Hawaii Holomua, Volume II, Number 31, 24 October 1894 — THE HOSPITAL TAX. [ARTICLE]

THE HOSPITAL TAX.

\Vh*nevor lbe qaestion of t >ari»t travelling ba« 1m*cd broagbt forward. thcrc bas been an outcrv and protest affain»t tbe H<>9pilal tax. People do not like to oome to a coantrj’ wbere they bave to pav a fee to a HospitaI out of whieh tbey ean derive no benefit. Tbe Qaeui's HospitaI tbrongh tbc d- eii-ion ef the SopremoConrt ia eulilltd to a tax levied on any j arrivrng in Hono!ula,but Hawaiians ouly are entilled to frt:o lrcr*tiiiei.t at tbe only .sanitary institulion iu Hawaii. lt is nnfair ‘ It is nnjust. If tbe i n.seut system 5s to be eontinued Honolulu sbould bo gov- < rued nn 'cr a iunnici]>al adrainistiation aud tbo “city sbould rogulate tbo rules of tbe Hos- j pital. Tbo present state of atfairs is s:mply ahnonnal. Tourista aud | inimignmts .irt* Uxod$l 00 a pieee I for tbo privilcgo of landiug in , lbis “raradise of tho i’aeilie.” lf j tlic paycr t f tbat >1 00 ill aud is d< >titnto bo cannot enter j tbo IlospitHl to wbicb be paid lbe $1.00 but bo ean dic iu tbe street for all tbe trustees of tbe j HospitaI caro. Any foreigner, j bo bo Anglo Saxon or Japauese pays a subsidy to tbe Queen’s Uospitnl but nouo of tbera is en titlcd to troatmeut cr caro tbere j esce[it tbe fiuances are tortb i coming or a gnavantoo for pay-nu-nl in Iho future. Tbo docision of tbo Soprerae ( Court as rendercd by Mr. Judd 1 is undonbtedly sound umlcr pre- | sout circurastauces but we siu- | cerily hopo that a ditfcrent system will be ado]itod aud tbe Ilospital cithcr bo oponed to nll taxpayers or tbe “t:ix” abandonod. Tbe £ollowing extract of Mr. J udd s decision gives tho bistory of tbo Hospital tax aud isofgroat iuterest to tbo couutry. A skctcb of tbo onactraonts ou tho subjcct of Iho *‘passenger ta\" in aid of Iho Quecu’s Hospital becomos nccessary bere. Au uct was passcd to “aul in tbe esUblisbraent of bospitals for tbe beuofit of sick aiul disabled Hawaii.nn soauian.' by whieh n tax of two dollars was lovied upon evcry passenger arriving froiu a fore'gn ]>ort nt anv of tbo ports of tbeso islanda. This was payuble to tho soveral collectors of cusloras, for the support of hospirals fer tbo benefit of sick and disabled Hawaiian seamon. Tbis tax was to bo reportod to tbo Ministcr of Finr.rco wbo was to bold tbe s.imo subject to tbo dispoeilion of tho Mmistcr of tha Intorior, according to tbe reqnire nonts of tbo Civil Code in regard to the bospital tax on Hawniiau seamcu. By tbe Civil i Code, soc. 1G1, nll seameu on vossels ,undor tho Hnwaiian ti:ig, wbetbcr engaged in foreign or doraostic trade, bad to bave deductcd frou tboir wagos twontyfive ceuls a mcuth. Tb ; s was *to bo paid into tbe treasun - to bo LeKl as a * Marino Hoepiial Fuud for tbe relief of siek and disabled Hawaiian seamon and to bo disbursed by tbo Miuister for tbo roliof and accoramodation of ■ sucb eeamen uutil bospitalg sbould bo establisbod for thal purpose. Tue*v wore otl er pro- ! visions establishing a fuud from tbe uuex]>e:;ded surj.dus of tbis t«x for a tuarine bosp:tal. On tbe 2\)tb Apiil, 1SŌ9, an act was passed autborixing tbe Minister of lntorior to graut a perpetual cbaractor to ]'ersous applving tbereror for tho establishracnt of a hospital iu Honololu for tbe reliof of sickaud destituto Hawaiiaus. Tbe Quecn’s Hospital was tbcn incorporated bv cbarter of | tbo Minister of the Interior. aa- j tborized by a resolutiou of tbe j King aud Privy Council ol the 10tb Juue, l sō9. We uuderstand | tbat tbe rovenue obtained (rom bolb tbese sources (from seamenswf3es as;d passenger tax) was paid over to the Trustees of tbc Queen’s Hospital. in accorddance vitk biennial appropria- , tions made bf tbe Legislatare. | Every appi\>priatiou from 1802 dowu to 1882 contains items api>ropriatiug moue>s io “Hos)>ital Fuud estimatod receii>ts’). Tbe amounU vary from 824U0 iu 1802 . to 17,000, wbicb was ibe amouui appropri«led in 1882. Tbo Minister cf Fiuauces roport shows 922,081.30 collected (or tbat pe-

j r oil, en iinp M*rch 15, 1882 From to 1886 tbe itom in tbe Appropri«tion B:ll rer 4 .ls *‘Hosj it.-»l Fand (estimatcd rece;pts) all receipt- to be psid over to tbe (juecn*s Hospital. $lō.0*X*. or , whnt’ vt-r snra was apjmpiated. sessioo of t 1 r - atni». 1--2 :t wo- „act ltl.it $2500 |of tbe UoipiUl tav kv;ed upon pa.ssei;g-rs sbon!l be anuua!ly reserred bv the Trustees of tbe Qaoen*s HospiUl and distributed I bv tbe Trastees to varioos cbaritble aml benevoient s cieties in Honolule. No amonul i.< ap]>ropriated io 1888. bot it was en acted by Section 8 of tbe Appropriation Bill that * Tbe Hospital Tax fund shall frotn time to time be paid over to tbe Treasurer of tbe Qaoen’s HospitnI. In l''90the system waschanged and the tax of two dollars to be paid by oaeh passengers ent ring | tbese islands from abroad was abo!isbed. anel a port cbarge w is c»tjb!isbed, sabjecting every ves- ( sel nrrivinc from a foreicn port at any of the j>orts of tbese islands j witb j as.-ieuger5 ou boar.l to a • t.x of one dolUr for eaeh passen- . gor. Tlie new 1iw ena>.tcd tbat this t>x “shonld form a part of tbe |K>rt cbirges aml sball be paid to tbe Collector of tbe port and no Collcctor sball graut a a ele mnee to any sncb vessel until tho sarae be paid.” Tbis lcgis!ation was nccomplisbed by an an;endment of tbe Act c.f May 13, Ih59 f aml tbe ]>rocoeds were to bo devoted to tbe samo pur- i poses as wheo tbe tax was paid ! by the passonger. Tbcre beiug sorae doubt wbether tbis tax sbould be paid directly to tbe Queen’s Hos]>ital th‘* L gi3lature of 1892, (Chap. 40, of tho l;iws of the year), enaclod tbat “ all mone\s hereto- j fore collectod und now unexpended, and ull raoneys whieh ra:»y bereafter be collected under uny oxisting or future statuto uutbo- j rizing tho collection of any bos- j ! ]>ital tux. sball be paid iuto the j i Puhlie Troasury and held by tbe | M:uister of Finance, as a special j deposit to tbo credit and for the J bencfit of tho Trustees of the Queen s H"spital. Sucb special dojiosit si:all at all timcs be sub- * j joct to the ordor of said Trustees, i i or sucb officer tberoof as may be I by ihem authorized. and sball bo : by sucb Trustoos devoted to tl:o purposes of said (2 a eeu’s Hospi - Ital- .