The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-07-19
Village That Was Menace to the
Health of Community Is
Secured.
THE BOARD OF HEALTH ACTS
While Supervisors Scratch Their
Noses Mott-Smith Gets
Busy.

Inc Walpanu Japanese vintage winch
was for SO long plague spot and a
menace to the health of the entire com
munity has been cleaned up. Last week
President Mott-Smith of the board of
health sent a force Of his men to Wal.
pahu to institute thorough cleaning
up Of the place and the work has been
done rapidly and completely.
Not long since Mr.. Mott-Smith took
the health committee Of the Honolulu
board of supervisors to Waipahu to see
the conditions existing there and to try
to induce them to take some action for
the betterment of things. The super.
visors were properly shocked and all
agreed that something ought to be done.
But, following the usual supervisorial
custom, they didn't do anything, Mr..
Mott-Smith suggested that it would be
a good idea to hurry that building ordi.
nance along and to make its provisions
broad enough to reach to Waipahu so
that the building of any more insani-
tary tenements there could be pre-
vented.
An excellent idea, thought the super
visors-and then they didn't think
about it any more. The building ordi-
nance is still in cataleptic trance, SO
quiet that some of its friends are be.
ginning to think that it has passed
peacefully away.
When it became evident that no help
was to be expected from the super.
visors, the board of health concluded
to take matters into its own hands, and
as usual when it does that, things be.
gan to happen.
The inspectors Of the board of health
arrived on the scene of action, and in Q
very short while there was an entire
village full of extremely agitated and
indignant Japanese, running about like
ants whose nest has been trodden upon
Then the dirt began to fly. The in
spectors crawled under houses investi
gated insanitary drains, peered into
dirty springs, pprooted unmentionablt
filth and threw scare into the popula
tion of the village that the japanese
haven't got over yet. They made the
inhabitants of the houses crawl under
and remove all the accumulated debris
and filth of years. They forced then
to take out sewer and latrine drains
that wandered at will criss-cross among
the springs of water that the population
of Waipahu uses.
The houses themselves were white
washed inside and out, the springs
cleaned out. When the inspectors ar
rived, the water in these springs wa
so dirty that the bottoms could not b.
seen. Now they are as clean and sani
tary as circumstances and the lay Of
the land will permit
| Cesspools that were in close proximit,
to these springs were abolished, tn,
dumping of dirt and filth indiscrimin
ately about the village stopped. Il
short, Waipahu village is not the sam
place it was before the inspectors be
gan operations. Furthermore, the jap
anese have been given to understand
that they must keep the village in
sanitary condition. President Mott
Smith visited Waipahu Friday to oh
serve the work and encourage the work
BdfO bhO Oop"
nese to understand very distinctly tina
the orders of the board of health in
spectors must be obeyed at all times
This thorough cleanup has remove
one of the worst dangers that has eve
threatened the health of the community
Heretofore when there was fear o
pestilence, it was to Waipahu villag
that the board of health first locke
with anxiety. Many efforts were mad
to find some means of doing away wit
the danger spot, but always in vaiI
until the board of health decided itsel
to do away with it. Manager Bull o
the plantation, President Mott-Smit
states, has done everything in his powe
to aid the board and is himself yer
well pleased at the results that hav
been accomplished.