The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1904-01-12

The Supervisors ana the members oI
the Board of Health conferred yester-
day upon the problem of providing gov
ernment physicians, free dispensary
and subsidies for the hospitals, without
however coming to any conclusion
President Cooper and Attorney General
Andrews acted as spokesmen for the
health board and stated that unless the
counties furnished money. the dispen-
sary would be shut down and that prob
ably the Kaimuki hospital would also
have to be closed. The sentiment OF the
board seemed to be against rendering
any help to the Territory, although the
matter will not be finally decided until
next week, after an investigation by
special committee of Supervisors APP
pointed for that purpose.
The entire Board of Supervisors was
present at the meeting, which was at
tended by President Cooper, Lorrin An
drews and DIR. Mays of the Board OF
Health. Chairman Hooking called the
meeting to order and asked DIR. Cooper
To- make a statement of what the Board
wished. DR.. Cooper stated that the
Board of Health had been required to
cut out the government physicians, be-
cause of the order from the Governor
to make a reduction of fifty per cent
in the appropriations for the Board Pf
Health. He said that the County Act
provided that the counties should ap-
point health officer, who he believed
could perform the same duties as the
government physicians. He suggested
that the Supervisors appoint health
officer for Honolulu and also for the
outlying districts, saying that the men
now acting as government physicians
could be reappointed. These physicians
now are DR.. Davis at Eva, DR.. McMil-
Ian at Waianae, DIR. Wood at Waialua
and DIR. Peterson at Kahuku. The Ho-
nolulu physicians are DIR. Myers and
Dr. Sinclair.
Supervisor Gilman asked If the SER
vices of two physicians were required
in Honolulu. DR.. Cooper replied that
one man could do the work If he deVot-
ed all his time to 1t. The previous ar
rangement had been to pay one man
5000 per month, but now two doctors
were employed and each received half
of the former salary. DR.. Cooper stat
ed that Dr. Myers would not accept re-
appointment, as he is going away. he
read the law relating to the public
health in the counties and said that
special health officers could be appoint
ed for the outside districts.
Supervisor Lucas asked If this wasn't
"a foxy move on the part of the Board
of Health to saddle the county with
lot of expense.
.You have cut off two-thirds of the
Territorys income said Attorney
General Andrews.
1--WE haven't got it," remarked Su-
pervisor Gilman.
"But you will get it, replied An
drews. 1.-THE Legislature didn't appre-
ciate when it left the Board of Educa-
ton and the Board of Health under the
Territory that it hadn't left the revenue
for the enormous expenses of the De-
partment of Education, and for main
tanning the settlement at Molokai. The
legislature took away the licenses ana
all fees and every tax excepting one
half of the personal and property tax.
This is about one-fourth of the entire
revenue. After the taxes are in the
counties will have plenty of money.
The Territory is unable to provide for
the government physicians or for the
hospitals. We don't want to cut out
the hospital, and doctors and the dis
pensary but we have got to do it, the
Territory is simply strapped
Mr.. Gilman replied that the hospitals
should be left Territorial item, as pa
tients We're in them from all over the
islands. He thought however II was
perfectly right for the county to look
out for its own people in the hospitals.
II don't see any great stroke OF
economy in proposition of this kind,
said Lucas. 1T looks like a sort of
fake on the county,
1--WE wouldn't ask this at all said
Mr.. Andrews, but the Territory sim
ply hasn't the money. And what is
more we won't have 1t. DIR. Sinclair
says that if the Hospital for Incurables
loses it's subsidy it will have to close
down. These hospital appropriations
are not Board of Health items, but
were simply placed under the board to
o. X. the bills
What are the pooy people going to