Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-11-11
300 TAXPAYERS
URGE RETENTION
] OF RED LIGHTS
Five Separate Petitions. Sent
to Sheriff Rose, Are Filed
With Grand Jury

Iternoon, one from Il business and
smanufacturing concerns in or ada
cent 20 lWilei, urging the abolition
OF the socalled restricted district.
and another, signed by $50 taxpayers,
urging that the district be retained.
The petition from the manufacture
ing concerns was published in full
in Fridays Star Bulletin. The other
petition. addressed 10 Sheriff Charles
III. Rose. was filed with the grand
Jury without having been made pub
lie Today the Star Bulletin received
permission from Foreman W. H. Nc
IClellan OF the grand jury to make
the second petition public. 1t was
argued that the public should know
both sides of the question which has
become a vital issue in this corn.
munity.
Five Separate Lists
As regards the second petition. il
Is composed OF five separate pc
. fitions. each alike. but each having
different list of signatures Both
petitions are to be used by the grand
Jury in the investigation il is now
making of conditions at Iwilei to de-
fermine, II possible, whether the re
stricted district" should be abolished
or retained
Following is the petition from the
$50 taxpayers:
Honolulu, + H. Nov. 3, 1916.
ITO Charles III. Rose,
Sheriff City and County Honolulu.
'sSir:-
"we, the undersigned. citizens and
Taxpayers OF Honolulu, City and
County of Honolulu. Territory of Ha-
wall, believe in having lwilei tred-
light district) opened up again, for
the following reasons:
This is a seaport town and the
business of prostitution is run in
all parts of the world. especially in
seaport towns. and it seems TO be a
necessary evil and appeals TO the
majority as such, and should continue
TO run as heretofore, under strict
police regulations Cit would seem
difficult to get along without cess
pools and sewer-pipes) and harder
still to give employment to the mil
lions out of work, and silly TO dis
tribute smallpox all over the city.
Catchy
Forecast Dire Evils
4
hight district is closed up, these wo-
men or prostitutes will have to live
somewhere; il viii be hard for them
to get work and pay rent, SO under
the conditions, they will secretly
carry on the same business, and will
be scattered all over our beautiful
city paradise of the Pacific). Sick
ness will increase TO a greater ex-
tent, as il will be difficult to locate
them, unless they call in doctor
II they don't work, they can't pay
rent: the landlord or those holding
leases of houses and property own
ers will have their share of trouble:
big expense for lawyers and sum
mary possession proceedings there
will be many arrests for adultery
and 'fornication, aall against the law;
the jails will not be able to hold
them; there will be an increase in
rape cases. and it will be one of
the worst suggestions as well as an
evil influence TO any young girls
living close by, as some of them
can be bought with stick of candy
and a little persuasion.
Blame Put on Soldiers
-The majority of soldiers and sail,
0rs have an opinion of their own,
and believe in little sport to break
the monotony of life, and il is not
only eat, drink and be merry but
there are other enjoyments which APP
peal to them, the majority being un-
married, and have not the comforts
OF home, wife and children, and your
petitioners will forever pray"
Mayor Waits on Report
Feeling that at present there is no
law, which invests him with power
to act in the Iwilei matter, Mayor
John Lane said today that he would
do nothing until after the finding of
the grand jury which is now investi-
eating the district Il believe that
the entire matter is now out of the
hands of any city official" Mayor
Lane said. IF. however, it is found
that a law has been violated, II will
then be time to act.
Circuit Judge Ashford, who recon-
mended that the grand jury investi-
gate the Iwilei matter. declined today
to make any further statement in the
matter. He said his views were Gov
cred in the recommendations.
Rose Refuses to Talk
When il comes to talking about
Iwilei, Sheriff Rose does not.
Rose has nothing to say about that
district; that is, not for publication,
and he replied with lots of smiles
but few words to a number of ques-
lions which ran something like this:
"Will YOU close Iwilei, nows that
businessmen who have interests IN
that vicinity have requested you to
do so?
Are the businessmen who nave
respectfully petitioned you to close
the district not entitled to an answer
from you on the situation?
when will you answer them, and
how"
One statement that the sheriff does
make. however. and that emphatic
ally, is that he proposes TO say and
do nothing with respect to Iwilei I'M
til the grand jury has completed its
investigation. It'll.
"The county attorney received a