The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-03-30
|. TENNEy PECK
IMPRESSED HIM
Assessor WiIlfong's Views of
Tax C0mmission-The
Volcano. Etc.

H1LO, March 27.-'That man Peel
has more ideas about taxation, and
more good suggestions to make on tn,
subject. than I thought it possible fol
any one person to possess"
This was the opinion that Tax As.
SCISSOR n. G. Willfong formed after g
conference with the Tax Commission
| in Honolulu upon the occasion of his
recent visit.
Authority to appoint a tax commits
| sion was given to the Governor of the
Territory by joint resolution of the
Legislature in 1907. The idea was
Governor Carterss and he appointed
/ the first board, the present Governor
| Mr.. Frear, being one of it's three mem
bers. AS now constituted, the board
is composed of L. Tenney Peck, former
Judge Perry and Albert F. Judd
The main object of Mr. wil1fong's
visit to Honolulu was to round up de-
linquent taxpayers on this island who
reside in Honolulu, and to press legal
proceedings already instituted. In
both of these respects he was far more
successful than he anticipated. While
he was there the Tax Commission was
in session and Mr.. Willfong says that
during his audience he was impressed
with it's utility and the knowledge of
the subject acquired by all the men,
bers, and more particularly by L. Ten
ney Peck. Mr.. Willfong said to
Herald reporter:
"At present the appraiser of each
taxation district is responsible for the
appraisements that he makes. Appeal
can be made to the Board of Equaliza-
ton, from which recourse can be had
to the courts. AS one individual tax
assessor in a district is liable to err
at any time and a dissatisfied tax
payer can now only go before the
Board of Equalization at Honolulu,
Mr.. Peck has suggested that local
board of appraisers for each district,
or for each county would be of mate
rial assistance to the assessors by
helping them to arrive at an accurate
valuation of property, avoiding dissat-
isfaction and the cost involved in
largely to abolish the work of the Tax
Appeal Court, but, the Commission
believes, it would be more satisfactory
both to the assessors and the taxpay-
ers. This is Mr.. Peck's idea, and 1
must say that I agree with him.
1.-The talk I had with the Commits
sioners was invaluable to me. 1t sur
prised me that they should be so we'll
informed on the subject of taxation.
hope that any taxpayers on this is
land who may have felt aggrieved at
previous assessments, or who may
have distinct ideas on the subject of
taxation, will communicate them to
the Commission. They are sure to re-
ceive careful consideration
THE CRATER ROAD.
High Sheriff Henry is anxious to
save time in the work being done on
the new Halemaumau road at the vol
cano. AS two miles and half of it
have been finished, the prisoners must
walk five miles every day to and from
their work, thus losing nearly two
hours a day. which will be increased
as the work progresses. The High |
Sheriff, in order to overcome the loss
of labor involved would like to see
a team furnished to transport the
prisoners to and from their work, and
has sent a letter to the Board of SUI
pervisors asking ''if it were not pos
sibIe to supply a team for the pur-
pose of transporting the men to and |
from their work. It seems to me-" |
Mr.. Henry adds, ''it will be a great |
saving of time by doing SO. With the
new steamer .Mauna Kea and the fine
road to the crater, it certainly will |
increase the amount of travel to Hilo, |
thereby making it paying invest |
ment in the end. Therefore I would |
like to see that road an accomplished |
fact as soon as possible"
THE VOLCANIC DISPLAY.
J. w. waldron of Honolulu has re-
turned from a ten days stay at the |
Volcano House. when he had an OPP |
portunity to see the volcano in va
rious stages of activity.
ION Saturday night said Mr.. Wal |
dron, 1.-THE display was the best I ever
saw The whole floor of the pit was |
a mass of active fire. 1t was then |
about 200 feet below the brink, and the |
heat was intense. Tt must have risen
a hundred feet in two days. 1t was
on Saturday night that the cone broke
open, the flame bubbling out like a |
spring of water on both sides. Words |
can not express what it was like or
in any way describe it,
The fire from the pit was so bril- |
liant that the outline of the top of
the crater could be distinctly seen in |
detail from the veranda of the Vol !
cano House. W. W. Harris, who has
made many visits down to the vols |!
cano. says that he never saw such a |
magnificent display as there was last
week.
Second Assistant Deputy Attorney |
General Sutton was at the volcano on
Saturday and Sunday and was much |
impressed with the activity and |
grandeur of what he saw. The heat, |
he said, was intense, and men had to |
shade their faces with their hats while |
ladies wore automobile goggles to pro- |
tect their eyes. BY placing ones foot |
over the brink the heat could be felt |
through the shoe.
ITEMS.
After an absence from En6land of |