The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-04-24

We do not concur in the views Of
the majority nor in the conclusions
reached by them with reference to the
following bill:
THAT seventy-five per centum of the
customs and internal revenues collect
ed each year within the Territory of
Hawaii. for a period of twenty years
from July first. nineteen hundred and
six, shall be segregated and held apart
i'm q separate fund by the Secretary of
abe Treasury to be designated the Ha-
wsiisn fund and to be expended only
for public works, including educational
and other public buildings. harbor i'm
provements, and military and naval de-
lenses within the Territory of Hawaii
as the Congress may from time to
time specifically authorize and appro-
pirate"
The committee recommend an amend
ment limiting the period of segregation
40 five years instead of twenty.
This bill, If enacted into law, will
divert about 100000 annually from the
General Treasury and make it applica-
ble for uses in Hawaii only as spe-
eial fund If the fund is diverted for
twenty years, as suggested by the
President in his message, the amount
diverted in that period would aggre-
gate fully sl6,O00OO0. If the bill is
amended, as proposed by the commit
tee, then 1t would segregate 100000.
It is argued that because the Gus
toms duties collected in Porto Rico
are retained by Porto Rico for its local
asses that Hawaii should have por-
ton, at least. of the duties collected
Mt Hawaiian ports; that Hawaii should
ne treated as well as Porto Rico. There
- some force in this suggestion, but
If II serves as a precedent at all, then
il is the duty of Congress to turn over
10 Hawaii all the customs duties and
internal revenue collected there for the
uses of the Territory and to be con-
trolled by it. Just as in Porto Rico.
We do not believe the Territories are
on equal footing, nor that we should
accept the treatment of Porto Rico as
criterion of action for Hawaii, but If
ihe precedent is to be accepted, we in
sist that II is Hawaiis right to demand
all the customs duties and internal
revenue for use under the direction of
its local government.
The bill, on that theory, should read
something like this:
THAT the customs and internal rev.
snues collected within the Territory of
Hawaii shall, after deducting the cost
Of collecting, be paid into the treas
ury of the Territory, to be disposed OF
AS it's other revenues"
Such Il bill would. in our judgment be
| far preferable to the present one and
would certainly be more defensible; 1t
would fully concur with the views of
| the majority, as expressed in these
. forceful words:
"A fiscal policy that is sound for
Porto Rico should be sound also for
Hawaii. The mere fact that a greater
breadth of political rights has been
given Hawaii does not relieve her finan-
cial strain. Nor does IL seem just that
a country which voluntarily gave over
as own sovereignty to enter the Union
should be made to labor under harder
financial conditions than one acquired
# Sy conquest"
AS to the financial condition of Ha-
A laii we think the statement of the
4 majority is misleading. At the time
hese islands were annexed to the Unit
! d States there was an Indebtedness
hanging over them of about $4,000, 900,
4 g. 600, 600 of which was assumed and
aaid by the United States. The re-
D naming obligations exist in the form
IF Territorial bonds at the present time
and amount in the aggregate to $S22,-
90. Hawaii began after annexation
9Th this Indebtedness.
There was an unusual confiagration
n Honolulu on account of an attempt
o prevent the spread of the bubonic
lague, which resulted in the destruc-
ion of great amount of property own
d by the Chinese and Japanese: the
he loss was dealt with as an obliga-
ion TO the citizens of Japan and China,
nd was paid to them, 81, 900, 900 out of
he Treasury of the United States and
he remainder, $4,000, by the Hawai-
IN government. The Territory now
as an outstanding Indebtedness OF
$4,000 on this account in what are
nown as the ''fire-claim bonds"
The Territory has voluntarily is
F.led s2,0o0,O00 in bonds for public i'm
rovements in the islands, and this
AS been expended as follows:
Iharves and harbors. S7l273.14
eublic buildings ............, 202, Sl0,2S
81 iectric light ............... $4,000. 90
"A later works ...,.......,...., 260,0ll.24
orm sewers commencement. l9,979s2
anitary sewers ............. 90,0lS.00
EDUCATIONAL buildings ....... 3l5.l3s.07
Dads and bridges. ,......... 500, $50. So
nexpended balance ........ 34,S2O.0O
ma nan m