The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-03-17
CASES ARGUM emit BEFORE
COMMITTEE Of CONGRESS
The Able Talk Made by the County Attorney
of Maui on the Hawaiian Refunding
Proposition.

making, every effort to do her par1
there can be no question. Aside from
general appropriations made at eacf
session or the Territorial Legislature
and devoted to educational work, out
of the loan authorized by the Legisla-
ture of 1903 there was expended upon
educate buildings alone Throughout
the several islands the total sum OF
s315, 13S and still other large sums TO,
like purposes are being, and are to be
expended out of the loan fund auInor-
lied by the Legislature of 1905.
While we are blessed with a num-
Der of what we consider beautiful and
substantial school structures, still, to
all familiar with conditions throughout
the islands generally, it is a we'll
known fact that our school buildings
and school equipment is at the pres
ent time grossly inadequate to the
| growing needs OF the Territory. Our
Superintendent of Education il, a re-
pert recently made places the estimat-
ed cost of these much needed i'm
provements at S7SS, 500.
In petitioning Congress to set aside
seventy-five per cent. of our Internal
Revenue and Customs receipts With a
view to using a portion thereof from
/ year to year in furtherance of our
school needs, we do not feel that we
are asking anything more than even
/ handed justice calls for.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
AS has been said, new quarters for
/ the Custom House, the PosComte, Inc
! y. 5. District Court and the Internal
Revenue Department are very much
needed.
Inc present quarters now occupied
! by these various departments are
either buildings turned over to the
Federal Government by the Territory
at the time Of annexation, and now
given over. entirely to Federal pur-
poses, or are limited space IN bula-
iEgs still Territorial property, space
that is very much needed by the Ter
ritory for Territorial purposes.
We believe that no better use could
be made of substantial portion OF
this revenue than by devoting a por-
ton thereof to the erection of COM
modous Federal buildings, wherein
our Federal officials stationed through
out the Territory might be housed, the
erection of which would be a source
of pride, not only to the citizens of
Hawaii, but to every Patriotic Amer
lean citizen.
HARBOR IMPROVEMENTS.
The United States proposes to MAIN
tain commercial supremacy in the Pa
ci1c. In the point of tonnage and rev.
enues collected, Hawaii, as has been
heretofore stated, stands tenth on the
list.
1he harbor of Honolulu should be
such that vessels of any draught and
length crossing the Pacific could dock
and fine ample facilities for handling
both freight and passengers At pre-
ert time this can not be done, even by
certain of the vessels calling at our
ports. None of the Territorial wharves
today are suitable to accommodate the
larger vessels entering the port of Ho-
nolulu. New and longer slips should
be constructed, larger wharves, and
more spacious sheds provided.
LOAN FUND MATTERS i
Ont of the loan fund authorization
by the Legislature of 1903, there was
appropriated, and has been e>penueu
on harbors and wharves approximate
ly $371,000, and the expenditure of still
further amounts for like purposes was
The Territory has for many years
realized a considerable revenue from
wharfage charges, this, during the fis-
cal year ending June 80, 1905, amount
ing to approximately $4,000. However,
even this source of revenue has stead
lily declined from year to year, owing
in a large measure to the fact that the
Territory has not had sufficient FUNDS
wherewith to place its properties in
such condition as would enable vessels
to economically handle their freight.
Our commerce is constantly growing,
and provision should be made to meet
the new demands that are being and
viii continue to be made upon us.
We believe we are keeping strictly
thin the range of modesty when we
petition that seventy-five per cent. of
our Internal Revenues be set aside
ard 4 PORTION thereof be devoted to
the Improvement and extension of our
harbcrs and wharves which are al
most wholly in the nature of Federal
improvements.
MILITARY AND NAVAL DE-
FENSES
Personally I do not feel as though
any of this special fund, if created,
should be devoted to military and
naval defenses throughout the islands.
Prior to annexation Hawaii was an
Independent nation. She had no navy,
and no army worthy of the name. Her
very weakness was her strength among
the powers of the world. She required
no defenses of any kind.
After annexation proper defense
of the islands became of vital impor-
lance to the United States. At n"
point is there more urgent need of
heavy expenditures in the way % mil
tary and naval defenses than in little