The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-03-16
TO MAKE ALL
PAY LICENSE

umm satnfhsts AdtcfItG1
The M.f,hhnis Association yeaeglar
nfitfrnd1 authorized ihO onltrrs of iha
afsHc aiinh ie EMPLOY counsel ta HnN
"a h.H nlnng ihe l.nts presented n iho
report ni "a special committee Wifu rpf
frcnre in manufacturers ngcnts license
toes, far submission 90 tho chairman
of ihe Finance Committee of The Sen.
ate, with she request that that com.
mitice rall upon any Of the association
members for Information as 10 the ln.
tent aud purpose Of the bin.
The special report was presented By
George W. Smith and G. &. Won uamm
and contained scale for license fees
10 carry on business, both retail and
wholesale, and Is aimed to compel
manufacturers agents and commission
brokers 10 pay. the statement being
made that at present there are sixteen
agents and brokers who pay absolute.
iy no license fee while seven do.
In support Of the report, which called
for fee of 500 for business inyOlv.
ing $4,000 worth of stock or over and
500 for business involving stock under
$4,000 or no stock at all, Mr.. Smith
said the object of this was to reach
class which is not now contributing
to the public treasury. There were
twenty-three persons engaged in the
soliciting of orders for houses on the
mainland of whom only six or seven
paid licenses to the treasury. The
goods handled by these brokers and
manufacturers agents are not billed di-
rect to the purchasers. They are con-
signed to the agent or brker and billed
by the latter to the purchaser. That,
however, in his opinion, constituted a.
sale of merchandise in direct competi-
ton with merchants who are paving
taxes and is form of competition that
is unjust
There was considerable discussion on
the proposed measure, concluding with
the adoption of a motion offered by
Mr.. Smith to employ counsel to draft.
bill for presentation to the Senate
Finance Committee.
This bill will be offered as a sub
stitute for Senate Bill 27 which the
majority of the members present con
sidered iniquitous and should be de-
feated. In fact, there was an express
sion of opinion that the members
should exert themselves to kill this
measure.
There was some discussion as to the
proposed act to be drafted that eX-
plantations as to the apparent discrimi.
nation in the amount of the fee above
and below $4,000, would be difficult
to make to the members of the Legisla-
ture. 1T is understood, however, that
members of the Legislature have been
asked as to the chances for the pas
sage of the bill and have given assur-
ances that it win be well received.
The new bill will carry penalty,
violation of the act, or in short a
failure to pay the license fee, involv-
ing a fine of $3.50.
Attorney Robertson was present and
replied to several questions concerning
the license bills.
The association also opposed the
Coelho amendment to the license act,
which raised the fee to 5000 and the
amendment read as if every salesman
employed by local corporation, out on
the road soliciting orders, would be
required to pay the higher fee.
Mr.. Won Hamm, in referring to the
report on uniform closing hours for
business houses, started discussion
about the additional holiday measure
before the Legislature. Mr.. Cheatham
for Ehlers & Co. said he attended the
meeting especially to draw attention to
this matter. He said that the Lincoln
Day holiday bill added another day to
February which was the shortest bust
ness month of the year. With Sun
days taken out it left about twenty
four business days and with Washing
toms Birthday and Lincoln Is Day out
also, that reduced the working or bust
ness days to twenty-five. He felt that
the association should 90 on record as
opposed to the two additional holidays
proposed, namely, Lincoln IS Day and
March II (Kauikeaouli Day.)
Mr.. Petrie observed that he doubted
verv much whether the bill would pass
in its present state, anyhow.