The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1886-04-22
GOVERNMENT RELIEF MEASURES.
Important Resolutions by the Cabi-
net Council.


measures of relief for sufferers by the
late disastrous fire. Their Excellen-
cies. Messrs. Gibson and Gulick, formed
this committee, and with sound discrim-
ination they appointed Mr.. F. II. Austin
special agent to make inquiries into the
amount Of actual restitution, and the
measures best calculated to meet the re-
uuirements of the case. Mr.. Austin set
about mis- work forthwith, and has sent
in preliminary report which contains
several valuable suggestions.
There is not, however, the amount OF
pressing distress one would be apt to
suppose after such calamity. In the
case of the native Hawaiians this is
specially true. Most of them saved a
little food and clothing, and although
about three hundred and twenty indi-
yiduals were rendered houseless and /
homeless. they have managed somehow |
to find temporary shelter among friends. |
OF course, their present condition can
not possibly last long without creating |
both sickness and acute restitution, and !
therefore it becomes incumbent upon the
Government to act promptly upon the
information received from its special
agent.
! Mr.. Austin reports that at Kapuukolo
! he found fifty to sixty natives in each
small house spared by the fire and stand
ing alongth shore. They did not complain
of want of food or present shelter, but
| IS 1ol,a sniff iaY1t
lumber to erect temporary shelter on
their own home lots. At Kaumakapili,
Mr.. Austin found the natives in a some
what worse condition; but they bore
their losses with great equanimity, and
only asked for lumber to provide tenn
porary covering for themselves and
children. Seeing that the rain was fall
ing at the time of the visit, and that
many of the people were camped on
verandas, in outhouses and improvised
huts, this request was natural and rea-
sonable one to make. At Kaumakapili
Church some forty or fifty people were
camped, and while they said that
they did not want for food or clothing,
they all asked for assistance to build.
In the case of the Chinese, their food
supply would probably give out in three
or four days, and then there would be a
great deal of distress unless preventive
measures were adopted.
The Cabinet Committee will doubtless
act upon this report, complying as far as
: possible with the request OF the native
people for temporary shelter. The Privy
: Council, it will be remembered, author
lied an expenditure of $4,000 to meet
l the emergencies of this case, and there
} fore this sum is available to draw from.
: 1t is probable that an advance OF say
800 to each head of a family will be
l made, not in cash. but in rough lumber
g and corrugated iron for roofing. This
will enable temporary coverings to be
D run up, and thereby remove the pressure
4 upon such natives as were not burned
r out, as we'll as lessening the tendency tC
e disease by overcrowding and exposure
e It is not contemplated, however, thai
these structures should interfere in any
u way with the plan of city improvement
which jury of taxpayers Will repor
, upon to-day. They are simply to NEE
). a temporary emergency, and will b'
e removed when they have served thel
IS purpose. The architecture and santa
:. ton of the city will not be effected b!
d them, nor will they interfere in the leas
l. degree with the opening OF new street
is or the Strengthening and widening OF ole
u ones.
/ With regard to the Chinese the case il
20 far simpler. Although they have foo
S supplies to last for several days, a grea
l. many of them are out of employment
Is and the strain of maintaining so man.
re is greater than their more fortunat
4 fellow-countrymen can bear. The Gov
r; eminent is in a position to meet TIN
OF emergency by procuring sufficiency c
i'd rice in bond which can be issued at cost
less duty, to such as may be recon-
mended by the responsible heads OF tn
Chinese community and who may be abl
to buy limited supplies, while those VIII
are moneyless will be served with a state
supply free of charge. Respectable CHI
~ nese, who are heavily taxed to suppol
relatives and others connected Wit
q them, complain of the advance in tn
~ price of rice since the fire. While tn
Government will not interfere with tn
- regular operations of trade, it will prever
~ ANYTHING like famine prices for rice.
- The necessity for prompt action In re
: gard to these and other matters arisin
. out of the fire disaster, having early i'll
> pressed itself upon His Majesty til
= King. he communicated with His E
cellency Mr.. Gibson, and it was deeme
- advisable to hold meeting of the Cal
- met yesterday to consider the entil
question, not only of relief, but of cit
Improvement and sanitation also. 5
anxious was His Majesty on the subje
that to avoid delay it was deemed az
- yisable to hold the Cabinet Council
!, the sick chamber of Il member OF til
~ Administration, whose legal knowlede
was essential to an intelligent consider
e ton of many of the points involves
y. His Excellency Mr.. Kapena was not
attendance at the Cabinet meeting, oy