Hawaii Holomua, Volume III, Number 91, 19 ʻApelila 1894 Edition 02 — Dogs. [ARTICLE]

Dogs.

( We have iu former issues leferred to the arbitrarv manner io whieh the dog-catchers areacting and also to the mauy complaiuts ; received by us over the present system. There is sometbing radically wrong somewhere. If & mau pays his taxes for his dog and receives a receipt and a tag, both numbered, he sbould not be compelled to pay the taxes over again. if tbe dog should happen to lose his collar with the tag on. And yet such is the case under the present regime. The dogcatchers, vreare informed, receive a certain amount for eaeh dog they catch and bring to the Poliee Station. What is easier than to catch a dog, steal hia collar and tben impound him? Tbe catchers make raoney and tbe owner o( tbe : doa it t«»pell*d to p«y kit Wmi '

•pain in spite of boIding a nam- t bered receipt or. i£ he refa.se to a do so. to see bis dog kilIeU. Anv t fainninded man ean see tbe dan- y ger and injastice in socb a svs- \ tem. Tbe law is good in some £ points. We are all willing to see l tbe numerous curs, with no < regular owners. beingexterminaled, bnt the tai-payere object to see valoable dogs for whieh taxes have been paid “rnn in r ' and the 1 owner bled throngb double taxa- < tion. Moreover the antborities > sbonld be made to reaiize tbat < dogs born after Julv lst 1893. are . not liable to taxation before July lst 1894. The “regardlesscess" with whieh this whole business is carried on, is wortby of severe censure aud Minister Damon sbou!d order an iuvestigation. ; Let us here state that a number of people seems to have some very erroneous ideas as to their rights i i over strange dogs found on their premises. They have no right to kill a dog found under such circumstances and they plaee themselves open to damages, if they do it. An instance has eome to our notice wbere a well-known Christian (?) P- g- supporter a few days ago shot (with a government rifle and ammunition we presume) a valuable retriever belonging to a prominent citizen residing a short distauce from the dog killer. The retriever, with | | eollai, name and tag on was making a eall on the premises of the blood thirsty p. g. man and raet his death. It is to be hoped that j 1 a suit for damages will be started and such wanton cruelty properly ‘ 1 punished. What the gun-carrying . dog killer aimed at when he hit : the dog. is aud will always re- ; main au unsolved mystery. The ; dog is gone—and is probably used to swell certain stock of : sweet-scented bone-meal. But, the end is not yet.