General Orders issued by Acting Naval Governor Raymond Stone (28 January – 16 May 1904). To go back to the list of General Orders click here.

No. 74

28 January 1904

General Order No. 74
By virtue of appointment from the Home Government the undersigned hereby assumes command of this island as acting governor pending the arrival of a new governor to succeed Governor William Eldridge Sewell, invalided to the United States.

Raymond Stone, Lieutenant, USN
Acting Governor

No. 75

9 February 1904

General Order No. 75
It is hereby ordered and decreed:
1. That the civil courts of this island shall have concurrent jurisdiction with Military and Naval Tribunals over all offenses committed on or after this date by any person or persons subject to military or naval jurisdiction, provided that said offenses fall within the category of common crimes or misdemeanors which by their character or circumstances are not “triable” solely by Military or Naval Tribunals.

2. That paragraph 2 of General Order No. 62, is hereby abrogated.

3. That all laws or parts of laws inconsistent with the provisions of this order are hereby abrogated.

Raymond Stone, Lieutenant, USN
Acting Governor

No. 76

20 February 1904

General Order No. 76
It is hereby ordered and decreed:
1. That the prescribing or selling of medicines by any persons other than the naval medical authorities of this island to enlisted men of the Navy or Marine Corps on duty at this naval station is hereby prohibited.

2. That the naval authorities in the island of Guam will continue, as heretofore, to maintain dispensaries for the benefit of the inhabitants, where medicines will be dispensed without cost.

3. That on and after July 1, 1904, the importation and sale of drugs, medicines, and disinfectants in this island is prohibited to all private persons except those who may be duly licensed as dispensers as hereinafter provided.

4. That any person desirous of obtaining a license as a dispenser, with the right to sell medicine after July 1, 1904, must present himself on June 15, 1904, or on such subsequent date in any year as may be fixed by authority, to the head of the department of health and charities for examination as to his qualifications. To qualified persons licenses will be issued without fee.

5. That in the stock of drugs, medicines, and disinfectants kept by a dispenser under such license, each bottle or other package shall be plainly labeled with the name of its contents in English and its dose, and every poison shall be labeled with the word POISON in conspicuous red letters.

6. That each bottle or package of medicine dispensed shall have its dosage plainly marked on the label in English, Spanish, or Chamorro, and if a poison shall be marked with the word POISON in red.

7. That poisons shall not be dispensed to minors. In all cases where a drug or chemical is sold in poisonous quantity the date of sale, the name and residence of the purchaser, the kind and quantity sold, and the ostensible purpose for which it is bought shall be recorded by the dispenser in a book kept for the purpose and known as the Poison Book, which book must not be destroyed. The entries shall be made in English. The Poison Book and the dispenser’s stock shall be subject to inspection at any time by the authorities.

8. That a licensed dispenser shall attend personally to the dispensing of his medicines, and shall not permit any unlicensed and unqualified employee to act in his stead.

9. That cognizance of offenses under the provisions of this order shall rest with the justices of the peace.

10. That the following penalties are prescribed for infractions of this order:

(a) For violation of Paragraph 1, a fine of from $10 Mexican to $50 Mexican, and confiscation of stock of medicines and drugs.

(b) For infraction of paragraph 3, a fine of from $5 Mexican to $25 Mexican, and confiscation of stock of medicines and drugs.

(c) For infraction of paragraphs 5, 6, 7, and 8; for first offense a fine of $5 Mexican, for second offense a fine of $10 Mexican, for third offense revocation of license; provided that for dispensing poisons to a minor under 18 years of age a fine of $50 Mexican shall be imposed, and the dispenser’s license, if any, shall be revoked.

11. That all drugs, medicines, and disinfectants confiscated for violation of this general order shall be delivered to the department of health and charities.

12. That all laws, or parts of laws, inconsistent with this order are hereby abrogated.

Raymond Stone, Lieutenant, USN
Acting Governor

Notice to those interested

22 April 1904

1. The existing high prices on articles coming under the class of “necessaries of life,” now charged by the merchants of this island, whereby the people are sorely distressed, render it advisable for the government to take such steps in establishing commercial selling prices of certain articles as may be found necessary to relieve the distress of the people.

2. Although the government possesses ample powers and is entirely prepared to take up this question and decide upon it form investigations already made, nevertheless the question of governmental restriction of prices involves so many interests that it may be deemed advisable to call a council of representative citizens and merchants confer with the governor.

3. The government is in receipt of information showing that the existing exorbitant prices on food stuffs—which are plainly not justified by the necessity of first cost, freight, duties, etc.—are due largely to a form of collusion or coalition on the part of certain merchants of Agana, whose combination is for the purpose of keeping prices up. Such combination is evidently destructive of fair competition, to the benefits of which the people are justly entitled, and does moreover come under the prohibitions of the Criminal Code now in force in this island. Furthermore, it practically forbids reasonable selling merchants as are content with a fair profit on their wares—of whom there are a sufficient number on the island to carry on its business.

4. It is hoped that the merchants, realizing the importance of this question, will promptly fix their prices on all good stuffs and other necessaries at such reasonable figures that the necessity for governmental action may cease to be imperative—as it now seems to be.

5. in connection with this subject, the government would be glad to receive written suggestions from a committee of ten citizens, chosen by the people, as to the practical methods of establishing an insular government store.

Raymond Stone, Lieutenant, USN
Acting Governor

No. 77

12 May 1904

General Order No. 77
It is hereby ordered and decreed:
That, because of the distress existing in this island on account of the failure of crops, the high prices of imported goods, and the low price obtained for copra, on-half of this year’s land tax will be remitted in all cases where payment for all present delinquent taxes on the property in question is made before August 1st of this year.

Raymond Stone, Lieutenant, USN
Acting Governor

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