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W)JBI' ,"'?'-" -5' j'1h ' 'V v v r,i j m y ' w f .;f i , M! 'i, V VOL. XXXVIII, No. 58. HONOLULU, H. T., FRIDAY, JULY 17, 1903 SEMI-WEEKLY. WHOLE No. 2504. HE MERCHANTS TALK ON TAXES AND TOURISTS Tests Will Be Made In the Courts of Pratt's Inventory Value Assessment. Tourist Committee To Be Increased and Work Started In Earnest Merchants Asked To Aid Flood Sufferers. Tourists and taxes formed the chief topics for discussion at the meeting of the Merchants' Association held yesterday afternoon. The tourist committee Is to be Increased If the Chamber of Commerce approves anil the work of attracting tourists to the Islands will iBO on without delay. The discussion of taxation" methods ended in a resolution providing for test f cases on oenau 01 me msuiiuiiuu .ascertaining the Supreme Court's views on the cash or inventory value of stocks of merchandise. Catton, Nelll & Co., and "Wllder's Steamship Co., will make the appeals, the Merchants' to bear the expense. THE TOURIST PLANS. been knocked out near the end of the -session. The cablegrams sent by the Association upon. the opening of the Manila .line were read, as well as as the answers received. KANSAS WANTS HELP. Secretary Helm read a letter from the Merchants' and Mutual Association of Kansas City asking for aid on behalf of the mercharta of Armourdale who ) .had been wiped out by the Hood. A I contribution of one dollar by each member was requested. Upon motion of Mr. Macfarlane the secretary was "instructed to write to the San Francisco Association with a request for to the genuineness of the appeal and the need for aid. MORE ABOUT ADVERTISING. A letter .was next read from C. R. Frazler of the Pioneer Advertising Co., offering to the association 1,000 copies of his 1 00k on Hawaii at fifteen cents lier copy, on condition that they were distributed free of charge. For over 1,000 copies tho prico is to be twelve -cents provided tliat the order goes In at at the same time as that for the 60,000 copies for tho Territory. This letter was referred to the Tourist Committee. J, A. Oilman for tho Tourist Committee stated that It was the Intention of the committee to Issue smaller pamphlets for free distribution, but that if anyone wanted detailed Information then such a book as Frazler's could be sent. For this a nominal charge of ten cents per copy should be made. Lighter literature end folders were to be sent. out free. Mr. GUman suggested also that the committee be allowed to increase Its membership as with the broadening of the plans there wa8 more work and the! present committee was too small. Finally upon motion of C. S. Wight a resolution was passed authorizing an Increase of the Joint committee when the emergency requires, the resolution first to have the approval of the Chamber of Commerce. THE MATTER OF TAXES. Mr. F. W. Macfarlane reported upon the Interview the directors had had with Assessor Pratt over the question of taxation of merchandise. The directors contended that the the tourist ventory value was not the cash value, W. W. Hall reported for I while Pratt claimed that it was. 'Mr. committee on the Interview had with MacfnrIane nlBO quoted p.n opinion by Secretary Carter and Treasurer Attorney Lewis to the effect that no Jcai. He said that assurance had been teBt case could be brought by the that the appropriation of J15.000 elation, but it must be by an individual -was available. The committee had not 11 1 . . .. '.mere was a ienginy aiscussion on sone into particulars as regards the nendlnc of money, but had agreed that .,, . , . . f ,, k - hue uoiicaoiiiciik o v. xii vci ti kiiu It f;, running expenses, such as room rent, inventory value. It was stated that In Vl secretary, etc., should not come out 01 jportiana forty per cent or tile inventory the government fund. The fund to be is taKen as tne casn value, wnne in used, for this purpose Is to be derived from the merchant's tax. Mr. Hall -stated that the committee Intended to Advertise by means of posters and other books which are to be scattered all over the United States through the -Steamship and railroad companies. REIMBURSEMENT OF MERCHANTS. In response to a question from the -chairman, G. W. Smith, the , -dent, F. "W. Macfarlane stated that the .appropriation for reimbursement of the -association for expenses of Pratt to Washington had failed to pass. It had San Francisco it is sixty per cent It was stated also that under the former governments a deduction of thirty-three and a third per cent was allowed as a basis for the cash value, this being taken as what a stock of merchandise would bring at auction. A general reorganization of the tax system was also suggested. One member stated that he had heard it said that the government was taking advantage of taxpayers to make the assessment as high as possible, and cutting it as little as possible when cpmplalnt is made, the merchants paying a little more perhaps, because of a desire to avoid the expense of appeal. It was suggested also that the time had come when the Merchants' Association should do something, It being pointed out that it was better to pay upon a high rate of tax at a fair valuation, than less upon an excessive valuation. The whole system was wrong, It was said. The assessor was not to blame, ho was acting under the direct instructions of the Governor and Treasurer. Finally It was decided that the Merchants' Association should test I he merchandise valuation and also the assessment upon a corporation as an "enterprise for profit." Catton, Nelll & Co. was chosen as the firm to test tho clause upon a concern as an "enterprise for profit" and Wllder's Steamship Co. will appeal from the assessment upon the inventory vnlue as tho cash value. Tho directors were authorized to bring such other test cases as required in getting an opinion upon every phase of the question. There was much dls cusslon also of the cash value as related to Inventory value, everyone present, taking the view that no stock ot goods would bring Its Inventory value if sold for .cash, or at a forced sale. G. W. Smith presided at the meeting and tho following were present: u. W. Smith, P. R. Helm, W. W. Hall, F. J, Church, J, , Oilman, II. F. WIchman, F. W. Macfarlane, A. B. Wood, I. Dillingham, E. E. Paxton, S. I, Bhaw, C, L. Wight, Mr. Wakefield, Capt. Soule, T, J. King, A. Gartenberg, E. A. Mclnerny, Mr. von Hamm, Mr. Lucas, Mr. Basch, F. L. Waldrpn, J, H. Soper, J. S. Andrade, A. A. Montano, R. Cat-ton. ! COLONEL MASCHIN. Head of the military conspirators that slew the King nnd Queen of Servla. He Is the man who killed Draga. J ', MAJOR W. B. HOOPER OF THE OCCIDENTAL HOTEL DEAD ( ASSOCIATED PBfcSB 0&BI1E9BAM8 ) SAN FRANCISCO, July 10. Major lloopcr for many years lessee of the Occidental Hotel, died today of kidney disease. Major Win. B. Hooper was widely known, in Hawaii as on tho Pacific .coast, as the most' accomplished hotcljkccpcr of San Francisco. was.11 vercniu qijne jivh war, a ihgihuit.olviuu Jym .legion uuu. a leading lay member of the Episcopal Church. His hotel, the Occidental, was, for many years, tho headquarters for. the Army, Navy, National Guard 'and clerical s nests, and it was the- favorite resort of Ilawaiians. Major Hooper had been in ill health for some years previous to his death and lately he relinquished his lease, intending to go out of business altogether. The lease was, however, offered him and I accepted on a month to month basis. Tho Major leaves a family con- 1 of a son and two daughters. 0 To Build Carnegie library. VALLEJO, July 1C. The American-Hawaiian Engineering company has tho contract to build the $1S,000 Carnegie library here. Tho American-Hawaiian Engineering company is tho concern of which Mr. Amweg is the local representative. o Kentucky Republicans. LOUISVILLE, Ky., July 10. Morris Belknap is tho Republican nomineo for Governor of Kentucky. Tho convention endorsed President Roosevelt for tho nomination. To Catch Ocean Smugglers. PORT TOWNSEND, July 10. A wireless telegraph system has been connected with tho San Juan islands to assi.t the apprehension of smuggling craft. Fpworth Leaguers Gather. DETROIT, July 10. Seventeen thousand members of tho League have arrived to attend tho convention. Tho Detroit NewB. GEORGE "Peoplo may think I'm stuck on this, but I'm not." JAPAN LIKELY TO LOSE AID OF , GREAT BRITAIN Congress To Be Called In Extra Session On the Ninth of October. Knapp, the Murderer, To Be Electrocuted. Abner McKinley Paralyzed The Pope Still Lives. (ABSOOTATED PBBBS CABLEGRAMS.) LONDON, July 1G. Tho Japanese legation is disappointed otot Great Britain's attitude in the Manchurian affair. It is believed that tho interchange of visits between King Edward and President Loubet is significant of tho non-support of .Russia by Franco in far Eastern jwlitics and tho withdrawal of Great Britain from tho Jap'ancso CONGRESS WILL MEET IN EXTRA SESSION OCTOBER 9th OYSTER BAY, July 1C Tho President announces that ho will call Congress in extra session on October 9th to consider financial politics. 0 : The Pope Still Alive. ROME, July 10. Tho Popo is breathing -with great difficulty and is kept alivo by stimulants. KNAPP, THE MURDERER TO BE ELECTROCUTED HAMILTON, O., July 10. Knapp tho murderer of five women has been found guilty and will bo electrocuted. In Cincinnatti Knapp murdered threo persons. Ono was tho wife of another man, another was a twelve year old girl, andtho other was his second wife. Theso threo crimes were all committed during tho space of seven weeks. Knapp had no real motive for any of them. In 1895 ho killed a little four year old girl. Ho cut this cliild ,to pieces with a hatchet and then packed her body away in a box. Finally ho killed his third wife. When first tried tho jury disagreed and whilo waiting for a second trial Knapp confessed tho wholo 6erica of murders, and showed himself to bo a robber, outlaw and common thief. Afterwards ho took tho confession back. Abner McKinley Paralyzed. SOMERSET, Pa., July 10. Abner McKinley, brother of tho late President, is dangerously ill of paralysis. THE FAIR WITNESSES ARRESTED FOR PERJURY PARIS, July 10. As a result of tho magisterial inquiry into tho death of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Fair in an automobilo ac'cidont, tho two alleged witnesses, who testified that Mr. Fair died first, wero arrested for perjury. Tho Nelsons, Mrs. Fair's relatives who are contesting on tho ground that Mrs. Fair died last, brought theso two witnesses from Franco to tho United States to testify. They wero Lucicn Mas and M. Moranne. Their testimony in Now York was badly twisted up before tho hearing had been concluded. Tho reason thoj can bo prosecuted in Franco for perjury is that tley told their story under oath to a magistrate in Paris Tho story has boon questioned many times and it is now declared thaVtho two men wero miles away from tho 6ceno of tho great tragedy at tho tiino it occurred. o Would Not Receive Petition. ST. PETERSBURG, July 10. Tho American embassy haaboon officially notified that tho Government would refuso to recoivo Uio Jowish petition.