The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-08-09
JAPANESE PREPARE
F0R LEGAL BATTLE
ON new FIRE Jaw
Financial Backing Being Secured
StIO Make, Test Case TO Deter r
mine Legality of Regulations
TENEMENT VAcATlNG
7 ~. ~ ORDER is ATTACKED
Clothes Cleaners and Others Re
CURED To Move Maintain Com
.pliance VIII Ruin Business Y

~ BackiakforIa tltgai akht on the new
fire laws recently promulgated by Del
bert II. MetEger, territorial treasurer
and fire marshal, is developing in the
Japanese community and plans are nm
der way to start a test case Of the requ.
Iatons, particularly the order which re.
qnires the removal from frame tene.
ments Of clothes cleaning establish.
ments, paint and blacksmith shops.
lanndries, restaurants, motorcycle and
coffee shops, and all other business con,
sidered as Increasing the fire hazard.
After a round was made Of the tene.
ments the first Of this week by the FIRE
marshal and Charles H, ,Thdfston, the
Honolulu fire department chief, an or.
der was issued to the proprietors of all
such BUSINESS establishments that they
would have TO yacate on October l.
As such an order requires that the
businesses be removed from frame
buildings, It follows that they will have
to find locations in brick, concrete or
other fire proof buildings. To obey
these orders the Japanese owners Of
these businesses say they will have, IN
many instances in which they have
Of the districts in WHICH they have
become established.
Japanese State Position
Not only do the Japanese who are
hit by the order maintain that they will
have to lose locations which they con.
slider essential to the carving on Of
their business, but that their earnings
are such that they cannot possibly pay
the hight rent which will be demanded
in the more choice business sections
where most of the FIRE proof buildings
are located. '''
Another feature Of the enforced re-
movals to which the japanese small
business men concerned do not take
with any favor is the fact that their
business establishments and family
homes are usually in the same building.
Lack of living quarters, and high price
Of rent, will make it prohibitive for
the Japanese to move their homes with
their business from the Oriental dis
tricts, it is maintained.
Some of these objections and O re-
quest that an investigation be started
to, determine the constitutiopality of
the fire rules and regulations Nave been
made to Attorney W. T. Rawlins, IT. Is
reported by the Nippu Jiii, ~, ~.
Tenement Owners Displeased
The objection of the small Oriental
business is supported also by the jap
anese owners, and possibly white own.
ers, of the tenements where 50 many
of the, little establishments are located.
These tenement owners do not view the
situation with any satisfaction because
the space which will be vacated by
the business firms win have to Be re.
altered before It can be rented again
for living purposes, or. to the limited
number of business establishments
which will be permitted to continne in
business in frame buildings. '
Anyway, it is certain that there are
plenty of 0rientals who object strenu.
ously to the fire rules and regulations
and especially the October / vacating
order, so in case it is decided to make
test case of the constitutionality of
the FIRE laws there will be no lack of
funds to secure legal support.
1t is reported that a decision as to
whether the test fight shall he made is
to be reached at . meeting soon Of all
the Orientals interested.
Fire Marshal Metzger says he anti
cipates that such legal fight will be
made but does not intimate that any
notifications are to be made in the
new rules and regulations because of
this prospect.