The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-08-17
BIRTHS.

Inc absence Ol proper DlIll SldllSlltS
for Hawaii is commented upon by al
most every enquirer into the social con-
ditions of Hawaii. Enquiries upon this
point are constantly being made, and as
constantly have to receive the reply
that there are none. The only reliable
report of current conditions we have is
the Mortuary Report of the Board of
Health, and that only includes Homo
! lulu For the outer districts there are
no reliable data as to deaths; and there
is no record for births which is of any
value statistically.
Yet if the law is examined ii is COM
prehensive enough. and it was specially
framed to meet present conditions, the
old methods having proved ineffective.
Under the old law the statistics were
kept by the Board of Education, and
| the school teachers used to receive a
cent apiece for all names turned in.
This answered very will when there was
population composed almost entirely
of Hawaians living in village commun-
tiles. Each village had its native school,
and school teacher, and the latter was
! amply Htleu IOI COlleCtlllb tle lhlpIIld-
! ton
| But with the increase of the sugar
| industry and the influx of other nation
alities the school masters were unable
! to give reliable information, and their
| figures became worse than useless.
They made up lists which were lncor-
rect, and swelled the numbers in order
!
to them. Shortly before the law was
changed it was discovered that there
were number of fictitious names, and
/ that the population of Honolulu was
being killed off far faster than the rec
ords of the health office showed. Final
ly the new law was drawn up and the
! burden of it's execution put upon the
Board of Health.
The law relating to registration of
births. marriages and deaths occupies
the whole of Part X of Chapter SO of
the Penal Laws of Hawaii from Section
1853 to Section 972. both inclusive. 1t
provides for the appointment of a Re
gistrar of births marriages and deaths
in every Judicial District in the Re-
public: and also for the subdivision of
such districts in the boards discre-
ton.
The duties are explicitly stated. That
; with reference to birth enjons that the
registrar shall ascertain
THE name of the father, the name OF
the mother, the date Of the birth. the
sex Of the child, the name of the child
if it has been named, the locality of its
birth, and whether the child is legti-
mate on illegitimate."
Such a record, apart from its stats
teal usefulness, would be of immense
value for legal purposes in cases where
there are disputes as to age descent
and so forth. Every advanced city and
township is most careful of such rec
ords, and they are appealed to time anG
again in the courts. In cases involving
property they are invaluable. At the
present time there is a case in England
involving the heirship to a title and i'm.
mense estates, in which the registrar
entry of the birth of a man, now sc
years of age, plays a foremost place.
Our laws also provides that each reg.
istrar, at the end of each month, shall
transmit to the board full copy of thu
records for that month. The duties OF
l parents are laid down, the duties of at
| tending physicians are laid down, ant
the secretary of the board is directed
to copy the records of each district into
books provided for that purpose. Fin.
| ally there is a penal clause which en-.
| joins a fine of not more than $50 upon
l any person who shall violate any OF
, the requirements of the act.
The machinery is there as complet,
. as it can be- but it does not work
| Whose the fault is one cannot say, blu
that there is fault somewhere is clear
The Board of Health ought to give at
) tention to the matter. If it insists OIL
} the law being carried out, and exact!
the legal penalty, the statistics will
come in properly. People are not goinl
5 to subject themselves to a penalty o
f $50 through their own carelessness.