The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-04-10
Subject Thoroughly Discussed
by Physicians.
WOULD BE WRONG TO REPEAL.
What Can Take It's Place - Evils of
Prostitution Must Be Checked-Law
Might Be More stringent - More
Frequent Inspection Advised Here.

At the meeting of the Board of
Health on Wednesday, President w. o.
Smith announced that he had invited
several members of the Legislature to
be present, in order that they might
hear the opinions of the members of
the Board on the proposal to repeal the
Act TO Mitigate.
Rep. Bond, chairman of the House
committee to whom the new Act was re-
ferred, said he would be glad to hear
anything the physicians might have to
say.
In response to a question by the pres
ident, Dr.. Day said he had decided OBJ
jections to any change being made that
would abandon the law. 1t was as nee
essary here under the circumstances as
anything else on the statutes. Last year
we had an epidemic of cholera, which
cost a great deal of money to stamp
out, and the lives of sixty-eight per-
sons. If the reports were examined l
am confident more than that number
die every year here of syphilis. There
ing treated for syphilis, and sent there
through this very Act to Mitigate. If it
were not for that those women would
be transmitting the disease to men in
the community. L 90 not think the NOR
ais Of Honolulu or any other community
can be improved by statute; it must be
by some other way"
DR.. Wood coincided with DR.. Day.
The Act could have no effect upon the
morals of the community. 1t does not
make women prostitutes, nor does it
send men into their houses. When there
is a better law, repeal this one. Il OBJ
Ject to tearing down the old house until
the new one is ready to occupy"
DIR. Emerson opposed repeating the
law, even though it be poor one; it is
better to have it than to have none at
all. AS to the moral side of the ques
ton, all that has been said is i'll favor
OF it. DiS-aSe does not improve the
morals OF community, and diseased
child is more apt to be awbreaklng
person than one who is healthy
Theo. F. La using thought the doctors
had expressed the thing clearly. He
did not sec how the morals of the COM
munity can be improved by taking stat
uteS from the book. Every man who
has mother, wife or sister can do a
great deal in missionary work among
men who live with women and are not
married to them. Illegitaimate children
are born to these people and taken into
society. Ii this very thing was frowned
down, he believed the standard of NOR
ais would be elevated. He had not stud
led the question carefully, but as far as
ne had gone he had failed to see where
any good can be done by repeating the
Act.
DR.. Wood said much of the disease
from such causes comes from unregis-
tered women. Repeal the Act and you
Will have 110 more on the streets to
spread the disease"
r. w. Myers though that prostitution
could not be stopped, and it was better
to make the evil as light as possible. |
If the Act to Mitigate had been passed
ten years before it was there would be
80 600 more Hawaiians here than there |
are.
Rep. Rycroft stated that he had a |
with DR.. McKibbin on the |
subject, and had learned from him that
AOl q " AOlC SCoA wv " q S11Ol IcSS III
the appropriation the law was not in
operation, and the increase in venereal
disease was large.
In answer to question as to the |
probable result Of repeating the law, !
DR.. Wood gave it as his opinion that the |
women would go into privacy and ply |
their trade. The men who solicit for
them now would do so then, and he |
would like to Suggest that severe meas
ures against solicitation be adopted.
Minister Smith-The whole agitation
at this time has been through the Ad-
yertiser. The situation was worse a
year ago, because the women solicited.
That was stopped and they afterward
sat in the windows. That was stopped.
Then they had lace curtains as a sign,
and when that was made known by the
newspapers it was stopped.
T. F. Lansing thought the evil as diff
1cult to control or regulate as taxation.
People in other countries have tried for
years to stop it, without effect. So far
as the agitation goes, with the excep-
itOn Of one class mentioned, he en-