The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-12-10


The special advantage In getting the
Federal government Ia take hold of the
sanitation Of Honolulu as II has done
of the sanitation Of Havana and Ma
Mia. Is finantial. II costs great sum ~
money to run the business of the Ter
ritorial Board OF Health In proper foi m
and an epidemic. such as may occur at
any time. is not only too expensive for
treasury with full Golfers but even
| for one with an overlooking surplus
our treasury has money enough TO car
ry on ordinary public business for six
months but II cannot meet cxtraOrdl-
nary drafts. Even with plenty OF
money. past health boards were unable
to keep the city clean. After the
cholera things went from bad TO worse,
and the report printed in this paper
on January 1, 1900. was astounding.
! Sanitary conditions are now far from
satisfactory, and II they become much
worse We may have a recrudesCencc Of
the plague.
| II is not necessary to wait for m out
break to get the Federal government
at work in the way We have suggested.
Every important city save this one. uc-
cupied as a result of the Spanish war.
/ was promptly taken in hand and made
/ sanitary. though in none was there an
| epidemic at the time. The work was
precautionary. Such work is needed
| here. We do not see why, If Havana,
MatanZas, Santiago, Ponce and Manila
! have had the benefit of Federal sanitary
work. Honolulu should be denied it. We
are so placed that, If some pcstilence
arises, grave interests of the United
States in this sea would be threatened
and perhaps jeopardlzed. Here is
possibility which ought to be treated
in the same way that similar POSSIBLE
ties are treated elsewhere. Congress
has fun power to act. Under recent
decisions OF the Supreme Court its
jurisdiction is nearly as absolute in
Territory as 1t is in the District of
Columbia. 1t can make and unmake:
| ii can bind or loose. If it chooses to
look after the sanitation Of Honolulu
| through the Federal quarantine officials
/ it may easily find a way to do 50.
II may be conceded that Congress,
| In providing for the sanitary care of
| Honolulu. would have to enact some
new laws and abolish or amend some
! old ones. The question of purely local
administration, touching district physi-
clans and iepers is involved; but IT
seems to us that II Congress would as
sumo the main duty. that of warding
off or stamping out infection. the Ter
rltory could easily deal with the rest.
either through full Board of Health
or, better yet, through "A special sanl
tary agent. The expense to the Ter
ritory would be greatly lessened and
the sanitary safeguards of Honolulu
and Hawaii increased proportionally,
In connection with what has been
Federal health service. the following
remarks of the Philadelphia Record are
worth reproducing:
The sanitary reclamation and re-
demption of Havana under the dlrec-
ton Of the Federal Military Govern
ment Is a surprising and benehcent
feature of the transition period in Gu
ban administration. From a pest hole
! to be dreaded Havana has been trans
formed within less than three years into
"A verltable health resort. The death
rate in the city, which in September,
! 1898, was 1912 per thousand Of popula-
ton, had been reduced in September,
| -
death rate for September was 1857 per
1000; Paris. 17.5S; Berlin, 2i.26; New
York, 2l.75. Washingtons death rate
for the month ended September Il was
1888; that of New Orleans for August
was 1925. Hull England, with a popu
lation about equal to that of Havana,
shows a death rate of 1856.
Equally striking Is the record of the
! paIn aS ha obi nf ,pnr
at Havana against yellow fever. Dur
Ing eleven years past, as shown by OH
cial records, the smallest number of
deaths from this disease during the
months when it is epidemic-from April
| to October in each year-was thirty
in 1899. In 1897 yellow fever claimed 6j9
victims. the average for eleven years
up to April last being 297 deaths. Dur
! ing six months up to october / last
there We're but five deaths from yellow
fever in the Cuban metropolis,
This marked advance in sanitary
conditions has been made without the
aid Of permanent and effective system
of sewerage, improved streets or better
water supply. The city's highways
have simply been kept clean by unre-
hitting work, scientific disinfection has
been vigorously applied, and men by
the hundred have been employed to
kill Off mosquitoes which convey the
bacillus of yellow fever. 1t has been
hard work, honest work. and the mil!-
tary administration of the city may
fairly plume itself upon the success of
It's efforts under desperate and dis
couraging conditions"
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