The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-06-06
FILTH IN
BARBER SHOPS
Few Such Places
Are in Sanitary
Shape.
DIARIES ARE
ALSO VERY DIRTY,
Startling Exhibit of indifference
on the Part of Owners of
Milk Ranches.

| Filthy conditions in the Japanese
barber shops of Honolulu have called
forth the condemnation of City SAM
tary Officer Tracy, who spent much of
his time last month in investigating
the methods in vogue there From the
tenor OF his report the customers who
frequent these shops are exposed TO
many forms of disease, which can be
introduced not only through the med
ium of uncleaned razors, but through
! towels which are used upon several
PENSIONERS, dirty water, and the shaw
| ing cup with it's single cake of soap
and single Iather brush. The latter is
used upon the faces of japanese, Ha-
waiians, whites. negroes and all Just :as
they answer to the BARRIERS Next
Even in certain of the white barber
shops the safety of the customer lies
| III his being first in the morning when
! the razors have been freshly steriIized
| An alarming condition of affairs is
also disclosed in the Chinese barber
shops, where it seems the workmen are
welded to disgusting practices. and
where dirt seems to be no bar to pat
ronage-
The dairies of Honolulu We're all in
spected during the month. Conditions
in them, from sanitary standpoint,
were found to be good. bad and indiff-
erent The report is one of the most in
teresting yet submitted to the board
and is as follows:
Three formal complaints have been in
yestigated and large number of verbal
complaints have been looked into. In
I l. n
ed without further trouble.
Twenty-seven 4S-hour notices have been
served and all except one has accom-
plished its purpose without further pro-
ceedings. The one will probably have to
be prosecuted, as the man is obstinate.
One special report on the conditions ex-
listing in the South Sea Island village, at
the dredged land at the harbor entrance.
was made to DR.. Pratt, executive officer,
on May 24th.
Two violations of building regulat lions
have been reported TO j. H. Boyd Su-
perintendent oil Public Works.
AT your request have had examined
fifty-fve Japanese, eight Chinese and,
eleven other barber shops in Honolulu.
few in the outlying portions of the
city have not been reached. but from per-
sonal observation I know that the condi-
tons are similar to those investigated.
The following is the condition of the
Japanese and Chinese barber shops:
The floors are in the majority of cases
but rough boards and hence cannot be
properly cleaned. Few, If any, sweep
their shops oftener than once day.
The walls and corners are usually very
dirty, showing carelessness. The shops
have from one to seven razors, the ma
jority having but two which are never
sterilized or disinfected in any manner.
Usually a rag is used to wipe the razor
after use and as this rag is used time
and again, until ii gets SO dirty that it
is thrown away, naturally it is worse
than useless from sanitary standpoint
after the first use.
The stropping process does not clean
the razor and since in practically every
case but one brush and mug and cake of
soap are used, and since these are never
cleaned ofteHer than once day, an ex
cellent breeding place for disease is fur
nished by tais condition of things.
The Chinese have special razor used
for cleaning the nose and ears and the
handle Of this razor is wrapped with
cloth which is moistened and inserted
into the ear and nose and then laid aside
loaded with dirt, and then used on the
next customer. The same sponge or rag
is used in each case for shampooing or
W
erly cleaned and is never dry it is easy
to understand the condition of the same.
The towels used are few in number
dozen a week being the average number
used; hence it is clearly impossible to use
two towels on each customer unless the
same be used over again several times.
The brushes and combs are not clean
ed very often and scalp diseases can cas-
lily be transferred from one TO another by
these articles.
Cold water is invariably used and very
few have running water in the shops.
Those without running water throw
their water into the streets.
The other shops of the city are usually
in considerably better condition, and use
one towel for each customer. The only
place which disinfects its instruments
does SO but once day, so really the only
person who derives benefit from the dis
injecting process is the first customer in
the morning.
To sum up the whole matter, cleanli-
ness. especially at the Japanese shops. is
absent, and in a cosmopolitan city like
Honolulu. with its variety of diseases,
should be looked into, and l would urge
that the Board of Health take some ac-
ton in the matter.
CONDITION OF DIARIES.
Another matter which at your request
l have been investigating since May Is.
is the daries which furnish milk to the
people of Honolulu. Following is the or
der III which I investigated them and my
report for each:
Achi of Dairymen's Association, Manoa
valley, beyond end of Metcalf street
Milking shed has wooden floor and all
dung is scraped of the floor in at the
side and left for some time right at the
heels Of the cattle.
The condition of the feed troughs was
good. The milk room and place where
cans are washed and kept is bad, as
the water stands underneath and over
flows outside into ditch. General con-
dition bad.
Markell, Metcalf street.-SmaH dairy.
Shed similar to Achis; condition Of shed.
same as AchPs. Has no milk room, but
wishes cans in yard. General condition
poor.