The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-03-15

accounts were being kept in a slip
shod manner"
These expressions, | am sure. were
under a misrepresentation. because the
| fact is that the books are being kept in
the Board of Health in a very thorough
and complete system; as a matter of
| fact the same system is used as that
| in the Attorney Department,
which was commended so highly by the
other committee. Every detail is ac-
counted for; there are between five and
six thousand vouchers and a matter
of twenty-thousand items during the
period, and every voucher is checked
and everything accounted for with ac-
curacy. ! have had experts go over the
accounts and they found everything in
order. The difficulty rose in the mat
ter Of presenting unpaid bills after the
accounts were made up. AS far as
things that were ordered from the
Office of the Board of Health are con-
cernad, the requisitions are kept on
file. the vouchers are all checked and
every detail accounted for in a very
thorough manner; but bills are incur
red in the outside districts, by the Hos
pitfalls at Wailuku, Maui, the Insane
go through the Board of Health and
are for their own immediate supplies,
of which the Board of Health cannot
have any knowledge until the bills
come in. As early as October notices
were sent out from both the Depart
ment of the Attorney-General and the
Board of Health, to have every account
sent in by December 31st, and the
books were kept open. until January
10TH Every effort was made to get
the accounts in; but in spite of all our
efforts the accounts were not all sent
in. Then the accounts were kept open
until the Appropriation Bill for I'm
paid bills was made up TO that time,
but even after that, after the books
were kept open until the last moment,
additional accounts kept coming in,
which were added on another list, and
made the amounts differ from the state
ment originally made. The attention
of the Chairman of the Committee was
called to this, and | thought | had ex-
planned it to him. As | am informed
up to the present time not a member
of this committee of the Senate has ex-
amined the books of the Department.
The matter of these unpaid bills COM
ing in, of which we had no knowledge
and of which we could have had no
Knowledge, led to this misapprehen-
sion | do not think there was an in
tention ON the part Of single mem
Der of the Senate to do an injustice,
but from the statements published a
false and erroneous impression has
been created, which caused indignation
on the part of the members of the
Board, which | could not help but
share | do not think, however, that
there was any intention to do an in
justice, and an examination Of the ac-
counts of that Department will prove
that they are in order. There are
vouchers for every item. A detail
book is kept showing everything, from
a pai-ai account for Malulani Hospital
to bag Of potatoes for the Leper Set
tlement Every voucher is checked
and balanced and the accounts are cor
rect
In regard to the statement that no
report had been made of the trip of
Dr. Wood and myself to Japan and
China and also of the trip of Dr. Day
later, | would call your attention to
the Report of the Board of Health, in
which a report was made in detail of
these precise matters, taking up every
point. | do not need to add anything
to these reports, which are made in
full, covering every detail
In regard to the statement that the
of the quarantine laws is
have this to say: That
it is not altogether satisfactory, as it
is in some particulars beyond the con-
troll of the Board of Health. The Unit
ed States Department has Sanitary
Inspector a. Hong Kong. The Hawaiian
Government has one at Yokohama,
Kobe, Nagasaki, Hong Kong and
Annoy. The people coming here from
China have their effects disinfected by
the Hawaiian Sanitary Inspectors, but
there are always on board the same
ship people from China, going through
to San Francisco, steerage passengers,
who are not required to have their
and effects disinfected, and
for that reason the protection is only
partial. A year ago | had a talk with
Surgeon General Wyman of the United
States Marine Hospital Service which
resulted in his sending DIR. Brooks to
investigate this matter and we sent DR..
Day from here to confer with the Unit