The Hawaiian gazette., 1905-04-14

IIouse Bill i53 passed second reaa-
ing and VIII be read for the third
time on Thursday. This is the bill
to separate mis.emeanants from Grim
inals.
House Bill 1863, for the examination
of farriers. passed. second reading. Ii
will lie read for the third time on
Thursday.
REPORT ON LEPRosY BILL.
From the special committee on all
leprosy bills, Dickev made a minority
| report strongly ADVISING against the
passage of House Bin 176, which he
claimed covered a serious relaxation of
the leprosy segregation law. Dickey
preferred Senate Bill 6S which he said
was much more rigorous in its pro-
visions. The report was laid on the
table to be eonsIuered with the lep.
rosy bills.
The report in full, follows:
''Slr: Your Special Committee to
which was referred Senate Bill 6s and
House Bill 176, has made a majority
report recommending that House Bill
176 be passed with certain amend
ments and the Senate bills be laid on
the table. AS a minority of that
committee ] do not agree with the
recommendations and beg leave to pre-
sent minority report.
"The worst blot on our fair Terri
tory is the incubus of leprosy which
with great effort and at great expense
we have got bottled uD on the little pc
| ninsula of kalaupapa on Molokai. Any
thing which will relax our policy of
isolation and lay our Territory open to
the charge that lepers were allowed
| anywhere else in the Territory than at
the leper colony would be a distinct
calamity.
"House Bill 176 seeks to do this.
My objections to its passage are:
FIVE MEN SAFER.
81. Section l provides that the
commission of physicians to examine
suspects be reduced from five as at
selected by the subject, one by the
Board of Health and third by the
, two so selected. / think that COM
mission of five is much more safe than
| commission of three only and more
likely to secure gust decision. The
physicians selected for such grave
matter should be bacteriologists and
there is no provision in the bill as
there IS in Senate Bill 6S introduced
by Senator Paris to that effect The
patient may under this bill select n
physician who knows nothing of bac-
| teriology and there is an even chance
| that the third man may be Just as
| ignorant of that science. I greatly
prefer the plan of Senator Paris s bill
which provides for a commission APP
pointed by the Governor of FIVE men,
bers who shall understand that science.
! "2. The bill provides that the sus-
| pect shall appoint some of the com
mission as before stated. / think that
the suspect should be fully represent
ed before the committee and this is
provided in Senate Bill 6S. The com
| mission itself should be a permanent
| body and not liable to constant change
| in its personnel as provided in this bill
"3. Section provides for leper
hospital at Kalihi. This I do not ap-
| prove of for several reasons. In the
| first place all lepers should be strictly
segregated at Kalaupapa. Establish
ing hospital anywhere else would be
| saving that the plan of strict segrega-
| tion at the settlement was not ad-
| hered to and would tend to bring our
\ fair land into disrepute.
NO PROTECTION LEFT.
| "The section goes on to provide for
! the release of lepers after treatment of
one year. This is preposterous. 1t
| is well known that many medicines
| ameliorate the disease and make it's
symptoms temporarily disappear, but
| that a radical cure is not vet discov-
| cred lpnarG
| under the provisions of this act be-
cause they showed no signs of the dis
ease there would be no protection
| against their spreading the disease a
| few months after their release. 1t
would be a distinct menace to the
| health of the public. The bill pro-
| vides for the establishment of a hos
| pital at Kalihi but how is it to be
maintained. 1t will cost large sum
per annum to carry on such an estab-
| lishment and our finances are in no
position to undertake it now, even if
| it were advisable. County govern
ment will strain our powers to the ut
most and should be enough to under
! take at this time. The cost of the
| building, of course can come out of
the loan fund, but it is the equipment
and maintenance that ] am thinking
| Of
"The Federal government has made
an appropriation for hospital for the
treatment of lepers at Kalaupapa with
a view of discovering cure for this
dread disease. The hospital is to cost
100000 and $4,000 per annum fol-
maintenance is allowed. Our little ex
periments will be nothing beside thi.
gigantic scheme and / think it is best
to wait until we see the outcome of tn,
experiments of the general govern
ment
"There are other bad features il
, the bill but | think these are sufficient
| recommend that Senate Bill 6S b.
, passed and House Bill 176 be laid up
on the table,
THE HOUSE.
There was long debate in tn
, House of Representatives yesterda,