Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1911-04-20
FORCE ACTION
ON WHARF TAX
Merchants Association In
tends to Find Out Where
Money Has Gone. .

forced to report back that could learn
nothing whatever"
This statement, made at special
meeting of the Merchants Association
yesterday afternoon by +. W. Macfar-
lane and followed by statements from
other speakers to the same effect. unit
cd the association In the determination
to demand a busincsslikc accounting
from the shippers wharf committee OF
tax that has been imposed since
1900 and of which no public record has
beer made.
A long standing complaint on the
part of the association that the ship
pcrs' wharf committee has refused to
make an accounting of the tax pro-
ceods burst into flame yesterday. A
number of members spoke on the sub
jcct, and the committee was sharply
criticized At the same time, there was
no criticism of the wisdom or honesty
of the purposes for which the tax has
been used, except in but one instance,
Colonel Sopcr declaring that he had
been Informed that once thousands of
! dollars were spent to clean up Homo
lulu plantation, when the plantation
should have done the work at its own
expense.
! History Of Tax.
This mysterious shippers wharf tax,
It appeared from statements yesterday,
has been imposed since the year when
the plague became epidemic In the port
Then a special committee OF citizens
was named by the combined Mer-
chants Association, Chamber of Com
| merce and Planters Association. The
| In,
to raise fund to fight plague. build
| the Quarantine, now the Channel,
wharf and clean up the port. imposed
n tax on incoming freight The com
mittee has been self -perpetuating, 1t
Is stated. and in existence ever since,
and the shippers wharf tax, as near
, as can be found out, has been used for
health and promotion funds.
It Is because members of the Mer-
chants Association have been unable
| to get a business statement from the
committee that the special meeting was
called. +. l.. Waldron, at whose re-
I quest the call was issued, poured n lit
| tie oil on the troubled waters by telling
! the members that since publicity had
been given the intention of the associ-
alton to force some action, he had been
| invited to appear before the wharf COM
| mittcc and explain his views.
| Favorable Result Already.
Il believe the report that the associ-
| alton would demand an accounting has
| produced favorable result" said Mr..
Waldron. Il appeared before the COM
! mttee and was asked to find out what
the association wants and to see II 1t
asks representation on the committee"
well. who IL this committee, any
way?" said two or three voices at
| once.
Mr.. Waldron named several and 9TH
err members named more, and finally 1t
was stated that +. A. Schaefer. T. ii.
| Petrie. J. a. Kennedy, T. Il. Paxton, +.
w. Klamp, 4. Give Davies and Rich
ard Ivcrs are on the committee.
President White of the association
| observed that some of these men rep
resent corporations which are members
of the Merchants Association, but that
1t might he desirable to have more di-
| rect representation.
| Macfarlano's Experiences.
| Mr.. MRCfarlanc thcrCupon related his
experiences in trying to find out some
| thing about the wharf tax
Il was appointed committee of one
| 10y this association" he said II first
went to see Mr.. Gilman, but could
| learn nothing from him. | didn't even
| find out exactly who was on the COM
mittec Then went to see Mr.. Davies.
At both places I was treated with per
| feet Indifference, and came away
knowing no more than when | went
| Colonel Sopcr, after asking If the tax
was legal and receiving the assurance
| that II Is not legal. simply an emer-
gency matter among the business men,
declared that he for one favored stop
| ping payment.
| For ten years this association has
been unable to get an accounting OF the
tax" he said. 1T IL not legal, II APP
pears to have been used against one
and not against another, and it's time
| to stop paying It,"
However there appeared to be no
general disposition to do this, Mr.,
Waldren stated, on the contrary, he
favors the payment of the tax II It Is
| levied Justly and satisfactory ac-
| counting made.
How Tax Is Imposed.
| A long discussion brought out state
ments that the tax has been levied
against some forms of merchandise and
not against others. Mr., Waldron stat
ed that It was levied against some
| kinds of cement and not other kinds
and that lumber at first was not taxed
| but now Is. OIL Is not taxed, and this
was criticized. Walter Dillingham; ex-
planned this by saying that practically
all Of the oil Is imported for the plan
tatlons. II II impossible to get the
mainland oil companies to pay the tax,
as they know 1t Is not legal one, and
the plantations are already paying
their taxes on other forms of merchan-
| disc
II IL the uncertainty Of the methods
used by the wharf committee, and the
lack of financial statements Of the
/ nlnrfnA rnGnlA.nl md OWN nlnl IlnI tho