The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1913-06-27
Mail Special to The Advertiser

exemption for a dependent minor.
W.
Mail Special to The Advertiser.)
| HILO, June 24.-Iast week County
Treasurer Swain refused to pay n war.
rant issued for services which, it, an.
pears, had never been performed
True fact. He really done it.
In the meantime the case was taken
up by that inevitable Cooling Field
who had the records which were neces.
sary to show just how the matter stood.
| This incident opened the campaign
begun by Field in North Hilo. The 9th.
err day the expert decided that he had
| as much evidence as he needed Just for
the present in the South Hilo road de.
partinent, although il is, of course, his
intention to come back TO this depart.
ment and finish the job up in detail
Now, however, he is amusing himself
with North Hilo, and the incident re.
ferred to seems to show that Field s
attentions are needed there quite badly.
As a matter of fact, North Hilo seems
to be particularly IN need of the Ficld
probe, for in that district money is be-
ing thrown to the birds in happy disre,
gard of the fact that the investigation
is going on. The case of the warrant
which even Swain would not stand for,
proves this.
The warrant in the ease No. 9lG, was
issued in favor Of David Mattoon as
road surveyor for the North Hilo dis
trict, out of the permanent. improve.
inents fund. 1t called for the payment
to him of $50 for services rendered as
the district g road supervisor for twenty
days at the rate Of $3.50 day during
Nav, 1913.
There were originally two Mattoon
brothers,' Jnmes Nation, Jr., and Da-
vid The former was the regularly APP
pointed road supervisor for North Hilo,
but he died during the month OF May,
and the payroll credited him with ten
DAYS work during May.
The David NATION warrant, IL seems,
was first cashed by the Laupahoehoe
Sugar Co., which passed it along to the
! !iilO branch of Davies & Co., which
again placed il to its credit with the
First Bank of Hilo. When the bank
presented the warrant to the treasurer
for payment il was that that utterly
unprecedented thing happened it was
held up, and payment was refused. The
treasurer g grounds for so doing were,
however, wholly formal, namely, based
on the fact that no authorization for
the appointment Of David MattOon as
road supervisor had been obtained from
the board of supervisors, anu that he
mad consequently never been commits
stoned. In holding mp the warrant the
treasurer acted on advice which he oh.
taiucd from the county attorneys de-
partment.
GnnIipe, Eialb 20 Ia n
good bit further than the mere formal
ity of the lack of a regular commission.
Last Thursday he called up Bookkeeper
Wilson of the Laupahoehoe Sugar Co.,
and from him he obtained the informal
ton that David Mattoon had been
working for the plantation in its Office,
during the entire month of May. This
information has been corroborated by
other men living in the neighborhood.
Some add that NATION did act as road
overseer during .thc noon hour, but how
this will help out the matter in view
Of the strict provision of the statute
making eight hours necessary for full
work day seems difficult to see
While Field was amusing himself
with the Mattoon ease, he ran across
| another circumstance which aroused his
| curiosity. He found that men who had
worked in South Hilo for very moderate
wages, had their pay boosted skyhigh
the moment they came under the bene,
ticent regime of John Kealoha in North
Hilo.
Alfonso Marques, is blacksmith,
who was working in South Hilo. Ke.
aloha wanted him to assist in the cree
tion of a rock crushing plant u, Pa.
paaloa, so he virtually borrowed the
man from Joe Nierra for the purpose
| of assisting in this job. Marques was
receiving $3.50 day in South IIilo,
which was the pay he had been receiving
/ for n long time past. Kealoha offered
1 him 81 a day for the North IIilo work,
| provided that Vierra would release him
! for two or three weeks ut the longest.
Marques agreed to this arrangement,
| The entire bargain was conducted in
the presence of Joe Nierra. This took
/ place during the last part of last April,
and Immediately thereafter Marques
went TO North llilo.
! But the payroll for May showed that
great things had happened to Mr.. Mar
/ ques Instead of receiving n simple "a
/ for his services (Which would even then
/ had been an advance ON his South Hilo
wages the payroll credits him with
working twenty.six and quarter days,
nj the rate of $3.50 day, making the
| total sum 10 his credit for that Sli4.40
I The warrant was assigned TO the Lau.
pahoehoe Sugar Co.. Marques claiming
that he had received his pay weekly
from kealoha in cash.