The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-02-23
P|L|K|A BREAKS
. OUT AT meeting .
OF UTILITIES BODY
Open War Declared BY Garden
On Bills Made BY
Forbes

Open war broke out in the public util.
tiles commission yesterday at the FIRST
meeting sincc the return of Charles r.
Forbes, chairman. William T. Garden,
the newest member of the commission.
is the rebel. Three times yesterday he
hurled defiance at Chairman Forbes and
as lone minority Of one among the
three commissioners succeeded in
thoroughly arousing the ire of Chair.
man Forbes.
Money matters were the cause of the
trouble. Two bills incurred by Forbes
were up for approval. Garden held
they were not properly chargable
against the commission s funds. Forbes
took one look at Garden. grabbed the
vouchers from Henry O'Sullivan, com.
mission secretary. ripped them to pieces
and slammed the money down on the
table. Garden smiled. -
i The amount involved is two dollars
and fifty cents. -
i The pilikia which had been slowly
piling up during, the afternoon reached
| its climax on this two dollars and fifty
| cents which was the cost of two collect
messages sent by Forbes while he was
on the mainland. Both concern com.
mission busincss-the Iutcr Island in.
i vestigation.
Two other bills up for approval, also
concerning the InterI Island hearings,
i developed similar but not such heated
difference of opinion. The bill of H.
Gooding Field for appearing as expert
witness on his audit for the commission
If the Inter-Island accounts was cut
IN half The bill of II. Neitert, stem.
)giapher at the Inter. Island hearings
vas ordered paid with Garden object.
ing.
The messages, for which Garden
would not approve the bills, were sent
collect by Forbes while he was on the
mainland because, as he stated yester
lay, he feared the commission was
about to hand down a decision in the
Inter-Island case while he was away
The first to Secretary o Sullivan read
"Leaving Matsonia. Call specia
meeting for day after my arrival
Chairman. ~.
The second to Commissioner A. J
Gignoux, who was acting chairman
read: .rs..
"Please don't render findings il
L
: Forbes, chairman"
AT a meeting several weeks ago, be
fore Forbes return, payment of charg
IS on the messages was held up by tn
commission on Garden s suggestion tina
hey would be stopped by the auditor
,ffice on account of the Wilder injunc
ion proceedings Yesterday, the. BIZ
vas brought in again by Secretar
| Sullivan and Garden said to Forbes
:, "I voted against payment Of tn
/ charges on these messages because the
IRE not properly chargable to th
commission. " ~
Forbes didn't say word. Then a
err he had angrily ripped the bills
1icces and slammed the money on I'll
/. able he holly asked Garden what WI
!, he reason for holding up the bills.
"Why was it necessary for you
, send those messages" Garden askC
! n return. 81 do not consider that the
II honld be charged to the commission.
1, Previously Forbes and Garden hi
70 dashed over whether Forbes had su
sested that Auditor Field be presei
It the Inter-Island hearings to defer
his report on the company, After muI
discussion over whether Field acted
r auditor, expert witness or just ordinu
witness, the commission cut his fee {
services at eleven hearings from s
hearing to $3.50 a hearing and {
Tered the secretary to check up
10 whether or, not Field had testified
o. every hearing at which he was presel