The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-10-25
NANYRECONNENDANONS
oF rEUmroUtNL gRANp
jury
change Boz Method of Commitments to
thc Asylum rs Needed Too Man,
Trivial nvestpauous

Der uf recommendation made the Ter
ritorial Grand jury which was dis
charged yesterday after i've weeks
service will probably hold the record
for some time. Its long report was
highly commended by Judge Gear. who
suggested that as the Jurors had served
so eNcellently it might be well for the
clerk to keep their names. so that they
might DE bagged again next time.
Among the comments and recommen-
dations We're the following after some
severe criticism of poor accommoda-
lions and insanitary conditions at the
asylum for insane
"A magistrate. on the certificate of a
single doctor of medicine, should not
commit any person to the Insane Asy-
lum, and in all cases the patient should
be produced in court And we would
suggest that a commission of at least
three doctors, one of whom shall be a
specialist in nervous diseases. pass up
on the merits of every proposed com
mitment before Judgment be rendered
i'm the case, and we further suggest that
from time TO time. a visiting commits
sion of three well qualified physicians
might well be appointed to visit the
asylum to ascertain if all the inmates
thereof were properly treated and
rightly detained therein.
I'VE condemn the practice Of the DO
lice department being made to act as
public administrators and having to
take charge of and keep in their pos
session for an unlimited time large
quantities Of furniture. liquor. etc.
we recommend that a receiving
hospital be placed in the police station,
in charge of competent surgeons, and
that regular ambulance be maintain
ed for that purpose alone.
we condemn the system of having
mlsdemeanOr, petty larceny and mali
ciOus mischief cases brought before the
grand jury; they should be disposed of
in the police court and would not keep
a prisoner some six months awaiting
a hearing.
I'VE heartily approve of the new po-
lice call system about to be put in and
feel sure that it will be of great assist
ance to the department as well as a
better protection to citizens.
I'VE would respectfully can the at
tention of the Federal grand jury TO the
amount
of Illicit distilling going on about Ho-
nolulu, and that although the attention
of some of the Federal officers has been
called to it by the police department,
they have not seemed to pay any atten-
ton to the information We also sug-
gest to the judges of the police courts
that they intlict more severe sentences
in the many vagranCy cases. In giving
this class of people the limit OF the
law, we think vagrancy will diminish.
The grand jury has seen fit to in
quire into the practice under the old
established regulation of the Board of
Health which requires physical exam
ination at least once a year by govern
ment physicians of all children in pub
lie and private schools, not provided
with health certificates. in order to de-
tect contagious and infectious diseases.
While this rule undoubtedly acts as
safeguard to the public health, the
grand jury finds upon investigation of
the various methods under which it has
been carried out on this and other ISL
ands and in the city of Honolulu that
there is much in them to condemn.
When it is known that the authority
given to the physicians under this rule
is without qualification or restrictions,
so that boys and girls (oftentimes en-
tirely disrobed) must submit to the re-
quirements arbitrarily fixed by the re-
spective physicians it will at once be
that positive rules of practice
should be adopted in the premises so
that the proper sensibilities of parents
and children and of teachers who are
usually expected to be present at these
examinations are not in any way ignor
ed, nor even affected.
The grand jury would, therefore rec
that the Board of Health here
after employ women physicians eX-
in the annual physical exam
ination of school girls and provide also
that no physical examination be made
by any physician of any children UNI
less due notice thereof be first given
to their parents or guardians.
THE grand jury would respectfully
call the attention of your honor to the
trivial character of many of the often
SEES examined into during its session
just closed, which included larceny
cases where the amount of loss inVolV-
ed did not exceed fifteen cents in value
or consisted perhaps of battered hat,
an old calico dress, or a common roos-
ter 1t deems it just and proper that
twenty business men should freely
serve the community and preserve to
every person suspected of the commits
sion of an infamous crime the constitu-
tional right of a secret investigation
as to his probable guilt or innocence,
but it submits to the candor OF the
court whether it be necessary and pro-
per to compel grand jurors to inquire
into the many petty offenses of daily
occurrence which seem properly to De
long within the jurisdiction of police
Judge or a district magistrate and
would recommend that the next legis-
lature take proper action in the prem
iseS.
1.-THE attention of the grand jury haV-
ing been called to the practice OF GER
tain Territorial officials of paying to
their subordinates and clerks amounts
of salary less than the SPECIFIC sums
appropriated by the Legislature for the
respective positions filed by said en-
ployes. it is of the opinion that such
practice should be condemned even
though adopted in good faith and os-
tensibly for the purpose of curtalllng
expenditure OF public money.
I'm concluding it's report the grand
Jury desires to express its appreciation
OF the ability, thorOughness, fairness,
dignity and courtesy which have been
the unfailing characteristics through