Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1884-09-13
DooroR sri,ntRp .etry.


ratous distributed At the lcper settlement on
Molokai Tor the quarter year ending June 90,
/ 1884 In your editorial comment YOU seem
/ 20 regiri this statement as a sufficient rchta.
ton Of my assertion that the lcper, are not
I furnished with sufficient amount per capita
OF fresh meat and other food and YOU have
called upon me TO acknowledge an error in
|negIeciing to notice that many OF the kokuas
and some Of the lepers, who raise taro and
| sweet potatoes and other food. are permitted
/ 10 draw a weekly sum in cash in lieu of m.
ton,, whereby the amount of the latter is
reduced.
/ comics, tha, avn exceedingly surprised
/ that you should have accused me of such culp-
able careles'ncss, and ,he more So as the facts
/ to which YOU draw attention were very fully
stated in my letter published on July 10Th In
the third column OF that letter / called aucn.
ton to an item of l4,iS7 separate cash pay.
ments, aggregaiing SIi,5ll, made to lepcrs in
lieu of food. but observed that lepcrs do
not eat dollars and cents and dared to affirm
tlnt very little Of this allowance was spent on
D.
ment in lieu Of rotions was of advantage only
TO the government, who saved $1,000 by this
Arrangement
Now sir, | will proceed to demonstrate the
facts which may be gathered equally well from
the recent quarterly statement as from the rc.
port OF last year.
As the meat supply | proved that the
lleper Of kakaako received and consumed III.
OF meat per day each, and that those OF Molo.
ka have only half pound For the quarter
ending June joththc issue Of meat was 81, s6Ilts.
Of beef and s,3l7 Ms Of mutton, total Of
| &, ,SSS ibs. No other meat wa, supplied to
any one on the settlement, than that purchased
| by Mr.. Meyers and issued in the form Of "a
tions. This weight OF meat would only sup
ply 4os lepers with full daily ration As the
total number Of persons entitled to mtions was
764, it is obvious that $50 either went without
beef OF mutton or shared the rations of the
rest In other words the 764 persons entitled
TO rations Of Iib. per day only received 80, SSS
lbs. instead of 81, ja4 lbs, or considerably less
than half of that to which they were entitled.
The facts as to the supply OF pai-ai are simi.
lar. II every leper had his full allowance as
at Kakaako tin addition to rice, bread and
potatoes, greatly in excess of that given out at
Molokail there should have been issued 9,o24
weekly rations. But only 4, sol were issued,
or less than half and, in lieu of the balance
SOY. so were paid in cash whereby more than
S. 600 was saved by the government at the
sole expense Of the lepers. Now the facts as
to the food supply and money expenditure are
well known to the officials and to any one who
has made inquiry The total supply Of meat
and pai.ai provided by the government is
practically and in fact divided amongst all the
lepers, kokuas and meat consuming residents
of the settlement and short as is the supply it
is aggravated by the mode Of distribution.
There are probably 100 lepers who get full daily
rations, both Of mea, and pai-ai, but there are
many more who do not get even half ration I;
and | doubt not that the grim description of
the complaint of hunger is even more common
that Mr.. Van Giessen represented it And
now for explanation.
AT my visit to the settlement found most
of the lepers located in cottages, four or five
lepers being in charge OF leper OF kokua who
was owner of the cottage; and not unfrequently,
there were in the same house several children
or relatives having no claim upon the govern
neni. On the plea iliai the head OF the house
hold had a patch OF garden he was allowea to
draw rations for say lepers and money for
3. In this case the entire family OF or 9
of meat and pai,ai, eked out by few sweet
potatoes. No considerable quantity Of taro is
grown upon the settlement, little FISH is oc-
casionally purchased, but there is neither the
inclination nor the opportunity OF purchasing
either pai-ai or meat and it is notorious that
the money paid out in lieu Of food is spent in
the government store fol tobacco, saddles,
brides, fine clothes and other luxuries. |
observe that the seven-ounce ration Of salt
salmon is still issued as an equivalent for lib.
Of fresh beef, a sufficient evidence of the oh.
stina,e ignorance OF the authorities and Of their
determination to uphold the present faulty
dietary.
since ~, ,;s;, MANY len.r. b,v, hsen sen,
IN NIolol,i and ,h,. number has neys,,beles,
dsc,.,ssd There !. No return or admissions
discharges and mortality; and no evidence
that the death rate has decreased.
No" s',' al" s'"''''.u :" ''''u'''s '"'' "'
poor hohuay eAei'io"s nave not oeei al III
van" "e'' ine''e"'"'' ''" 'o"e inquiries
nave peeh instituted anu some Improvements
maoe' ! ueS"e 'espee'u'y 70 'nahN iie'
haje'y Queen haP'o'An anu MIS- Doi''i''
'o' "'en WISH 10 No'oNa'' nave no uouo'
'ha' substantial Complaints oil munger met the'i