The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-11-24
Some Revelations By a Health
Board Special Agent.
CHINESE ARE OFFENDERS
Wash Houses and Hog Ranches on
Haoles Prepared Move.

The subjOined exhaustive repOr, OF
Special Agent Geo. Manson TO the
Board OF Health refers especially -
the district on either side OF the main
Waikiki road between the King stree
turn and Long Branch:
To the Hon. w. o. Smith. President
Of the Board of Health.
Sir:-I have the honor 10 report that
since my appointment as agent OF the
Board of Health for the Waikiki Dis
trict l have thoroughly Investigated
the same with reference 70 the sup
preston OF various nuiSances and beg
leave TO submit the following report
Of my operations to date. which 1
trust viii meet with the approval OF
the Board.
WASH HOUSES found at thu out
set of my Investigations that several
Chinese wash house owners We're
washing clothes on their premises con-
trary to the law which provides that
no washing shall be done fer hire
within a radius OF three miles from
the junction of King and Nuuanu
streets. These were all instructed by
me through an interpreter furnished
by the courtesy of Marshal Brown, as
TO the law, and given notice that any
further infractiOns would result in At
rest and punishment. To enforce
obedience to the law it was found
necessary to arrest two of the offend
erS and make an example of them and
they were duly convicted in the Police
Court, sentence being suspended TO en-
able them to procure the regular per-
nit to wash at the Iwilei wash house.
One of these Chinese is still trying to
do Hn lou Nv hi n nj Rf
and at such times when he knows that
| am absent in town, and he will be
arrested again as soon as the neces-
sary evidence is obtained. This man.
Tai WO by name, has wash house
directly on the road with no drain ge
whatever. the waste water running
under the house and over the swamp
beneath at will. Two other wash
houses on Beretania street opposite the
car stables, which have been in Oper-
alton right along for years and using
water from arteSidn wells on the
premises were complained OF and be-
ing outside of my jurisdiction l noti-
fed Marshal Brown, who promptly
served notice on them TO stop wa-h-
ing, and l understand they are now
patrons of the Iwilei wash house. Still
another wash house was about to be
started near the Bishop switch but
notified the parties that no washing
could be done on the premises and the
proposed building was not erected.
! am informed that other wash houses
| along the road are constantly break
| ing the law by washing on their
! premises. but as this is only done O.
| casiOnally and generally at night it is
| hard TO procure the necessary evidence
| TO convict, but | submit this could be
! easily obtained were the mounted
/ patrolmen on duty instructed TO watch
! these places.
! THE HOG RANCH NUISANCES-
| | have personally visited nearly every
! hog ranch in the district, and il Will
! probably surprise the Board TO learn
/ that there are over 500 hogs being
! kept there, and in many instances
/ quite close 10 the road. With few ex-
/ ceptions the pens and surroundings
were in q filthy state, some without
! any drainage or attempt at the same.
| In some places only a few hogs We're
| kept. in others 10 or 20 and in about
/ half dozen cases fOm 10 to 30 in
| each. In the larger places l found it
was the practice to wash the floors OF
! the pens out daily, the waste being
/ conducted by means of wooden trCughS
! to a large wooden box sunk in the
/
! are never cleaned and Consequently
! soon become a nuisance of themselves.
! The water being so near the surface in
! these marshes it is Impossible to pro-
| cure sufficient depth for these contain
/ ers, which l found invariably to be full
! and in 4 rotten and sometimes ulcOV-
! cred state. In almost every instance
! found it necessary 10 order q general
! cleaning up under the pens and for
| several yards in their vicinity and in
/ some instances | ordered on the ma
/ kai side canals dug 4 short distance
! connecting the pens with tide water.
/ My instructions were in each instance
! plainly interpreted to the parties by a
| Chinese policeman with me and I met
/ with no refusal TO carry them cut, eX-
| cept in one case where the owner pre-
| ferred to sell his hogs. I have thought
| it advisable and only fair to give the
/ parties two or three weeks in which
I to carry out the suggested changes.
/ which in some cases have involved
much labor. l expect, however. tha-
! several arrests viii be necessary 20
| make the people understand that the
( present inspection is not a casual one
/ like some of the previous ones, and
( that in this instance the Board OF
! Health is in earnest and that my ord
ers must be obeyed.
DUCK PONDS-There are about
/ 1000 ducks maintained in the Waikiki
/ district. As a rule the pens We're KEEP
/ IN fair condition. and while occasion
I ally the ponds used were small there
( was sufficient depth Of water 10 prevent
their becoming a nuisance. Ny obser-
/ vatiOns led me TO the conclusion that
+ the keeping of ducks and fowls has
/ little TO do with the foul doors pre-
/ yailing along the road, but that they
/ are caused by dirty hog pens. the dis
tTibutiOn of hog manure over the gard
I ems, the carrying of the same from
place to place in uncovered containers
and wagons and from the abundant
/ pools of stagnant water in the neigh
| bOrhOod
! STAGNANT POOLS-There is more