The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-03-24
WANT TERULES AMNDED.THE LONG QUARANTINE
MERCHANTS PRESENT FREIGHT
PETITION.
Would Have Restrictions Removed
From American and European Goods.
A Committees Report.

Merchants of Honolulu will this aft
ernoon present a strong petition to the
Board of Health in regard to opening
the port of Honolulu for the shipment
of American and European goods to
the other islands. 1t is signed by all
the large dealers except certain plan
tation agencies, the latter preferring
to leave the Board of Health unhamp-
cred by suggestions in the matter.
Early this week a resolution to the
same end was introduced before the
Board of Health by George w. Smith
and went to the shipping committee
for investigation and report. 1t is un-
6erstOod that this committee will rec
ommend the slackening of the quaran-
tine next Monday. This does not mean,
however, that the Board will release
it's hand upon shipments. A general
supervision will be kept up Following
is the petition of the merchants to be
sent to the Health Board:
The undersigned merchants and ship
pers and others of Honolulu would
respectfully state that in their opinion
the time has come to raise the quar-
antine on shipping of all American and
European products from the port of
Honolulu to other inter-island ports.
The merchants of Honolulu during
the past three months have assisted
your honorable body in preventing the
spreading of the plague, and have at
great loss to themselves submitted to
all quarantine regulations prOmulgat-
ed, but it now seems that with only an
occasional case of plague in the city
land which is liable to occur from time
to time for a year, according to the
statement of your presidenD that 1t
would be but justice to all interests
in Honolulu as well as to the mer-
chants on the other Islands, who are
and have been for months short of land
in many instances entirely out of pro-
visions and the necessaries of life, that
the port be now open to shipments of
all products not directly from Asiatic
ports.
There are at the present time known
to your subscribers places on the 9TH
er Islands where live stock have been
for weeks without any grain or fodder,
and thus entirely suspending the work
in the way of draying and hauling, it
being impossible to supply feed from
vessels in the harbor of Honolulu. Our
warehouses are full of grain and flour
and other goods, which are spelling
and fast becoming unfit for consump-
ton, while our brethren and the live
stock on the other islands are in actual
want
Therefore, your subscribers pray that
the quarantine restrictions against all
goods not directly from Asiatic ports
be at once removed.
Signed Hebron Drug Co., Ltd, F.
w. Jordan, B. F. Ehlers & Co., Fl. r.
Wichman, Hollister Drug Co.. Ltd,
Lewis & Co., Whitney e. Marsh, Ltd,
The Manufacturers Shoe Co, Thos. G..
Thrum, The Porter Furniture Co., Hen
ry May & Co., Ltd, ]. Hopp & Co.,
1Ioffschlaeger Co, Ltd, w. w. Dimond
&, Co, Ltd, John Mott, e. o. Hall &,
| Son M wv McChasneu e Sons nj g
Grinbaum & Co., Ltd, Hyman Bros,
NJ. Phillips & Co., H. Hackfeld & Co.,
Ltd, Gonsalves e. Co., Ltd, Allen G.
Robinson, The Washington Mercantile
Co., Theo, H. Davies & Co., Ltd, G.
Brewer & Co., California Feed Co.,
| Ltd, James A. Kennedy, The Won
Hamm Young Co., Ltd, Henry Water
+. A. Schaefer & Co., w. c. Peacock &
Co., Ltd, M. NJ. McInerny, Pacific
| Hardware Co., Ltd, Wall, Nichols Co..
Ltd, Wilder & Co., Ltd.
The merchants of the city feel very
strongly on the subject of their petition
for the lifting of quarantine on Ameri-
can and European goods. They insist
that the possible danger of spreading
| infection is so remote as to form no
| justification for keeping up the en-
barge on commerce any longer. They
point to the fact that the plague was
stamped out in Japanese cities in
shorter time than it has been here and
almost with no interference with COM
merce. They say that there has beer
no satisfactory showing that infection
has been carried by merchandise, even
Asiatic merchandise, and no evidence
at all that any infection has been car
Tied by American or European goods
| Commerce has languished for three
months because of quarantine regula-
tions and that it has borne it's full
share of the hardships attending the
plague. They think that there can bt
no justification for imposing further
hardships on commerce.
John Ena of the Inter Island Steam
| Navigation Company says: "Thert
will be no difficulty in landing goods
on the other islands If the quarantine
regulations are amended as we ash
them to be. At least there will be none
at any of the ports to which our vessels
go. There has been none in the past
The merchandise is needed there. Tht
people want it. The possibility o.
spreading contagion is extremely re
mote. To raise the embargo would Sc
the industry of the islands which ii
now stagnant in motion again. Hun
dreds of men who are now idle, anC
therefore unable to purchase commo
dities in anything like their USUAL sup
Ply would be set to work here in Ho
polulu, and all over the islands. Pro
ductive industry would begin again.
"Of course, 1 appreciate the feeling
of the members of the Board of Healtl
in not wanting to run any chances o
spreading infection. But the time ha
come when the danger of that is so re
mote as not to outweigh other con
siderations. feel and the merchant
generally feel that the time has com
when clogs to industry and commerc
can be safely removed"
Mr.. Ena but voices the sentiment
and opinions of a great many others a
is shown by the extent to which the pc
tition to the Board of Health has bee
signed.
LESS THAN USUAL PRICES.