The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-09-07

mere were present at yesterday
meeting of the Board of Health Pres
ident Cooper, DR.. G. B. Wood, DR.. En-
erson, E. c. Winston, D. Keliipio, DR..
Day, and Clerk Wilcox.
The minutes of last meeting were
read and approved.
DR.. Emerson of the Sanitary Com
mittee reported as follows:
The Sanitary Committee, to whom
was referred the report of Mr.. Man
son concerning certain marsh lands in
the district of Waikiki, which, it is
claimed, are nuisance and offensive
to the inhabitants of the region, beg
to report that they have carefully ex
amined and inspected the same and
they find the condition to be as fol-
lows:
The visit to Waikiki was made on
the 18th instant, at which time
fresh breeze was blowing from the
mountains, thus minimizing all un
pleasant odors. The committee was
accompanied by Mr.. George Manson,
the local agent of the BOARD for Wal
kiki. The region against which COM
plaint is specially made bears the
name of LOkO PaweO, and on the ac
companying map-tracing, kindly Sur
nished by the GovernmentSsdrvey, is
indicated by an encircling Fed line. It
is the property of the BisRnp Estate
is under lease to Mr.. John End, having
two or three years to run, and has an
area of about 1874 acres. The region
is not much, if at all, above the level
Of the ocean and is divided into
number of small patches, each one
surrounded by it's own bank of mud,
which patches were at one time used
to hold sea water in the making of
salt. At the present time the water
has mostly dried away, leaving some
times bare ground and sometimes an
offensive mud, covered with an inch,
or a few inches, of water, in which
are to be found animal and vegetable
marine products, both dead and liv-
ing. The odors given off from the
place are at all times fetid and un-
wholesome; especially is this the case
during a period of dry weather, like
that through which we have been
passing. 1t is to be noticed that the
wet patches under consideration are
not directly connected with the ocean,
and therefore are not subjected to the
cleansing influence of the rising and
falling of the ocean tide; the water
they contain is that which permeates
the soil and which naturally sOaks in;
nor are they supplied with water by
any stream from the mountains. AS
to the existence of spring or springs
in the region your committee cannot
affirm. The region under cOnSidera-
ton stands in the midst of a district
that is rapidly being built up and i'm
proved by class of people, many of
whom form a most desirable addition
to the population, and by whom the
presence of this succession of ILL
smelling bOgs is felt to be a constant
annoyance and nuisance, at all times
disturbing their comfort and threat
ening their health.
Your committee does not deem it
necessary to define the metes and
bounds that form the intangible line
of division-if such eXists-between
what constitutes a mere nuisance to
the sense of smell and a dangerous
threat against public health. Your
committee, however, are of the opin-
ion that the conditions existing in the
region above described not only con-
stitute a serious annoyance, but that
they are highly unsanitary and men
ace to the public health, and as such
should be corrected.
The appropriate remedy for the con-
dition of things above described is
either to fill in with good material, or
to ditch and drain it; or combination
of both methods may be used. But If
ditching is resorted to it should be
so done as to secure and maintain per-
manent connection with tide-water, so
that the incoming and outgoing tides
may at all times keep it clean and
sweet.
Your committee accordingly recon-
mend that the owners of the land in
question be notified to abate the nui-
sance in the manner above described,
and that the above facts and this rec
ommendation be transmitted to the
Minister of the Interior and that he be
requested to proceed in the matter ac-
cording to law. (See sections 943-952,
Penal LawS.)
DR.. Wood moved that the board &C
cept and adopt the report Of the San
itary Committee and that the board