The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-02-13
DECISION IN
THE HOLT CASE
GOVERNOR FREAR TELLS WHY
THE TAX Assessor WAS ASKED
TO RESIGN.

upon him yesterday afternoon, as ex-
clusively reported in The Star yes
terday, Assessor and Collector James
l.. Holt later in the day handed in his
resignation to take effect at once.
The action of the executive comes
after several weeks of investigation
of reports of Irregularities in the Tax
Office, and the Governor states that the
facts brought out are of such nature
that it would be impossible to retain
Mr.. Holt in his position.
For the time being, the Governor
states, the Office will be run without
definite head, and he declines to in
dictate whether or not any person has
been decided upon for the Office
SO far as has been given out, the
cause of Hollis removal was due to a
mix up in his accounts with regards to
commissions paid to |. II. Harbottle, a
deputy collector in the office, who had
been previously discharged by his SUI
perior for insolence and later reinstated
on a commission basis at the interCes-
sion of members of his church and OF
his wife. Harbottle was paid twice for
the collection of a single item Of col
| lection, which in some manner was
! inserted in both the October and the
November bills, and though Holt
claims that when the matter was dis
covered commissions sufficient to make
good the overpayment were withheld
! from Harbottle, it took some juggling
to do so, and this has formed the basis
Of the charges made public against the
| Collector.
In a statement dictated by the gov
ernor yesterday afternoon he intimates
that there were other causes which
contributed to Hollis dismissal, but he
does not specify what they were. The
governor is quoted as follows:
Mr.. Holt, the Tax Assessor, has
rendered his resignation and it has
been accepted. The Treasurer and my
self requested Mr.. Hollis resignation,
and, after thinking the matter over,
he rendered it and it has been ac-
cepted.
I'VE have been investigating the mat
ter at great length and very carefully
realizing it's seriousness from the
standpoint of Mr.. Holt as we'll as that
of the Territory, and have been un-
able to come to any other conclusion
than that it would be impossible to re.
tain him.
Several matters have been looked
into. At present only the following
need be stated:
'Mr. Holt certified claims on COM
missions on tax collections of Mr., Har-
bottle in excess of the amount due to
Mr.. Harbottle, or, more particularly
he allowed Mr.. Harbottle commissions
twice, on the same collections, either
Intentionally or by mistake.
Afterwards, as he himself admits
he directed Harbottle to prepare false
statements to be submitted to the
Treasurer in order to cover up the
matter, the falsity consisting in the
representation that HarbOttle made
certain collections with which he haC
in fact had nothing to do
when asked to explain, Mr.. Hol
at first denied that he had paid double
commissions on the same collections
but later was forced by his own act
and figures to admit it. He then en-
deavored to show that he had late
made deductions from other commits
sions to Harbottle to an extent sufii
cient to correct the overpayment, bu
= in order to make out showing of thi
kind he had to make an inCorrec
statement, the incorrectness of whicI
! was apparent from other statement
and figures of his own.
"One result of his overpayment wa
that the County of Oahu overpaid tn
commissions properly payable by
and has not yet been reimbursed. MI
Holt comedies this and, although h
has known of it for a long time, ha
not acquainted the county of the fact
nor reimbursed the county.
THE government recognizes tina
everyone is liable to make mistakes
and if an officer proves himself in gen
eral qualified mistakes now and the
can be overlooked but when an Office
deliberately falsifies in the perform
b ance of his official duties the situa
/ ton is very different
Asked if other changes in the Ia
Office had been decided on, the Govern
or replied:
THE present office force will go o
without Mr.. Holt until a successor
appointed"
Treasurer Campbell, in whose depart
ment the Tax Office is managed as
bureau, intimates that the real caus
which led up to Hollis trouble was a
arrangement made with the County {
Oahu last September for the collectio
of delinquent personal taxes. At tn
time Mr.. Campbell was away in Wasf
ington looking after the matter {
floating q Territorial bond issue an