The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-10-06
II H e
TUESDAY
THE BOARD OF HEALTH AND IT'S
ACCUSERS.

2 The attacks that have recently been
made upon the Board of Health have
not been deserved Neither have
they been based upon facts. If The
Board were wilfully negligent of its
duty, we should be among the first TO
censare it but when it is doing its
best, with very limited means, then
We say it does not merit censure but
commentator. AS matter of fact,
the responsibility for the bad sani-
tary condition of the city rests wholly
and entirely with preceding Boards,
the ex-President being perhaps the
greatest sinner of all. More useful
sanitation WORK has been done by the
present Board of Health since it's or
ganization than by it's predecessors in
five times the same period. The truth
OF this statement is we'll known to all
old residents, whether they may be
ready 10 admit it or not. But as it is
the truth we state it now.
The Board of Health is credited
with having had $264, 900 placed at
It's disposal by the Legislature for the
sanitation of the city. At least that
is the impression sought to be con-
veyed by the Boards accusers. And
yet it appears that this damaging
suggestion was made with the Appro-
priation Act of 1884 before the writer,
which showed that the sum of $50, 900
only was placed at the Board s disposal
hu tho ooiS1a ft1ro ,I.,ri y7or n Lian,,iol
period, from which the sanitation of
the city could be provided for, among
other services chargeable against
this vote. And with this money,
which must be husbanded carefully
to cover the ground for two years,
more has been already accomplished
In the way of city sanitation than
during any two biennial periods
under the old regime.
Turning to the Session Laws of
1884, page 40, we find the specific
appropriations for the Board of Health
as follows:
Salary Secretary of the Board of
health. --..-.-'..-.- S4'OOO
Leper Settlements ............. 100000
Water pipes, Kalawoa aud Kalau-
papa -. ................. 10000
Government Physicians and gratu-
ftous medical treatment for all
HaWaiiang .....-....... 55,OOO
General expenses Board of Health 81, 900
Building and maintenance of Hos
pitfalls. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES 4O,OOO
Repairs and care of Quarantine. 5000
Kapiolani Home ........ b.. $4,000
Bridge at Waikolu ............ 500
1854, 500
IT will be seen by the foregoing
schedule that with the single excep-
ton of the item, general expenses
of the Board of Health, $35, 000,"
there is no fund available for city
sanitation. This amount pays for
cleaning the streets and making the
new land at the Esplanade, except
what is done by the dredger. The
salaries of the Agent and officer
of the Board of Health are
borne upon it. So also are extra
medical expenses, as in the case of
the late smallpox scare at Hama,
Mani. aud the Yamashiro Maru. The
cost of vaccine lymph, imported from
the States, is charged against this |
vote: as are also the expenditures in
..s.sant to the arrest, maintenance and ,
transportation of lepers. 1t will be /
seen from this recital that the Board I
of Health has not any great amount |
to expend on city sanitation, aud |
that the closest economy, in fact, is
needed to spread the amount voted
over the biennial period during
which the appropriation runs.
Referring TO the general schedule
we find, upon inquiry. that the APP
for the "Leper Settle
ments, 100000" is barely sufficient
for that of Molokai, where there are
some 700 inmates to be fed, clothed,
doctored and housed. Indeed, it
would not suffice were the Board of
Health paying the old range of prices
for meat and poi. The weekly poi
ration for 700 Inmates at so cents
each would be $3.50, and similarly of
beef $3.50, making on these two items
alone for the 1O4 weeks in the two
years covered by the appropriation,
81, 500. This leaves $27, 200 for all
other expenses. The vote of $4,000 !