The Hawaiian Archipelago - Six Months Among The Palm Groves, Coral Reefs, And Volcanoes Of The Sandwich Islands By Isabella L. Bird
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The Group Is An
Hereditary And Constitutional Monarchy.
There is a house of nobles
appointed by the Crown, which consists of twenty members.
The House
of Representatives consists of not less than twenty-four, or more
than forty members elected biennially. The Legislature fixes the
number, and apportions the same. The Houses sit together, and
constitute the Legislative Assembly. The property qualification for
a representative is, real estate worth $500, or an annual income of
$250 from property, and that for an elector is an annual income of
$75. The Legislators are paid, and the expense of a session is
about $15,000. There are three cabinet ministers appointed by the
Crown, of the Interior, Finance, and Foreign Affairs respectively,
and an Attorney-General, who may be regarded as a minister of
justice. There is a Supreme Court with a Chief Justice and two
associate justices, and there are circuit and district judges on all
the larger islands, as well as sheriffs, prisons, and police. There
is a standing army of sixty men, mainly for the purposes of guard
duty, and rendering assistance to the police.
The question of "how to make ends meet" sorely exercises the little
kingdom. All sorts of improvements involving a largely increased
outlay are continually urged, while at the same time the burden of
taxation presses increasingly heavily, and there is a constant
clamour for the removal of some of the most lucrative imposts.
Indeed, the Hawaiian dog, with his tax and his "tag," is seldom out
of the Legislative Assembly.
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