The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-05-13
WILL JOURNEY
TO THE ORIENT.
Attorney-GeneraI Smith and DR..
G. B. Wood to Visit Asia.
LOOKING UP QUARANTINE NOTES.
May Appoint Quarantine Inspectors.
DR.. Wood Will Study the Plague.
VIII Sail on the steamship Doric.
Quarantining Passengers Abroad.

AS result of the discussion upon the
best ways and means to protect this
country from the contagious diseases
rampant in Asia, w. o. Smith, Presi-
dent of the Board of Health, and Dr..
c. B. Wood will leave on the Doric for
Yokohama, Hong Kong and other Asi-
attic ports to investigate the condition of
public health in those places and ar
range for the enforcement Of quaran-
tine regulations among immigrants
coming to this country.
Following the action of the last meet
ing of the Board of Health, which Drac-
tically declared Honolulu closed port
to Asiatic steerage passengers during
the cholera, the question arose whether
such a radical move was necessary or
conducive to the best interests CT this
country.
Reference to the health regulations
of the United States shovel that the
problem of dealing with the stee1age
passengers from infected ports had
been very successfully solved by re-
quiring a certain period of quarantine
previous to the departure of the passen-
gers from the infected districts This
scheme could be carried out successful
ly by seeing to it that the Government
was represented by responsible health
officers at the ports of departure.
The experience of the Honolulu Board
of Health with the Hawaiian represent
ative at Hong Kong was very good evil
dence that with the increasing facilities
for communication with Asiatic ports
the Hawaiian Government representa-
tives in those ports needed personal at
tention. Either Honolulu must be closed
to steerage passengers from the Orient, |
or the Government must have officials |
at the other end of the line who would |
keep a careful watch, over the people |
taking passage. To adopt the first |
method would cut off immigration from
The Orient at a season when labOrers
we're needed, and might seriously in
-erfere with Hawaii's commercial re-
ations in the East
Hence it was decided to delegate
President Smith, the executive officer
If the Board, and DR.. Wood as IT'S medi-
al representative, to go TO Japan and
china for six or eight weeks tour CT
Mr.. Smith will probably
De given authority TO appoint such
health officers as may be deemed neces-
'ary. DR.. Wood will devote his time
more especially to an Investigation of
he plague that is now raging in many
Asiatic cities. He will make as COM
1Iete study of the disease as is ros-
ible in the time allotted, it's symptoms,
method Of treatment and the best
means of protection.
The Board of Health has adopted the
quarantine regulations promulgated by
he United States Treasury Department
n 1898, and an Act embodying the prIn-
ipal features of these regulations has
already passed the House of Repre-
and will probably receive
he unanimous sanction of the Senate
The steamship companies affected by
his latest move of the Board of Health
ire entirely in sympathy with the pro-
posed action of the Government, and it
S highly probable that they will assist
n defraying the expenses of the Gov
rnment representatives.