The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1889-01-26
THE DAILY
REGISTRATION OF BIRTHS A
DEATHS.

A brief discussion of this subject
which appeared about two weeks
ago, showed how little our people,
even those who ought to be well in
formed, know about either the law OF
the practice. In the session laws of
1878, P. 10, occurs the following:
1t shall be incumbent upon the fathers.
II living, Of any child born in this King
dom, and if not living, or if the child be
lLlegltlmate, upon the mother, within
three months after the birth of such a
child, 10 notify some Registrar of births
and deaths in the district OF the name
and sex and date Of the birth of said
child.
Any neglect to comply with any of the
foregoing provisions OF this section, shall
subject the delinquent on conviction be-
fore any Police or District Justice. TO a
me not exceeding twenty-five dollars for
each ofense.
During the session of the Legisla
ture of 1884 the law of 1878 was
amended to read:
Every father, If living, of any child
born IN the kingdom, or in any case the
iather Is not living or if the child be
lilegitlmate, the mother Of such child,
snail within one month after its birth,
notify some government school teacher
OF the district in which the child was
born, Of the date of birth, name and sex
of the child.
The twenty-five dollar penalty is
continued.
The school teachers, as we have
already explained, collect these
names, and always report them to
their respective school agents, who
IN turn forward a table, quarterly.
to the Board of Education. There
is no doubt that these tables are
merely approximate, however, and
they Will never be more than that
until the penalty has been enforced.
When people know that neglect to
perform a certain duty is followed
by mulct in possibly heavy fine.
they Will see that their duties are
performed. The law, however, should
be changed as to the keeper of the
register. However well it might
have answered to use the school
masters for this purpose ten or
twenty years ago, their usefulness in
this direction has come to an end at
least in the districts that have g
large foreign population, as around
the great plantations. The agent of .
the Board of Health should be the
registrar. In fact the law of
1884 distinctly provides for this
in case Of deaths:
Every minister Of religion OF other
person officiating a. q burial, or in case (
o. burial without religious services. snv +
undertaken or other person having in .
charge burial shall, within ten DAYS
after such burial, notify the Agent OF the /
Board OF Health for the district in which .
such burial has taken place, the name. I
sex, age and nationality of the deceased 1
or as many Of these facts as can be as
CertSined.
This provision Of the law, except in
the district of Honolulu, has never
been carried out by the Board of
Health The Board of Education.
though not required by law to keep
the register Of deaths, has continued
to do so straight along.
1t would appear therefore that. so
far as statutory provisions are con-
cerned, but very little more is needed. .
With a slight change as to the per
sons who are to act as registrars, we
have quite as much law as is neces-
sary to secure full and reliable re-