Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-12-18

In response to the Board OF Health'3
invitation TO the public for confer
ence on the question OF closing up the
cemeteries within the city. large con-
course OF native Hawaiians with few
white citizens attended the weekly
meeting Of the Board yesterday after
noon. The assemblage filled standing
room out into the corridor. Many OF
the natives were women, one of whom
delivered what was amng the most
pointed speeches that were heard. 1t
was all remarkable object lesson
showing the pious respect of the Ha-
waiians for their dead Several white
speakers sustained the position taken
ny the Hawaiians. notably the vener-
able DR.. Hiram Bingham, the whole
burden of the popular expressions be-
Ing that the Board should not act hast
lily, but should await legislative action
providing new burial places and, es-
pecially, should avoid putting the poor
at the mercy of private cemetery en-
terprises. There was pathos about
the appeals that could be felt by any
unpetrified heart, and the result was
that the Board took action of its own
motion which went beyond what was
asked. Practically. the matter was in
definitely postponed.
With the president, DR.. II. C. Slog-
gett. were present Attorney General Z.
p. Dole, DR.. w. l.. Moore. DR.. c. b.
Cooper, Mark p Robinson and Z. A.
Mott-Smith. DR.. Pratt. the executive
officer, and c. II. Tracy, city sanitary
officer. were in attendance, also Chas.
L. Hopkins as Hawaiian interpreter.
Among the citizens attending were
noticed David Dayton, the veteran
trustee of Nuuanu cemetery. Rev. DR..
Bingham, Senator W. c. Achi, Rep
resentatives Jonah Kumalae and Henry
Vida, J. l.. Kaulukou. F. J. Tesla, E.
H. F. Wolter, Morris Keohokalole. J.
A. Hughes. John Barker, w. Sea and
A. II. A. Vierra.
Pastor Parker Protests.
! Inspector Tracy's report was read
and interpreted, and President Slog-
gett called for expressions OF opinion.
He made II clear that such was the
object OF the invitation to the public.
Residents near Makiki cemetery petit
toned to close II. A petition from
Rev. II. II. Parker was read, protest
ing against the closing of Kawaiahao
cemetery.
Mr.. Kaulukou arose with a plea to
defer action with regard TO Kawaia-
hao cemetery, No reason had been
shown for stopping burials there. nor
any danger TO the public health from
their continuance The Board should
ask the Legislature to buy plot some-
where for the burial of the dead. He
had been informed that there was half
an acre Of land in Kawaiahao which
had not yet been used. consequently
there could not be such overcrowding
M bad been represented.
DR.. Sloggett said that the Board
would take into consideration the pc
titiop of Rev. Mr.. Parker and the re-
marks of friend Kaulukou.
Cemetery Not Deleterious.
MIR. Kumalae said that his adaptive
father had been caretaker of Kawaia-
hao cemetery for many years and
knew where TO put his hand on any
part that was overcrowded. For forty
years he had attended to burials there,
Mr.. Tracy must have got his infor-
nation from hearsay. he having not
been long in the country, when he said
that there was no more rcDm In Ka-
waiahao cemetery. The speaker began
to make comparisons between Kawaia-
hao and Nuuanu cemeteries, but was
told by the chair that Nuuanu was not
then under consideration, He went
on TO say that the vicinity OF Kawaia-
hao cemetery was now but little occu-
pied by dwellings since the brewery
was established there. He had been
living there himself for quarter OF
a century and his grandfather before
him, but had never been sick until he
moved away from there. Mr.. Kuma-
lac agreed with the previous speaker
that the consideration OF Kawaiahao
cemetery should be postponed, Mr..
Parker was a kamaaina and knew more
about that cemetery than most peo-
pie In that meeting.
Mr.. Wolter stated that he had an in
terest both in Kawaiahao and Nuuanu
cemeteries. His advice was to wait
until the Legislature provided new bur
lal places before closing the old ones
Give all those people chance to be
-