Evening star., 1939-05-26
Denies Hawaii Taxes
Imported Commodities
Horbor Tolls Are Only
Assessments on Goods
From America

l
On March 18, 1885, your Letters From
the People column carried communica-
ton from one j. Canon, which has been
called to my attention as containing
some of the most fantastic and incom-
prehensible ideas regarding the Territory
of Hawaii it has ever been my mis-
fortune to encounter.
Mr.. Canon apparently contends that
the Territory of Hawaii levies import
duties on merchandise from the conti-
mental United States-which is incorrect
do not know how long Mr.. Canon
resided in Hawaii, residence of which
he boasts; but if he had resided here
for more than one day. he undoubtedly
would have realized that the Territory
OF Hawaii does not levy import duties
on commodities shipped to this purely
American part of the Union. MIR. Canon
cites the case of neighbor of his who
ordered $50 worth Of merchandise from
a California mail order house and had
to pay NEARLY 81 in taxes to bring it
into the Territory"
If Mr.. Canon knew what he was talk.
ing about, he would have realized that
the 81 that his neighbor purportedly
! paid for the privilege of importing his
merchandise from a California mail
order house-if his presumption is cor
rect-represented tolls charged by the
Territorial Board of Harbor Commits
sioners which, under the law, must be
| seH-supporting. The tolls-the onlv
charge in the Territory that could be
classed as taxes are assessed at the
| rate OF 40c ton, or 40c for 40 cubic
feet, on the same basis on which rail-
road freight charges are assessed on
the mainland. Consequently, if Mr..
Canons 'neighbor" paid 81, his Ship
ment must have weighed 10 tons, or
measured 400 cubic feet.
think that if Mr.. Canon would in
vestigate, he would find that there is
not port authority anywhere in the
world - certainly not in the United
States-which does not impose charges
of some kind upon shipping in order
TO pay the costs of harbor facilities
In Seattle, Wash, for instance, Mr..
Canon would find that the toll rate was
5Oc ton, instead of 40c a ton as charged
in Hawaii
Mr.. Canon likewise is misinformed
when he stated that 1T also costs SIS
to obtain drivers license in Honolulu,
which is good for life, but the majority
OF the people who pay this IS are in the
Army or Navy or connected with the
Government service" The cost of an
automobile drivers license in Honolulu
Is S3-not S5 as quoted by Mr.. Canon.
Inc Honolulu Police Department which
is In charge of issuing automobile drivers
licenses does not distinguish between ap-
pllcants who are civilians and those who
are members of the armed forces. How
ever, at my request. the department
checked the number of automobile
licenses issued in Honolulu during the
months of January and February with
the following result-total number of
drivers licenses issued, 1887; number
issued to Army personnel, 21O; number
issued to Navy and Marine Corps person.
mel, 166. In other words, out of the
total of 1887 licenses issued, only 37e
or less than Is per cent, were issued to
Army and Navy personnel.
Mr.. Canon writes further that. "Inci-
dentally, about 80 per cent of the islands
white population is connected with the
Government in one capacity or another,
and 1t is against these that the above
mentioned taxes are particularly dis
criminatory." This is preposterous. The
population estimates of the Territorial
Board OF Health as of June go 1898, the
latest figures available, place the num-
Der of individuals resident in Hawaii at
All ,485, of whom LOG, ,999 were classed as
Caucasian or white" If Mr.. Canon's
statement were correct, 80 per cent of
lO6,s99 would amount to 962s9 There
enlisted men in the United States Army
service in Hawaii; there are approxi-
mately 1000 officers and enlisted men
stationed permanently in Hawaii in the
service Of the United States Navy and
Marine Corps, making total of Is 900.
II Mr.. Canon's guess were correct, that
would mean there would be approximate
ly 1890 other white employees in the
service of the Territory and the counties,
The total of territorial and county en-
ployes of all racial origins is very much
below this figure, being considerably
less than 10000 including some $500
Hawaiian-born school teachers
Mr.. Canon talks about the value of
Hawaii's exports as compared with its
lmports-apparently from the continent
tai United States. 1t might surprise Mr..
Canon to be informed that in the last
seven years the Territory of Hawaii has
occupied either the sixth, seventh or
eighth highest position, respectively, as
market for commodities of the main
land United States-certainly a record
which is not to be sneezed at in these
parlous times of greatly diminishing
markets. In the calendar year 1887, for
instance, Hawaii, with purchases aggre-
eating more than $104,OOO,0OO worth of
continental United States commodities,
ranked as the seventh best market.
Mr.. Canon's ideas about the extra
money" purportedly sent to Japan by
loyal sons of Nippon" are apparently
as erroneous as are the rest of the figures
cited IN his letter For his information /