement bonds, can
be undertaken, if at all, in the best
way
immigration Commissioner Sargent
and Surgeon General Wyman will be
in San Francisco within a few days,
enroute to Honolulu. Queen Liliuoka-
lanf, after a brief stay at the Eboltt
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 cam be had. Little
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 for
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
from Portland to Honolulu and I'M
dertake the work at days labor.