The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1895-10-01
Did People Of Maui Act in Health
Matters.
Followed Methods OF Rngiand-Hana
Residents Pass Resolutions and Make
Rules-Kahului Board Explains Its
Position in the Premises.

Mr. EDIToR:-In view. of recent
articles in your paper in which it has
been said that We people of Maui have
shown ourselves to be psnic-stricken
and blind to everything but our own
fears, in that landing was refused to
the passengers Of the Claudine, a few
words in our defense may not come
amiss.
Our health committee, acting with
an authority clearly granted to it by
the Board of Health and in no sense
sin defiance TO that body took this
action because they believed it to be
more in accord with reason and char
ity lin both of which virtues our de-
tractors say we are lacking) to slight
" inconvenience thirty-six persons
than to endanger the lives of thous-
sands. Sixteen of these passengers
were native Hawaiians, who might
very probably have carried infection
in their clothing. That we doubted
the absolute efficacy of the fumiga-
ton process TO which their effects had
been subjected in Honolulu does not
appear so unreasonable when Koch,
who knows more about the matter
than any other man living, has stated
that the only certain method of des-
troying all the bscilli in clothing il
the use of superheated steam; sulphur
which was used in this case, not being
a perfectly certain disinfectant.
Neither is it unreasonable to demand
a fifteen days quarantine when Eng
land at the present time requires as
much OF all travellers from Mecca, a
cholera city. We on Maui do not
think that We know more on the sub
ject than the English health authori-
ties, NOR do / think really well-inform-
ed persons would heap abuse upon US
for adopting the English regulations.
Having decided upon fifteen days
quarantine, we should have been glad
10 allow them TO complete the requir-
ed period on shore, but there simply
was no suitable place. The race track
stables, which were proposed by Mr..
Andrews, were low, damp, and thor
oughly unfit Therefore, although we
felt extremely sorry for the teachers
snd other official and unofficial per-
sons on board the Clsudine, there
seemed no other alternative but TO
send them on their way.
This action was at least more con-
sistent than that of the Hilo people,
who drove off the American tourists,
who could have brought no possible
contagion and then quarantined the
Clsudine people in the worst possible
of places, for all authorities agree that
water is the most dangerous dissem-
inator of the disease. The Hilo peo-
pie, however, were very kind TO our
friends, and for that we are grateful.
The account in the ADVERTISER
which relates that when the boat ap-
preached the kahului wharf there
was q conference in which those on
the boat delivered themselves of much
lucid reasoning, while those on shore
talked violently of gums" etc, gives
3 wrong impression. The only men
ton of guns emanated from q man
on the boat who said that the propo-
sition had come up before the Homo
lulu authorities of compelling land
ing by the use of troops, which
proposition, he was good enough TO
say, had been finally rejected. This
statement was believed by no one and
hiss since been denied from headquar-
tiers; but il, with other similar argu-
ments, has the effect of perceptioly
weakening the passengers cause.
All this bitterness and hard feeling
could easily have been avoided by
sending ahead q steamer loaded with
supplies, and by awaiting its report
before taking action. II, as is proba-
BILE, the authorities knew that the Ha-
wall was then on its way down from |
Maui, why didn't they wait TO see
what news she brought concerning
the state Of feeling on the other |
islands, instead of rushing off eighty !
two souls on trip which promised so |
liz MAUIENsIS.
Haiku, Maui, Sept. ., 1895.