The Hawaiian gazette., 1908-02-14


sufficient and also owing to the Unite
time in which to complete our assess
ments and the collections in genera
that follow, we are therefore unabl
to accomplish much OF this work.
~ again beg to call the sttentioI
OF your honorable Board to the non
payment of this tax by some of tn
employees OF the police, road and fir
departments, and I believe that a it'll
stirring up of the heads OF these de
partments by your Board would b
beneficial to the revenues OF both tn,
Territory and county.
I'm regards to the above depart
ments am having the list checked a.
to who have settled and then will en-
close you a list of those who have no
paid
q" Trusting that your honorable
Board will approve of this matter a
your meeting this evening. for The
county has nothing TO lose but every.
thing to gain etc.
The Board referred this letter &c
County Attorney Cathcart, who rem
dered an opinion at the Boards meet
ing Of Sept. ie He held that the Board
had the right Under its general powers
to pay such per cent. on the taxes
collected, but as TO the advisability
OF doing so respectfully left the Board
TO decide. 1t would SEEM the Coun-
~ Attorney wrote, that the Territory
should collect all taxes and pay TO
the county its proportion. free Of any
expenses Of assessment of collection:
but it also seems that unless the coun-
~ assists in collecting these delinquent
personal taxes they cannot be collect
ed. owing 10 the insufficient force and
money at the disposal Of the Terrific
rial officers.
The Board unanimously adopted the
proposition that the county pay 10 pre-
cinet tax collectors a ten per centum
commission, TO be allowed out Of the
portion OF the delinquent tax with
which the county might be credited.
Since then, beginning with October,
collectors working on commission have
been allowed this ten per cent. from
the county and the balance Of five Fer
cent. from the Territory.
when heard Of this arrangement
while away, I did not like it, as I
considered the Territory should collect
all the taxes. Accordingly I wrote to
Mr.. Holt from New York on Oct. 5,
saying in part:
4 notice in the papers something
about the County Of Oshu paying the
cost OF collecting certain DELINQUENT
personal taxes. I wish you would in
form the County Board of Supervisors
that the only assistance the Territory
wants from them in this matter is
that they insist that all county en-
ployes pay their taxes promptly. As
long as the Territory is Collecting the
taxes. the acceptance from the county
Of any assistance other than that
stated above would not be advisable
You ought TO be able 10 collect
those delinquent taxes without the
county's assistance. and between row,
'lnd the end of the year I expect YOU
to collect them. also expect that all
delinauents as Of Noveu-b Der Is shall he
promptly attended 10. If you find it
necessary 10 employ additional assist
ance 10 accomplish the desired results.
do 50, but. exercise good Judgment in
the selection Of such assistance
That commission arran cement
brought about strange state Of af-
fairs in the collection OF texes for
instance; Taxes had to be segre egat ID
10 ascertain the portions OF he county
and the Territory respectively pey;ny0
10 Per cent and 5 per cent. commits
sions. If they were rot rIopesly seq
resated the county word psy too
much.
In November Harbottle collected
foity-f1ve personal taxes. yet the
collected lis personal taxes. His actual
on collections that month
should have been from the Territory.
s40.4s; from the county, sI5.75-s total
Of s5ss9.
He was paid, however. from the
Territory. sSo.Ss; from the courty.
s40,e0-a total Of s7l4s In other
words the county. instead OF paying
sl5.75. paid s40e0. OF S24S5 more than
It should. and the Territory. instead
OF paying 8 commission OF Sso 4. raid
s.. .Ss. leaving Ss-5s less than il should.
The county is actually out so $ en-
this one trsuSactiCn.
That may have been by error-we
are admitting il was by error-but
nothing has been done toward rscti-
flying il 50 far as the collector Is con-
csrned. Hsrbottle's testimony was
that Holt pu-poSely dii IL but We
have nothing 10 say about that The
fact Is II was not re- titled and 1 need
not repeat what the Governor has
said TO You on this fact"
M. Campbell stated that when Har-I
BOTTLES friend informed him that Holt
wss paying double commissions he did
not believe il ard in fact contradict
ed the information This vas on the
Of the regular monthly state
ments OF collections furnished 10 him
by Collector Holt
But on snalyzing the statements -
Mr.. Campbell continued I found that
they were falsely made out Here IS