The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-02-23
HOTEL STABLE
The Board of Health is
Addressed.
Letter From the Citizens Sanitary
Committee Asking for Dras-
tic Measures.

The principal matter before the Citi-
zens' Sanitary Committee yesterday
was discussion on the action of the
Board of Health concerning the Hotel
stables. The motion was unanimously
ADOPTED that the letter printed below
should be Immediately sent to the
Board of Health as expressing the SEN
timents of the committee.
The committee also directed the sec
rotary to forward the inquiry to the
Board of Health, calling attention to
the disposition to be made of Chinese
foodstuffs. The letter of the secretary
on this subject is also given below.
The subject of sub-inspectors was
brought before the committee by state
ments from four different inspectors
that they were short of men, no less
than nine apanas being without sub-in-
spectors.
The secretary was instructed to pub
lish an appeal to the public to furnish
additional sub-inspectors, and com
mittee consisting of Messrs. Tenney
and Rothwell, was appointed to wait
upon business houses and ask for
volunteers. The following is the letter
of the committee to the Board of
Health:
Honolulu, February 22d.
DR.. c. B. Wood, President Board of
Health, City-Sir: The Citizens San
itary Committee does not assume to
dictate to the Board of Health as to
what its course Of action shall be in
Individual matters coming before it. It
is an organization created by and SUBJ
ordinate to the Board of Health
The committee and the inspectors and
sub-inspectors cooperating with it are,
however, a volunteer body, working
without pay, for this sole purpose of as
sisting in the stamping out of the
plague.
In view of tho large amount of time
being devoted by this organization to
this subject, IL, and each of it's mem
bers, watches closely and takes a
strong personal interest in the actions
of the Board.
The organization has watched with
intense satisfaction the bold policy OF
the Board adopted early in January OF
removing all occupants of the plague
infected localities and destroying not
only the buildings from which a
plague patient Was taken, but the adj
joining buildings, which might have
become infected. We desire to empha.
size the fact that no proof was re.
CURED by the Board that a BUILDING
inf0nfQd do g. -.
destruction. It was considered suffi.
| c1ent II, by reason of its proximity tt
| a building in which plague had exist
ed, there was a reasonable doubt of it!
| also being infected. Such reasonable
| doubt was given in favor of destruc
ton, and not in favor of preservation
The instances supporting this state
ment are so numerous that they ar,
common knowledge; but we cite a few
viz:
| Cd There were only three cases O
plague in and adjacent to the All
building in Block 10, on Nuuanu street
but the Board considered this sufficien
ground for condemning the entir,
block, containing sixty buildings, a
"being infected with plague" and i
was burned.
(2) L. Ahlo's store, on Nuuanu ant
Chaplain lane, was condemned ant
burned. The reason was that it wa
across the street from the Ali prem
ises and two doors mauka of build
ing previously destroyed, in whicl
there had been a plague case.
| (3) One case in the block east O
Kaumakapilt Church, bounded b.
Beretania, Nuuanu and Kukui streets
caused the condemnation and destruc
ton of every building therein, eve
though some of them were upwards G
500 feet away.
ca A native died of plague in
building on Liliha, near KuakiI
street. There was no positive evt
dence, but 1t was believed by the Boar
that several days prior thereto, an
before he was sick, he had slept fC
two or three nights in a building {
the corner Of Liliha and King street
On the strength of this, the benefit
the doubt was given in favor of d;
structiOn, not only of this buildin
but of a large Chinese stable adjaceI
thereto and several other buildings
the same yard, but some distauc
(sOme Of them several hundred fee
removed from the supposedly infectt
building.
This committee, in common with Il
community at large, have understot
and believe that rightfully and prope
ly all buildings so destroyed on susT
y. cion should be paid for out of the pu
lie treasury, and they have fully su
ported the Board in its action, belle
- ing that the money value of such bull
ings was Insignificant as compared
the value to the community of ma
ing certain Of stamping out the plagr
n But this committee viewed with
tense dissatisfaction the divergen
L from the principle under which I
4 above destruction of buildings to
place when a plague case was dire
y ly originated in the Pantheon Stabl
and it was with a feeling of relief tn
I, the final action of the Board in ordt
+, ing its destruction took place.
80 The committee have heard Of the ;
tiOn of the Board in connection ".
, the Hotel Stables with intense diss
isfactiOn and sOliCitude.
1t is admitted that a Japanese VOL
K. ing and sleeping at the Hotel Stab
- was taken sick there with plague !