The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-12-26
FIELD WILL NOT
GIVE UP BOOKS
Hawaii Probe Commission Expert
Decides II Is Best TO Retain
Possession OF Records.

(Mail Special to The Advcrtiscr)
MO. December ETA determined
attempt was made last Saturday by
the county authorities TO secure some
Of the county records now held by Ex
pert Goodng Field. Fold was sur
priscd enough that, after his first re
fusl to give up the records, several
more requests for them should bc made,
but when be WIS Informed that the
authorities intended to use thcm fol
the purpose of getting ut the balance
for the year 1914, which Yield figures
a, win take him and his assistant
months to arrive at, he almost tainted.
Desha Asks for Books.
"rhis morning Auditor Desha sent
TO me n clerk from the clerk $ office, y
said Cooling Field last saturday,
He asked for Il number of the County
books in my custody relating TO the
wears 1905 and 1907. ] told him that
IL would bc impossible for me to loan
him these records outside of my Office,
bnt that if he wished TO refer TO any
particular entry in them, he WINS at per
wv ''N'NA ~ w wv NJ III ny hahNNs
"This message was delivered 60 Mr..
Dcsha, who sent the clerk bacl; for n
look referring to the year 1907.
then returned with the clerk to Desha s
Office and told Desha that all these rec
ords were in my official custody under
a subpoena of the commission, and re-
peated the statement that if he wanted
to rcfcs. to them, he could do so at my
office. ] told him, also, that | had
permitted the current books to be used
in the county building with the under
standing that | conld obtain the same
whenever j called for them. He
seemed to be satisfied with my expla-
nation.
"A short while later Dcsha called at
/ my Office. He again made the request
| that turn over TO him the books
which he had called for before.
again refused. lie asked me if we
would allow him to take the books in
to the next room to use them. | cx-
! planned to him that all my memoranda
and data for my report were in these
records, and it would be impossible
for me at this stage of the audit TO
allow any one to take any Of the books
away or even use them outside of my
sight.
Field Becomes Interested.
81 then became interested to know
what prompted this great desire fol-
these books which had laid so long
Ynsought and undcsircd, in the musty
recesses of the county archives.
asked him, and he stated that thcy
were getting trial balance of tn,
county accounts up to the end OF tn,
present fiscal year, December 81 1913
so that they could open their book,
with u correct balance on January ]
1913.
81 must admit that | was staggered
] had taken little pride in this audit
and / certainly had the conceit knock
ed out of me when | found that the
work which had taken myself and my
assistant eight months of the hardest
kind of grind, with four or fv,
months still required, was about TO b,
performed by the county officials in {
space of less days than we had takei
months.
81 also drew Desha 5 attention {,
the fact that all the records necessary
to undertake an audit to give n tria
balance were in my custody in thI
vaults of the First Trust Company an,
how any authentic check could be made
without these documents passed my un
Outstanding.
AZ shall, of course, insist on kcepin.
in my possession these documents ~
long as | am employed by the commits
sion, and as they are in my custody un
der subpoena, they cannot legally b.
taken away from me-