Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-08-12


Fl. Gooding Field, the expert on
municipal affairs, gave the Hilo
Board of Trade genuine surprise
and sensation on Saturday afternoon
when he presented his final report on
the status of the administration of
the County of Hawaii.
Rufus A. LYMAN deputy county
clerk, who is also secretary to the
Hawaii Liquor License Commissioner
and generally rated as being the
head and front of the County Ring,
is charged with receiving money
from those granted licenses by the
Board of License Commissioners, and
presumably using these funds for his
own purposes.
The details of how the discrepancy
was discovered are told in the sup
Elementary report of Mr.. Field, which
is published in full. License Com
missioner Horner stated a few hours
after the meeting that the funds for
which Lyman has not given proper
accounting appear to total in the
neighborhood of $6,300.
Now the question comes whether
Mr.. Field has struck a lead that will
carry the authorities to other sensa-
lions as well as throw more light ON
where the taxpayers money has been
going In the County of Hawaii.
During the meeting of the Board of
Trade, Deputy County Attorney Heen
made a few remarks indicating that
,hor,= ,,,,o. Sar,o oyouCa for Mr. ~
mans shortcomings, but after the
meeting he said to Star-Bulletin
man: 81 suppose We shall have to
have him arrested"
Fields supplementary report came
as bolt from q clear sky and thor
oughly walked up an assembly of
business men who were almost
asleep from listening to the reading
of long though interesting report,
on a hot Saturday afternoon.
There has been growing feeling
in Hilo that the work by Mr.. Field
did not amount to much. One bust
ness man said on the way to the
meeting that it looked like a waste
of one thousands dollars to employ
Field anyway" This man, with quite
a number of others, was almost
asleep when, after an hour and a
half of listening to the main report
siding officer, asked those assembled
if they wished to hear Mr.. Fields
supplemental report: 1t was decided
that they guessed they might as
WELL" and the next fifteen minutes OF
information made the whole outfit
sit up and take notice.
Among those especially interested
were Messrs. Moir and Horner, of
the Liquor License Commission, and
Territorial Auditor Fisher, who. were
present. 1t seems that previous to
the license fees being turned over to
county control Auditor Fisher had
audited the accounts of the commits
sion Whether Lyman slipped one
over on the Territorial auditors does
not yet appear.
The system apparently worked out
by Lyman was to have the check for
the license fee made oUl to him, he
telling the licensee thai the license
would follow later. Mr.. Moir signed
the licenses and supposed that they
had been turned over to those award
ed the licenses by the Commission.
After the meeting Mr. Moir said :
What l intend 20 do is to employ
someone at my OTn private expense
t. 60 over thu T"0le hing Fisher
told me everything was all right,
while the Territory was responsible
for the funds"
Expert Field began to smell a
rat" when it became impossible for
Linn to secure the license book show
ing the stubs for the liquor licenses
issued. He got the, cash book all
right and found it o. K.'ed" by Coun-
~ Auditor Mcguire. But Mcguire S
o. X. it seems, meant only that the
total in the cash book tailed exactly
With the total of the money that had
been turned over to the County
Treasurer. There had apparently
heen no comparison of Vouchers u
check up the transactions in full de
tail. When Field attempted 70 probe
deeper and make a proper audit lie
found himself Leaded off in almost
every direction.
The County Supervisors did not
think nj III Of Fields work and sc
expressed themselves Ill resolution
Deputy Count: Clerk Lyman is a
brother of Supervisor Lyman.