The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1907-03-12

OIL BILL


able TO the lawmakers. Some rud'
persons in the upper house are sayinl
that IL is due to the chagrin of tn,
Representatives at the action of tho
Senate in refusing to pass the bill
amending the Income Tax law. 1t i
said that some of the members of the
lower house will attempt to stall any
act emanating from those of the Sen
ate who voted against the amendment
There may be no truth in this but
the information comes from a source
that is seldom wrong. The Senators
were not going to allow the early adj
/ journment of the House to go without
recognition, so Senator Coelho con-
WINGED the President of the Importance
of the work in the hands of the various
committees and an adjournment was
taken until this morning at 10 o'clock.
Amongst the business done during
the short session was the hearing of
petition from residents of Molokai
who want an appropriation of three
hundred dollars for repairs to the
landing at Pelekunu. 1t was referred
to the Ways and Means committee
Senator Lane from the Printing com
mittee reported Senate Bill No. %
ready for distribution.
Senator Dowsett, from the Ways and
Means committee then presented the
following report:
Honolulu, T. H., March II, 1907.
Your Committee on Ways and Means,
to which was referred Senate Bill No.
30, entitled AN Act to Authorize any
Person, Firm or Corporation to Store
Oils and other Liquid Explosives In
His, Their, or Its Own Warehouse in
Honolulu" begs to report as follows:
The object of the bill is clearly set
forth in its title, and authorizes any
person, firm or corporation to erect
private warehouses for the storage of
kerosene and other liquid explosives
outside of the fire limits of Honolulu,
subject to certain conditions of con-,
struction and inspection. =,
Your committee has given this bill
it's most earnest consideration and
has invited an expression of public
opinion, both oral and written, upon
the merits of the bill. but must admit
having thus obtained little or no ma
terial to assist the members of this
committee in arriving at their verdict
Your committee is satisfied that the
provisions of the present laws govern
ing the storage and sale of kerosene
and other liquid explosives have not
been and are not being complied with,
and the attention of the proper au-
thorities is called to this glaring eva
sion of the statutes, admittedly dam
gerous to life and property in this
Territory. The purposes Of the present
laws for the storage of kerosene and
other liquid explosives under Govern
ment supervision are in the interest
of the public welfare, and in the opin-
ion of your committee this should have
first consideration.
The law now reads, however that all
kerosene oil and other liquid explo-
sives must be stored in Government
and although a fee for
such storage is now and has always
been charged to the owner of the oil
by the Government your committee
finds no statute authorizing such
charge to be made.
Assuming such charge to be legal,
and If not legal it should be made so
in the opinion of your committee, pro-
per storage facilities should also be
the importer of kerosene or
liquid explosives, which is not now
the case, and serious complaints have
been made to your committee as re-
CARDS the handling and custody of kerr
osene now stored in Government
not to speak OF the poor
and dangerous construction of the |
themselves.
The revenue to the Territory from |
the storage of kerosene and other liq- |
uid explosives has been such that 1t
Is the opinion of your committee that. |
II it is to remain with the Territory, |
proper and suitable fireproof store
houses should be erected on govern
ment land, and an appropriation for |
their erection should be made by the
present Legislature. If, on the other
hand, it may be found expedient to
adopt the recommendation of the Su-
of Public Works in his
report to the Governor to turn over
he tes.ILs and storage of kerosene
,il and other liquid explosives to the
as being matter of local
the same to be revenue pro-
iucing. proper storage facilities as
suggested should be then furnished by
the counties.
Other than an amendment to the
present laws for the purpose of fixing
and authorizing a statutory charge by
the Government for the testing and
storage of kerosene oil and other liq-
uid explosives in Government store
and that an appropriation be
made for the construction of proper
and suitable fire-proof storehouses on
Government land, your committee feels
that the best interests of the public
will be served by allowing the present
avs to remain in force, and 1t there
fore recommends that tho bill be laid
ipon the table
Senator Brown asked suspension
Of the rules to permit his introducing
a resolution calling for an appropria-
ton of twenty-four thousand dollars
for the purpose of extending the sewer
system of llilo to Puuea and Waia-
kea. Another resolution by the same
Senator was that for pilot boat for
the use of the pilot in Hilo bay. Both