The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-11-08

the citizen has no right to say any
thing, anyway. no matter how deep
his feelings may he The memory OF
the mistakes made in the campaign
against plague in 1900 is altogether
too vivid and fresh to be forgotten.
For the mistakes made then, through
over-zeal. this community and the
United States had to pay a very heavy
bill. amounting to over three millions
of dollars, and such an experience
ought not to be repeated.
I think very few believe that, in
order to preserve the public health,
on account Of the yellow fever mos
quito Honolulu should be stripped to
the bare poles-nor even half strip
ped. The discussions so far that !
have seen in the papers do not say
much about cutters. From my expert
ence, ] think that house gutter is
one of the most dangerous places in
which to provide a breeding place for
the day as well as other mosquitoes.
The cutters of my own house are sup,
posed to be cleaned every Monday,
and. so far as the lower cutters are
concerned there is no question that
this is done; but few days ago !
personally supervised an inspection
of the cutters over the second story,
and found three pools, in which were
the larvae of the mosquito. | shall
therefore take the drastic course OF
having those cutters removed alto
gether. In building several cottages
on property within my charge, within
the past few months, the houses have
been provided with a very wide over
hang, with no cutters at all. This
takes the drip from the immediate
side of the house, and the ground soon
takes care of the water which falls
upon it. To my mind, the allimport
ant thing in this battle is to destroy
the breeding places.
As to the banana tree, in view OF
the testimony of men of such unim
peached character as DR.. Currie and
others, | shall have to contine my own
observations to my own place, OF
places, and on that will say that fol
a good many years | have carefully
watched the banana trees for places
of possible breeding of the mosquito
In the neighborhood Of Kawaiahao
Church the annual rainfall averages
somewhere near thirty inches, and it
is pretty well distributed. This means
pretty dry weather most of the time.
| have for many years carefully OBJ
served the banana trees on our place,
to discover mosquito breeding places,
and have never found a sign of wig,
gler; in fact, have very rarely found
standing water at the base of the ha-
mana leaf, except Immediately after "A
heavy rain, and in chat case, if the
sun comes out. it is absorbed and dis
appears within a few hours. Perhaps
my most careful watch was kept dur
ing the month of February, 1904,
when, as everyone will recollect
there was a tremendous and almost
continuous downpour, amounting to
about twenty-five inches in the month.
Now although l found water most of
that time at the bases of the banana
leaves, there were no wigglers, this
probably being because the water was
, changed all the time by the constant
downpour,
| consider it as of the utmost i'm
portance that a banana grove, for in
stance, especially in town, should be
kept scrupulously clean, by the re-
moyal of all old and dead leaves from
the body of the tree, and having the
ground kept clean, With this care, /
do not believe that the banana trees
anywhere between the sea, Punchbowl
Hill and Makiki, and extending GER
tainly from Fort street to Pawaa and
perhaps to Waikiki, furnish breeding
places for the mosquito. If this is
true, and / honestly believe it to be
so, then there is no reason why the