The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-08-09

than the people of the mainland. +
ence, however. On the mainland the
taxes are spent where they are col
lected. Here they are taken away out
OF the country. Our bankers estimate
that between seven and eight millions
is the extent of our circulating me-
dunn. Now, what would happen in
New York II a fifth or a sixth of the
money in circulation were taken away
annually and shipped across the At
lanlic? This is one of the problems that
affect US, one of the most serious that
we have 10 face What can be done
about II? We want the advice and
counsel of Washington in the matter.
You know. sir, Of the proposal that we
have advanced, that seyenty-five per
cent. OF the revenue collected here be
used here in Federal works. That
proposition has met with support in
Washington. The President supported
il, the Senate passed the bill intro
duced in the matter, the committee of
The House reported favorably on it,
and then Uncle Joe Cannon put his
of principle, stating that no one part
Of the country could be especially ia
yored over any other part
1T is admitted that there are strong
constitutional grounds for the position
he takes. but there must be recogni-
Iion OF the fact that the money being
taken away out of the Territory IS
direct financial injury, even If we are
only paying our pro rata OF the taxes.
What are our present needs? Federal
appropriations for Federal buildings,
for fortiicatons, for the developing
and building UP OF the naval and mill
tary, stations, harbors, bre3kwaters
and landings. But when these things
are all taken up and the appropria-
tions made, however, there will still
continue this constant drain on the
Territory. What We need is little.
Only two Federal. bu'ldir ss are re-
quired for all our purposes, one at Ho-
nolulu and one at Hilo. The Honolulu
harbor work is nearly completed to
accommodate all the commerce in
sight, a harbor at Hilo is wanted, one
at Kahului and probably some landings
on the other islands, but altogether
they are few and the drain will con-
tinue.
But it seems that there are perfect
" legitimate channels along which as
sistance can come. violating no precs-
dents, following rather the precedents
already set. There is the matte of
the public health. Honolulu is today
1,a nril or1T a
mainland. shutting out the cholera and
the plague and the other dises ses Of
tfe East. The quarantine here against
all vessels from the East IS TO protect
not only Honolulu, but San Francisco
and the whole United States. But
sometimes disease gets past the quar-
antine officers, vigilart as they are,
and now the plague bacilli is in He
lulu, not showing itself in any epi-
demic form, as at its worst it never
was endemic her But every time
there is a small local scare the Terri
torial government is called upon to
protect San Francisco and the main
lard. The Territory has no money for
this work and the public spirit of the
business men of the community is
shown in the fact that they have vol
unfairly put a tax upon themselves,
called the tonnage tax, to raise funds
to back up the Board of Health. At
first this tax was twenty cents a ton
on all merchandise coming in here, now
it is ten cents a ton Sometimes a part
of this money is used to help the Pro-
motion Committee, but primarily it is
to be used by the Board Of Health.
Now for the precedent. You know
what the United States is doing for
Panama. for Cuba. for the Philippines,
taking pest-ridden communities and
stamping out disease in the course of a
few years? This is not done for Pa
mama and the other places alone, but
for the benefit of the whole country.
IF you will go up on the summit OF
Punchbowl and look over the site OF
the city of Honolulu you will see that
approximately one-half of the fat is
swamp land. The pools formed there
are mosquito breeding places, and 1t Is
the mosquito which spreads yellow
fever, should that disease ever appear
here, and also spread malaria.
At the time of the cholera outbreak
these waterways were a prolific means
Of the spread of that disease, which
was only stamped out after great
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