The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-02-06
MEASUREMENTS TO LADIES RE
IWILEI.
insufficient knowledge of Facts the
Cause of Remarkable Assertions
Sheriff Brown Talks.

If the result OF her lnvesuigtlon at lwl-
lei few nights ago ls Iellauie mus
traJlon. Sne maue statements before
the woman Board OF MISSIONS yes
tefday afternoon that are Salu to be
untrue ana ABSURD and harmful to the
community ana the Territory at large.
In the audience We're number OF la
dies who were not familiar with the
law, and naturally accepted Miss Muir
cutUs statements as true. With a
mere smattering of information Miss
Murcutt seems working in a way that
Will misrepresent the city abroad do
lots of harm and no good.
She stated that there We're 300 licen-
sed prostitutes at Iwilei There were
never over l56 there during the past
year, by the official records, and none
of them are licensed There are now
only about 140 varying from week to
week with the departures from the
place and the advent of others into it.
Miss Murcutt holds up her hand in
horror because the license of these
places was "a shameful source of re-
venue" from the profits of fallen and
degraded women" As a matter of fact
not cent is collected from any wo-
man at Iwilei and never has been. The
enforcement of the Act to Mitigate is
heavy expense and has no scheme
of revenue behind it save the appro-
priation by the Board of Health. This
is what High Sheriff Brown says:
The Act to Mitigate was passed as
far back as the COS. In those days
large number of whaling ships were
in the habit of calling here, and the
diseases originally brought here by the
sailors and subsequently spread by
them and the women was the cause
of a very great mortality among the
Hawaiians. The Legislature in the Act
to Mitigate, begins by declaring that
prostitution can not be prevented but
by system of examinations of pros
titutes disease can be kept down, thus
Kidding the city of one of the evils.
Since that time every legislature
has recognized the wisdom and i'm
portance of the law. The law pre-
scribes that every woman who prosti-
tuteS herself must register at the Of
fee of the Board of Health and must
present herself regularly for eXamin-
alton. She is given card, which con-
tains her description, and on the back
is endorsed the date of her last exam
ination. This must be shown to any
one desiring to see it. In case of the
discovery of disease by the examining
physician the card is taken away and
the woman sent to the hospital for
treatment
THE whole idea of the system is to
give the police and Board of Health
an eye over the women for the preven-
ton of disease. l do not think it can
be denied that this has been accom-
| plished in the past and is being ac-
complished today. We do not have to
go back farther than 1898 to find an
! instance in point. The town was flood
| ed with diseases of various kinds
| brought here by the soldiers from Sar
Francisco. The Act to Mitigate sue
cessfully combatted them, kept then
down and finally stamped them out
1t is only every now and then that i'll
ness of the kind crops out and it is
usually fresh importation, brought
here by soldiers or sailors.
| prostitution is not licensed in any
sense. 1t is merely tolerated by Act I,
Mitigate Different legislatures have
Investigated the subject, but all nave
let it alone, seeming to feel that the
tolerance inaugurated IN the olu days
Twas probably the best solution of TIN!
world wide problem. The women can
be reached under the vagrancy act, bu
! in leaving the Act to Mitigate as /
was it would seem that the legislator,
desired continuance of federation
| with lever, however, to work on il
! extraordinary cases or extraordinary
| circumstances.
mo money Is derived by the govern
!
Murcutt is interesting herself. On tn
other hand, an officer is employed L
look up women who may be carrying OF
the business without proper registra
ton and examinations. A physician L
conduct the examinations is also EN-
ployed and an office is maintained 70
this purpose. The legislatures of tn
past, in voting salaries for these offices
evidently considered the matter o
some Importance.
las a police officer it is not my pro
vince to criticise or laud the system
| am here to enforce the law as il
given me by the Legislature. The wor
in this particular matter is at time
exceedingly difficult, but l think tn
police and Board of Health have ac
complished their respective duties un
der the law and the results speak 70
themselves.
"Segregating prostitution in Iwilei /
the result of a popular demand extend
ms over "A period of many years. TIE
years ago the women were scattere
over every quarter of the town, on Ala
kea street, Queen street, in Kakaak
and even in Punahou and up Nuuan
valley. Gradually they were induced
20 leave the residence districts and set
lie in Chinatown. When Chinatown
was burned they again scattered owe
the city and are just now being gath
cred together again i'm the isolate,
Iwilei district. On account of its isolat
ed position, it is harder to police Iwi
lei than the old district of Chinatown
but at the time the question was u
popular clamor demanded in IN
strongest manner that the wome
should go to Iwilei and in Iwilei the
are.
Il am not aware of any cases o
slavery in Iwilei. This is a discover
for which Miss Murcutt deserves cred
1t. Our experience there has SCENE,
to show that the women come and g
at will. This department would b
very glad to have the particulars o
any case akin to the ones cited by Mis-
Murcutt, and l am sure the fact
would interest Mr.. Baird, the Unite,
States Attorney for Hawaii.
1T is easy, so easy, to find fault ant
make charges, and false statements
made upon cursory investigation anC
superficial knowledge, travel miles
while Truth is putting on his boots.
DISCUSS FIRE CLAIMS