The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-02-15
RENOVATION
TO Be MADE.
Supt. Boyd Plans
Change in Wash
Houses.
CAMPBELL MAKES
INVESTIGATION
Sanitary improvements Decided
Upon at lwilei-Talk of
Change in Location.

The improvement of the public wash
| houses as recommended by the Board
of Health, will be made as soon as the
! necessary arrangements can be entered
| into by Superintendent Boyd. An in
| vestigation of the premises has been
made by Assistant Superintendent
! Campbell and Engineer Gere, with this
! end in view, and as soon as the report
| and recommendation are in the hands
! of the Superintendent of Public Works
| whatever changes that may be neces-
sary will be made. superintendent
Boyd stated yesterday that there was
some possibility of the wash houses be-
ing removed from their present Ioca-
ton in Iwilei, but the absence of suit
able place now owned by the Territory
makes this unlikely. cit may however,
be necessary to make some change
While the present place is being reno
waited.
This is work that requires consid- |
cradle attention. said superintendent
Boyd yesterday, land the improve
ments suggested by the Board of |
Health cannot be made in such hurry
as they probably wish. l admit that
the public wash houses are not in as
good condition as they might be, still
1 do not think they are as bad as re-
ported by Inspector Keen. This de-
partment is not responsible for ali the
things reported by the Board of
Health; the Chinese washmen are
simply tenants of the government and
their rooms are rented to them so that
they are responsible for keeping their
places clean, just as well as any other
tenant would be, who rented from a
private individual.
The wash houses probably ought to
be moved, but the government has no
other suitable location to place them
1t may be necessary to change them
for a time in any event, while the i'm
provements are being made, but we
hope still to be able to do the work at
different times, so that it will not in
the tenants to any great
extent. The timbers have rotted away.
and it is hard to get at them, for they
are sunk several feet in the ground.
The present location can be much
improved upon, and the entire place
viii have to be renovated. The place is
filling up and the tide does
lot carry away the refuse water as it
lsed to do; at high tide the water is
eft standing in the trenches. and the
present arrangement is far from salts
actory.
1 do not think the government
hould abandon these public wash
Houses, for if it did it would mean a
monopoly for any laundry in the city,
nd prices would go sky high. By al
owing these Chinese wash men the use
+ the wash houses and its accompany
ne privileges 1 believe the prices of
UGH work has been kept at a reason
BILE figure, and for that reason if for
o other the public wash houses should
e maintained.
Nothing further viii be done in the
latter until the report is received 4
'om Mr.. Campbell and his recommen- Z
atoms will then be acted upon. The
apartment of Public Works though
arfectly willing to take it's share of the
esponsibility. is not wholly to blame
II the condition of the wash houses,
nd the Board of Health should en-
'rce some of its regulations more
richly against the occupants. Prob
'iS pIe iHlSLdhe III IuS CONSTRUCTION OF
ie building was the second story
hich is used as sleeping apartments
? the Chinese. but they have not suf-
red by reason of it. l have not heard
Their of any sickness in families whose
ashing is done by these Chinese. and
ough probably considerable improve
ent can be made conditions at pres
t are not alarming. However. we
tend to start the renovation of the
Iildings at the earliest opportunity.
d will make such improvements as
e necessary"