The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-01-18
BUILDINGS ARE
BECOMING WORSE
Tenements lust Erected Exceed
Others in Dangerous
Conditions.
INSPECTOR Is THREATENED
Board of Health May Not Be
Able to Enforce Its Own
Regulations.
INSPECTOR is THREATENED

Absolute disbelief in the stories of
insanitary and dangerously built tene-
ments has been expressed by a few
business men in town, who still believe,
in spite of the statements of the chief
of the fire department, that the de-
partment can cope with any fire that
starts within the business district of
the city. The others of those men who
have large interests in the center of
the town which would be heavily dam
aged by general fire look upon the
matter with indifference.
The only open spaces within the dis
trict bounded by Beretania, River and
Fort streets and the waterfront, are
vacant lot at Pauahi and Nuuanu ave-
nue., very small lot on the mauka
side of Beretania near Nuuanu, and a
vacant lot at River and PauahiS streets.
Besides these there is a large nursery
running through half the block between
Beretania and Pauahi and facing Smith
street. This nursery, the last semblance
of a park that the children of the
neighborhood have, will be torn up and
the plans are already made for
tenements that will take up the entire
space.
The few that are doing real mission
airy work have entered the strongest
kind of a protest against permission
for these tenements being granted but
as the many who are periodically
"shocked at conditions found" do
nothing in the way of legal remedy
they will go up and will undoubtedly
add to the mortality list.
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On the exact site where the Kauma-
kapili church formerly stood there is
long tenement Icing erected, the
ground belonging to one of the biggest
concerns in the city. 1t will contain,
besides the stores, about twentyfour
rooms, upstairs Directly adjoining it
is another containing fourteen rooms
which is nearly completed. Their cree
ton wipes out a playground that the
children of the neighborhood have used
for many years and several influential
bodies were asked to make an effort to
preserve it to them, but they did moth
ing.
Another tenement is going up at the
corner of Smith and Pauahi streets.
1t contains sixteen rooms besides the
stores. AT the present time these are
the only houses that are being erected
makai OF Beretania avenue but mauka
of that there are three or four more
tenements going up beside number
of cottages that are being built by Mat
| subaro, the japanese contractor. These
latter are far better from a sanitary
standpoint than the tenements and this
is the only attempt that is being made
to utilize the building sites for decent
homes or stores.
| The above facts show to what extent
Honolulu is in need of building laws,
and yet there has not been the slight
est effort on the part of the board of
supervisors to frame fitting ordinance.
1t can be safely said that ninety per
cent. of the buildings that are already
erected are tenements that come up to
within block of the corner Of Fort
and King streets.
Costly Reconstruction.
OF this ninety per cent, large part
has been erected within the last two
months and still larger percentage
within the past six months. The more
| lately erected tenements that are now
being occupied are on Mauna Kea
street near Beretania, where the foun'
| uhlloH i"l hh'ihti - bNihk iutN ~ Wv
center Of the block Waikiki Of the
| street.
Had the supervisors acted when theiI
attention WAS lTst called to the miser'
able state OF affairs existing In the
very heart of the city, these last build
ngs mentioned would have been built
In manner that would not have en-
dangeTed the lives of occupants aud
nearby residents, As they stand nov
they have been pronounced by an In
speetor Of the board Of health 10 b,
the worst tepemenis in the city apf
although they nppear clean because
they are new, they are already assam
lag The aspect III heihed N disease
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