Center for Labor Education & Research, University of Hawaii - West Oahu: Honolulu Record Digitization Project

Honolulu Record, Volume 10 No. 7, Thursday, September 12, 1957 p. 2

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Oahu Smallest County Dominates all with People, Income, Industries, Jobs, Defense, Taxes

The City and County of Honolulu (Oahu) has the smallest land area of the four counties in this Territory, but people, business, industries and finances are highly concentrated on this OEP island.

With a land area of 590 square miles or 9 per cent of the total area of the Territory, Oahu is daily attracting more people from the outside islands. Already three fourths of the civilian population in the Territory lives on Oahu. In addition, 55,000 in military personnel are concentrated on Oahu.

The following figures show how Oahu compares with title other islands:

Land Area                    Sq. Mi.             Percent
Hawaii                         4,021               63
Maui                            1,173               18
Oahu                            590                  9
Kauai                           623                  10

Population (T.H. Board of Health figures for July 1. 1957)
Hawaii                         62,503
Maui                            43,801
Oahu                            416,112
Kauai                           28,835
Honolulu (city)            292,179

Employment (T.H. Labor Dept. Figures May, 1957)
Hawaii                          21,520
Maui                            12,370
Oahu                            145,410
Kauai                           10,670

Tax Collections (Year ending June 30, 1957, T.H. Tax Office figures)
Hawaii                         $5,533,683
Maui                            2,515,212
Oahu                            77,046,040
Kauai                           2,150,692
Total                            87,245,627

Per Capita Personal Income (U.S. Dept. of Comm. figures 1950)
Hawaii                       $1,031
Maui                            1,131
Oahu                            1,534
Kauai                           1,142

Wages and Salaries' (Bank of Hawaii figures for calendar year 1956)
Total                            $776,000.000
Hawaii                         8 percent
Maui                            5 percent
Oahu                            83 percent
Kauai                           4 percent

Oahu, according to recent population figures released by the Territorial Board of Health is more densely populated than Puerto Rico. Oahu has 688.9 people per square mile to Puerto Rico's people per square mile.

But of course Puerto Rico Is heavily rural compared with Oahu.

The population of the outer islands of the Territory has dropped from 25.7 people per square mile to 23 people per square mile.

p /> I do not say that at odd hours a patient must be given the regular hot dinner or supper. Few people would expect this.
 
But what is so complicated about opening and heating a can of soup, making some toast, or preparing instant coffee or tea? Why cannot a night nurse do these simple things after the kitchen to closed? Is it just too much trouble?

It is only common humanity to feed the hungry. If our hospitals are too big, too complex, too impersonal to do these small kindnesses for the sick, something is very wrong.