The Maui news. [volume] (Wailuku, Maui, H.I.) 1900-current, 1919-06-27
OPEN FORUM
June rs, 1919.

4 ioh bhohC q lS" -
reference to the editorial which ap.
peared in the last issue of you pa
per about conditions of toilets and
conditions in general existing at the
Waikiki Public School.
AS principal of this schc feel it
my duty to say something u the pub
lie, as the whole article > &s to be
a malicious attack against our school
and all connected with it: and l
hereby brand the article as unjust
and unfair, and wherein reference
was made to the above named school,
untrue in every particular.
Before such destructive and hurt
full criticism is given to the public
through the press, some effort, at
least, should be made to ascertain the
truth or falsity of idle gossip; as it
creates an impression, fa~r-reaching,
which is almost impossible to eradi-
cate, and which has a tendency to
maliciously injure the school and all
connected with it.
If the article had stated that the
toilets are inadequate for the size of
the school the criticism would have
been a just one; for these same
toilets were installed when the build
ing was erected in 1904, when the
school had an enrolment of possibly
one hundred and twenty-five pupils.
The recent enrolment is nearly -four
hundred and fifty, and additions and
repairs have not kept pace with the
growing population and increase in
school enrolment during the fifteen
years these toilets have been used,
and the fact that they are still in
good condition is due directly to the
excellent care they have received DUR
ing this long period of constant use.
If a water pipe springs a leak from
long use and rust, who is to blame?
Or if sometimes the water pressure
is low, whose fault is that?
Wailuku's so-called Shame was
uncovered on last Saturday morning,
when the Chairman of the Board of
Supervisors, the Sanitary Inspector,
the County Engineer, the Editor of
the Maui News" and the writer of
this article met to look into this "un-
healthful condition" which has sup
posedly so long existed, but the
skeleton" must have stepped lively
to escape every ones notice, for it
had vanished completely, and not
even the rattle of it's bones was
heard; and though every part of all
the buildings was open to inspection
and things were stirred up generally,
the "nauseous odors" and filthy con-
ditions" apparently existed only in
some persons imagination. If some
persons have suffered bodily and
mental agony" let the public know
| just who they are. A number of
people are interested.
l think that all present at that meet
ing of investigation on last Saturday
must admit that the school toilets we're
clean and sanitary, in fact they so
| expressed themselves, but it was
| plain to be seen that they are in
adequate. The Waikiki Public school
is open to inspection any day while
school is in session.
This school has a janitor two
weeks only in each month, and the
responsibility of caring for the build
ings, grounds, ETC., falls upon the
principal, while the burden of the
actual work falls heavily upon the
pupils under careful supervision by
the teachers. The toilets are scrub
bed and lavatories cleaned every week
by our pupils. With almost four
acres of ground and several buildings
to be cared for, we need and should
have a janitor all the time.
Our public schools are our pride
and should be our first consideration
in regard to adequate accommodA,
lions and facilities in all directions.
Our pupils come from many climes
and speak many tongues, yet the
heterogeneous elements of our popu-
lation are being shaped and made in
to Americans largely through the in
defatigable efforts of our schools.
Then our citizens should be sufficient
ly interested in the public school
system to understand conditions tho
roughly, and uphold upbuiId when
occasion demands, instead of hand
ing out adverse and unjust criticism.
The American republic is founded
upon the idea that the will of the
majority constitutionally expressed is
the law of the land. Then our voters
should see that our legislators do
their duty in regard to appropriations