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

county CLERK anu SSCIS1diy VI IHC Y
Hawaii Board OF Liquor License y
3 Commissioners. This discovery \
y was made by Expert H. Gooding y
y Field and was brought to the at =
y tention of the Hilo Board of =
\ Trade, like a bolt from, the y
y blue" at the meeting held in \
y Iiilo Saturday afternoon. =
y The Board of Trade postponed \
\ action on the report until Tues y
y day afternoon. The Deputy r
~ County Attorney of Hawaii =
y says that he supposes Lyman =
\ viii have to be arrested. =
+%k%<+ 4 y
H. Cooling Field, the expert on
municipal affairs, gave the Hilo
Board of Trade a 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 Commissioners
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 a proper
accounting appear to total in the
neighborhood of $500.
Now the question comes whether
Mr.. Field has struck 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, 49, ?
! During the meeting Of the Board Of
Trade, Deputy County Attorney Heen
made few remarks indicating that
there was some excuse for Mr.. Ly.
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 a clear sky and thor
oughly walked up an assembly OF
business men who were almost
asleep from listening to the reading
of a long though interesting report,
on a hot Saturday afternoon.
hn1 U
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
number h. of others, was almost
asleep when, after an hour and a
half of listening to the main report
of Mr.. Field, D. E. Metzger, the pre-
siding officer, asked those assembled
If they wished to hear Mr.. Field s
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 vet appear,
+ The system apparently worked out
Icy Lyman was to have the check for
The lice use fee made on, to him, he
telling the licensee thai the license
would follow later. Mr.. Moir signed
the licenses and supposed that they
mad been turned over to those award
| ed the licenses by the Commission.
! After the meeting MIR MOir said
What | intend 20 DO is to employ
| tC 20 over the %")le !hn2 Ii>hct
| told me everything was all right
! while the Territory was responsible
! for the funds.
Expert Field began to smell d
rat" when it became impossible fol-
| linn to secure the license book show
ing the stubs for the liquor licenses
issued. He got the. cash book al
right and found it o. X. ed" by Coun
" Auditor Mcguire. But Maguire's
! o. X. it seems, meant only that the
total in the cash book tailed exactly
With the total of the money that hat
been turned over to the County
Treasurer. There had apparently
Teen no comparison of Vouchers t
check up the TRANSACTIONS in fail de
tail. When Field attempted 10 probe
deeper and make a proper audit he
found himself Loaded off IL almOS
every direction.
The County Supervisors did no
think much Of Fields WORK and 81
expressed themselves II resolution
Deputy Count Clerk Lyman is
brother of Supervisor Ly:n1n.
| Lyman promised to bring the Ii