The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-12-18
WHERE THE BLAME LIES.

The revelations made by the inspec-
tors in Chinatown have carried the
liveliest Indignation throughout the
city. The Star was aware that the
sanitary condition of Chinatown and of
several other parts of the city was dis
graceful, and has repeatedly called at
tention to the fact both in the news
and the editorial columns. But the full
depth of loathsomeness required the
house to house visitation which has re-
Gently taken place, Any one who will
talk to the Inspectors will very soon
be convinced of what an awful sanitary
or rather insanitary condition has ex-
listed.
For the condition of affairs two sets
of people are to blame. The Landlords
and the Board of Health. The Board
of Health has been distinctly lax.
While protecting, or striving to protect
the town from disease from without, it
has allowed a disease bearing district
to grow up within. And when the facts
were laid before it's members, it persls-
tently ignored them and failed to take
any steps towards cleansing the filthy
tenements and their still filthier sur
roundings. The attention of the Board
has been directed to other things.
This is one of the many evil results
of our centralized system, which it is
to be hoped that the Territorial bill will
sweep away. experimenting health mat
tiers throughout the group and looking
after an immense amount of public and
private business as well. does not tend
to make the Board efficient. An ano-
maly exists in making the Attorney
General ex-offlcio President of the
Board of Health. A good lawyer is not
necessarily a good administrator.
If there had been a municipal board
of Health which devoted it's attention
to purely local affairs we never would
have such disgusting state of filth as
at present exists. Hilo with local self
government would have cleaned up
Front street and all it's unsavory
smells, rotting fish and stagnant pools
would have vanished. 1t is centrallza-
ton which may be regarded as the core
of the difficulty.
But if the Board of Health should be
to blame for not looking alter the low
parts of the town, it is by no means
entirely to blame. The property owners
in that part of the town are as much
and more to blame. They have deli
berately for the purposes of gain, put
up in sanitary shacks, and maintained
filthy old buildings, and have been con-
tent to draw anywhere from twenty
five per cent to thirty-fiVe per
cent from their investments The
houses in that part of town are
many of them unfit for human habita-
tons They are dirty, infected with
vermin, and are not supplied with out
buildings sufficient for ordinary de-
cency. When one inspector states that
in one tenement there was only one
closet for 3S9 people, some idea can be
formed of the condition of things.
The only way to reach landlords of
this class whether private individuals
or corporations or trusts, is to expose
them in the public press, and to try and
touch there sole vulnerable point, the
pocket. For people who can draw
money out of the poor in this way can
have no hearts to be touched 1t is no
philanthropy to give to charitable OBJ
jects a 1.-THE of the money thus ground
from the poor. Let charity begin with
the tenements. To what end is it TO
educate the minds of children, if, when
they grow up, they find that they must
live in filthy novels, whose high rents
go to swell either a private purse, or
a corporations replete Golfers. Better
education would it be to put up proper
buildings for the poor, and try to edu-
cate the adults into decency and good
living. The portion of the town now in
quarantine is a standing disgrace ia
every property owner in the district,
and it would be quite proper for the
executive to publish the names of those
who own the property. The effect
would be very wholesome
The cleaning up of this district is
costing and will cost a considerable
sum. II is being done at public ex-
pense. 1t does not seem fair that the
general public should be called upon
to pay for the cleansing of premises
belonging to people who are making
from twenty-five to thirty-five per cent
upon their investments. IT does, how
ever, seem eminenty fair that the
greedy rack renters should be made TO
stand the expense. 1t would be a good
idea to charge the expense of cleaning
Chinatown to the landlords. 1t would
make them realize their responsibilities
in the only way that they can under
stand and the law gives the Board of
Health authority to make the charge.
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