The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-02-10

Honolulu" II is under the terms OF
this Act that the Oahu Cemetery As
ISOLATION was incorporated. Various
acts regulating the Board of Health.
changing methods of registration Of
births, deaths and marriages and gen
orally pertaining TO the powers and .au-
thorities Of the Board Of Health and
statistical agents were made and
changed from time to time, following
the pronuIgati tom aof the Civil Code OF
1859. But, with the exception Of some
small changes made by the Leglsia-
ture of 1908, the general law on the
subject is contained in the Revised
Laws of Hawaii IT appears in Sec
ton 991 that the law as set forth IN
the old Civil Code in Section 28S Is
reenacted word for word.
Chapter 80 Of the Laws Of 1896 pro-
vides that the Board Of Health shah
appoint a registrar of births, deaths
and marriages in each judicial dis
trict, with the power to subdivide dis
tricts if deemed necessary. These reg
istrars were required to make full ana
complete reports in books kept for the
purpose, of all matters committed 10
their charge.
The Laws of 1898. Chapter So pro-
vides that the superintendent Of Pub
lie Works may from time TO time es-
tablish such public cemeteries or
places for burial as ne snalE
deem necessary" being authorized to
set apart such portion of public lands
as he might deem necessary and, with
the approval of the Governor, to pur-
chase lands from private owners Tor
that purpose. Authority is also grant
ed by the said chapter TO the Super
intendent of Public Works to convey
lands SO set apart TO cemetery assoc
Citations. but it is also provided that
the authority so granted TO the Su-
perintendent of Public Works should
not be construed TO conflict with the
authority of the Board of Health to
make regulations for interments and
respecting the cemeteries and burial
grounds, or TO protect the pubic
health. This enactment now appears
as Sections 1863 to no in the Revised
Laws. Burying grounds and church
sites, not to exceed five acres in ex-
tent are exempted from taxation. By
Chapter 81 Of the Laws of 1869, now
Section 1896 of the Revised Laws, it is
provided that the disinterment, by per-
sons not having any legal right TO do
place shall be. punishable by imprison-
ment at hard labor for not to exceed /
two years, or by a fine not exceeding
one thousand dollars. Under the laws /
as now existing, the Board of Health
has promulgated regulations respect
ing cemeteries, the burial of the dead /
etc. IN addition to the provisions Of /
the general laws of the Territory on /
g,F 0g877
November, 1905, passed an ordinance /
respecting the establishment Of GENE |
teries within this county, providing /
that any person. association or corpor- |
alton desiring to establish cemetery. |
should submit a full description, etc. T
to the Board of Supervisors, making it |
unlawful to establish cemetery not I
2 absolutely owned in fee simple and /
free from debt. or to place a mortgage
upon any cemetery within this county,
and providing quite severe penalty
for violation of the ordinance.
RECORDS AND STATISTICS.
It was the custom Of ministers of the
gospel in former days to keep more or
less careful statistics of births, mar
riages and deaths, but with the enact
ment of laws on the subject, this prac-
tise fell into disuse, and the laws pro-
viding for registrars under the super
vision of the Board of Health very soon
became a dead letter. In consequence
Of this it is practically impossible at
the present day to get any information
as to deaths and burials. excepting in
isolated cases, occurring many years
ago. In fact ii is probable that the
1nIy records which can be found today
with regard TO very many persons IS
the statement placed on the headstones
Of their graves The vast majority OF
graves in the country are today with
out any headstone whatsoever. It used
to be possible TO obtain some inforTna-
ton from the records Of the Board OF
but these have been passed
over to the control of the Board OF
Health. and they were at best wee
fully incomplete. In consequence OF
his. it is practically impossible to To-
ate graves of persons who died ten
n more years ago, unless marked as
stated above. Today some Of the SUI
of cemeteries keep rec
1rds. but even these are more or less
defective. Even in the Oahu Cemetery
1t Nuuanu avenue, it has been found
impossible 10 Identify the graves OF
many persons whose remains have
been Inferred for more than twenty
rears. At the present time, however,
records are better kept and at the
1och View Cemetery in Eva. the rec
,rd is 50 accurate that probably there /
viii be no such thing as the loss Of
grave. no matter how many years
nay elapse. The records kept by the
8oard Of Health al the present time,
while very good as far as they go.
eGuire a great deal of examination TO
ascertain where or in what cemetery
he dead have been buried. Perhaps
his is unavoidable and it may be that
he present system IS the best. in view
f the large number Of burying places
n and about Honolulu. The careless
less which has prevailed with regard
0 records is shown by the statement {
made 10 the committee by the keeper
T the Makiki Government Cemetery. ]
mis- man has pretty complete records
{ interments since his incumbency.
ut he has neither possession or con- {
rol, nor even any knowledge Of the |
whereabouts Of the records kept by 5
is predecessors. His own began on :
be 18th September, 1901. and. If one
s. p 10 -