The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-10-01
CRITICISM AND SUGGESTION,
Fish, Board Fences and Cholera
Touched Upon.
Must Start Up - Quarantine
Infected Districts

ing to discuss the question Of chol-
era and the methods to defeat it.
/, for the purpose Of information,
attended this meeting, and although
1T is L who write these lines, I sin
cerely trust that whac / say will
not be taken as either careless or
thoughtless opposition to actions of
the gentlemen who compose the
Board of Health. / and those con-
nected with me have done our level
best to assist the Board in the di-
lemma with which We are brought
face to face for the common good.
At this Sunday meeting Mr..
Mars1en proposed a twelve foot
fence along Nuuanu stream sunk
eighteen inches in the ground, and
strange to say the idea seemed to
obtain favor. The report published
in Saturdays ADVERTISER, to which
DR.. Woods name is attached, states
from authority that germs buried
In soil thirty-nine and three quar-
ter inches deep would terminate
and live certain length of time.
Now, taking Mr.. Marsden's eigh-
Observation-Disclosures board
fence into account, how is he going
to keep the germs from poking
their noses up the other side Of his
fence? This fence business taken
on any consideration, if carried
out, will be a misuse of public
funds and will accomplish nothing.
On the question of fish, Presi-
dent Dole spoke of the Metropoli-
tan Meat Company as prepared to
furnish fish from Molokai, but in
what spirit was he met by President
Smith of the Board of Health? |
Certainly not in a very proper one,
for he was promptly sat upon.
Will Mr.. President Smith please
explain why Japanese and Chinese
dried fish are allowed to be sold In |
this market while dried fish COM
ing from Kona and other clean |
islands is condemned and burned |
up? L am of the opinion that
President Dole hit the right nail on
the right head.
Another idea was thrown out by
G. w. Smith, of Benson, Smith IL
Co., that $50 gallons of ten per
cent. sulphuric acid put into the
stream at intervals from tide
water down and repeated, If nee
essary, twice a week, would be
an inexpensive way of killing any
thing poisonous in the stream.
This proposition was met pretty
much in the same way that Presi-
dent DCIe's was. Mr.. President
Smith simply stated that you may
tell native that the water is pois
oned, yet, knowing it TO be poisoned
if that native wanted q fish from
that stream he would eat it and
suffer death. On the other hand l
can assert that it is impossible to
persuade natives living along the
stream even to put their feet in the
water.
On this latter question a very
serious point arises, and one which
is not to be dealt with in any cap
tious spirit. Have we really chol-
era? / am of the opinion No!
And the last case at the Insane
Asylum has decided me in this con-
viction. A study of every case
ead5 to this end. In no case has
here been danger except from eat
ing and drinking impure food or
water.
The question therefore arises,
Why should the business of the
whole community be jeopardized
Dy a scare which Is worse than the
disease? My idea is a: declare to all
natives and everybody else, that all
waters from any source contains
poisonous germs and that fish in
hose waters are poisoned and then
f "fOols rush in where angels fear
% tread" let them take the conse-
IUences. Raise the quarantine
and let everything go on as usual
md all scare will stop.
As to improvements may l sug-
yest that instead of pulling down
buildings on the Waikiki side of
Suuanu stream why not draw !
inc from King street bridge TO st.
louis college and cut off the swamp
,eDinsula and thus make the 2
tream straight. This would save
,ulling down houses and the debris
7ould not only make a road but -
ain for the Government consider 7
bic property. !
w. +. REYNOLDS.
September so, 1895.
Az OOUN TFTTTp =