The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-03-02

caught up that way
Il don't know how we did il. hut
we landed, said Bishop.
Mr.. Carter said the sol a. s,spss aF
the community did not want lnele lsed
taxation.
Taxation a Science.
Senator Smith said no r0arl, sion
could be reached about increased taxes
until it was definitely settled whether
the estimated expenses could lie reauced
below those submitted by tAe Es.ecu-
tive.
Taxation is a science. said the
President of the Senate. land some
thing more often approached ly iegis-
lators than any other subject aud less
understood by the average Legislator
than any other. 1t is an axiom that
questions that affect the whole people,
like taxation ana election laas. saouli
not be changed often aud then as
little as possible. If it caa be found
by reasonable economy that we can
hive wtshin our inco-..e, without impair
ing the efficiency of goves nmeAi, We
should not raise our tax rate.
Mr.. Peck stated that il the people
who thought on public que. :. ould
get together as they were last night,
once month for year, they could
evolve tax law better than the tar
commission ever coule.
Bad Politics, But Sensible.
Norman Watkins asked if the finance
committees were taking it for granted
that the counties would continue to get
80 per cent. of the taxes lie thought
the added functions of the Territory
now were such that the counties were
getting more than their share. He
realized this was poor politics, bat
thought it was good sense.
Business Proposition.
E. d. Tenney suggested that the
Legislature carry on the government as
a big business enterprise was carried
on, keeping out of debt and doing inn
provements only when there was money
available to do them, sealing the esti-
mates to fit the revenue. The prosperity
and life of the country has and does de-
pend on the sugar industry, consequent
ly the incomes OF all, government and
people, depend upon sugar. That in
dustry is prosperous now. No one
knows how long it will onsinue, and
ton of taxation. In general admins
tratiou of affairs the expense should be
made to fit the income, moi make the
income fit the expense. Like preceding
speakers, he opposed increasing the
bonded debt for nonrevenue producing
public works.
Too Much Salaries.
E. I. Spalding stated that he felt the
truth of Senator Smith s remarks. In
general way he thought this was a
business proposition and he thought
there was not frst-ciass business
house in the Territory which could not
run the business of the Territory for
half the money now spent and make
money on the job. The crash came
after the reign of extravaganza under
Kalakaua, and it would come again I'M
less care were shown.
The speaker referred to the time
when the Territory was out of debt
after the United States paid the bill
and settled the FIRE claim Then came
the demand for ga broader American
policy, and the counties came, 1t be.
ing claimed that no added expense
would come.
81 believe if it be all figured up, it
would be shown that one half the Total
revenues of the Territory and counties
go into salaries. This is like paying
clerk $1,000 year to do $1,000 worth
of business.
He believed, he said, that taxes were
high enough and urged the Legislature
to trim expenses, so that the revenues
would cover them. He congratulated
the committee for calling the meeting
and giving those who had TO pay the
taxes chance to be heard as we'll as
those who expected to get the taxes
after they had been collected.
Senator Smith said that the govern
ment had to be carried on ABOUT the
same as before annexation, but on a
decreased revenue, and he thought the
administrations should be praised for
this.
Representative Single announced
that two important matters were to
come up, one regarding conservation of
natural resources; the other regarding
immigration He announced that a pub
lie meeting on these would be held ON
Monday evening next.