Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-10-04
FREE GARBAGE
SYSTEM Plan
OF IMPROVERs
- lSaszassF

A free garbage system for Homo
lulu was strongly promoted at spe-
cial meeting of the Oahu Central I'm
provement Committee, at which mem
bers from seven sectional improve
ment clubs were present, held at the
rooms Of the Merchants Association
last night.
President d. Logan stated that the
organization had urged a free-garb.
age system on the then board of SUI
pervisors eighteen months or more
ago, and, although 1t was decided to
be impracticable in that term, be-
ginning was made III carrying out the
recommend atoms OF a deputation of
the committee, by procuring an auto
truck and starting free garbage ser
vice in the suburbs. Latterly the
partly free plan had been given up,
but the auto-truck was doing good
work In opening the meeting the
president spoke of the Importance of
sanitation generally, referring to the
enormous losses Honolulu and the
islands suffered from the epidemics
of 1895 and 1891 900, apart from the
death toll, more than two million dol
lars having been paid out directly on
account Of the latter visitation the
United States paying one million
and the damage to business interests
probably being two millions more.
The present epidemic of smallpox in
Sydney, Australia was costing the
merchants Of that City 100000 a day.
although it was reported that no
deaths had occurred. Zone breath
of pestilence you'd make our whole
fabric of promotion tumble like a
house of cards." the chair remarked.
Former Governor George r. Carter,
who was chairman of the sanitary
commission reporting last year, gave
a very clear presentation of reasons
for a free garbage system, advocating
separate treatment Of the business
portion and the suburbs. He would
begin the system in the commercial
front, as Honolulu was in danger of
infection solely by way of the harbor.
The pay system as the commission
had reported, was unsatisfactory in
that some would pay and some would
not, while the charges were liable to-
be other than proportional to the
amount of service. In the past II
had been a case largely of satisfying
the kickers. Mr.. Carter for similar
reasons did not favor cleanup days.
although admitting that the initial
ones here had done much good. The
same class that allowed others to pay
for removing garbage got the habit of
piling up rubbish to await cleanup
day. In making its investigations the
commission found one of the chief
difficulties to be the absence of re-
cords of the unit cost of work This
was one of the first deficiencies to be
supplied in devising scheme of free
garbage. -
A paper by John II. Wilson, for.l
mer superintendent of garbage, was
read by the board. The author gave
some cost figures and opposed free
garbage.
Senator A. F. Judd spoke of the de-
STABILITY Of opening certain roads to
unite the different villages forming
what is called the city, maintaining
that transportation was one CT the
principal factors to be worked out
in any system of garbage disposal
DIR. Pratt, president of the board of
health, urged the necessity of free
garbage if the. city was to be clean.
He discussed methods of disposal,
being in favor of sending the garbage
out to sea, instead of burning it in
dumps that bred flies and invited
rats. Rats and flies caused more loss
in Honolulu than'would pay for a gar
bage system. Both the board of
health and the harbor commission
were making progress in the direc-
ton of making the town rat-proof.
Supervisors Pacheco and WOlter
both declared N favor of a free sys-
tenn, but could not promise it in the
near future. Pacheco said it was an
issue, eff last campaign, being in the
platforms of the two leading parties,
but those elected conveniently for
got their promises. Wolter told Of
hordes of rats nesting in the date
palms of the Queens Hospital
grounds He also stated that cost
data were being kept since he assum-
] ed oversight of the garbage service.