The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-04-01
! SUNDAY CONFERENCE
A MEETING HELD YESTERDAY
AFTERNOON.
The Governor, Members of the Legis
lature and Representatives Of News
papers Meet with Board of Health.

With the object i'm view of securing
the cooperation of different elements,
Or. Raymond, president of the Board
of Health yesterday invited the pro-
prietors and editors of the local papers,
the members OF the legislature and
the Governor to a conference with the
Board of Health at o'clock yester-
day afternoon.
In OPENING the meeting DIR. Raymond
said the object in issuing the invita-
tons to the conference had been that
1t was in the power of the press to give
as much or as little publicity to the
subject brought up by the death of the
Japanese woman at the Japanese hos
pital as they desired. AS to the mem
| bers of the legislature, the board had
information, to be lcific, had infor-
nation through the organ of the In
| dependent party that it was the in
! tention of that party to wipe out the
| Board of Health. This the board took
to be an expression of want of confid
| ence, and several members of the board
| bad rendered their designations to the
/ Governor. The members of the board
were willing to perform their duty as
they saw it without compensation, but
! they must have the confidence of the
! Legislature, but II submit to you as
man to man that when an intelliG emit
press comes out and Nilifies honest men
ISLANDERS them by the articles that were
written within the past few days, be-
| trying their confidence altogether,
| forcing them to make a statement that
they were reluctant to make for no
other reason than to protect this coun-
try, l submit that any reasonable, fair
minded man would take exceptions to
| it,"
DIR. Carmichael stated that judgment
should be suspended until the result of
the archaeological cultures had been
heard from. If there were only one
sporadic case, no restriction measures
would be adopted at ALL
Continuing, DR.. Raymond said that
If the country was confronted with a
serious condition of affairs 1T would be
necessary for the Legislature to con-
slider the matter. 1t would be necessary
for the board to have additional means
to combat the disease. More guards
and inspectors would be needed
Walter G. Smith pointed out that in
a city the size of this where news and
gossip travels so far and so quickly
from mouth to mouth, it would be i'm
possible for the newspapers to suppress
news of such a subject If it wanted to,
and to attempt it would be only 10
leave the town seething with rumors
of the widest and most disturbing kin1.
A suggestion that the San Francisco
papers had adopted a policy of silence
in regard to the plague there, having
been made, Charles l.. Rhodes said that
the attitude of San Francisco was
something more than a conspiracy of
silence. 1t was an aggressive effort
joined in by the Chamber of Commerce
and every other public and quasi-pub-
lie body, to bulldoze the Board of
Health so that it would not find. any
plague cases there and to deny the
existence of plague there.
DIR. Emerson suggested that possibly
If the board would issue daily bulletins
the newspapers would be willing to ac-
cept them without seeking sensational
addenda. Mr.. Smith for the Advertiser
and Frank L. Hogs for The Star sai6
they thought that would be satisfac-
tory so long as the bulletins issued were
frffF complete and candid. w. r.. Far.
rington said the Bulletin would not en-
ter into an agreement with any paper
or any Board of Health to publish OF
not to publish any matter.
Representative Beckley said he be-
lieved the Legislature would help the
board so far as it could, Senator Bald
win said he was not aware that the
Legislature was committed to any has.
tile attitude toward the board.