The Hawaiian gazette., 1886-07-20

the use of their hands present a horrible sight /
when dividing up their meat, their teeth and bare
feet being used and the clotted matter on the I
floor is partly from the meat and partly from their
sore and diseased feet The people here have !
built 227 houses for themselves, their private
property. The Board of Health has only pro-
vided 119, aud for those but so for epers, the
rest being for ds. There only 50 people IN the
hospital here, they don't like to stay The worst
and most advanced cases are placed in with the
others, this causes not only the repugnance OF
feeling but also the discomfort of bad odors.
Another need here is the establishment of
two butcher shops, rather one be established at
hadlapapa. Now, IN bad weather, people COM
ing from kalaupapa have for their ratlons, often
leave trail of their own blood to mix with that of
the beef. Another thing We desire and that is,
that the mail be closed here and not opened until
1t reaches Honolulu. A great many letters and
several petitions have been sent from here to the
Legislature but two only have been received. An
other difficulty is the dangerous condition of the
boat landing The boats are apt to be capsized and
the food damaged the people have to suffer In
damaged rations.
Continuing he stated, that, wood was scarce and
could only be obtained by much exertion, which.
the crippled lepers were incapable of. Several
arrests had been made, by order of Mr.. Bishop, of
lepers who were taking wood for fuel from his
lands. When leper dies in hospital, the Govern
ment bury him, but if he dies outside of those
grounds then his friends if be has any, and they
are rich enough, they have to bury him. He re-
lated an instance with this regard that happened
to himself saying that, friend, a leper had died
III us mousse ne tune speaker QlQ not nave the
means nor strength to bury him. He notified the
steward who told me that would have to bury
my own dead. Told him had no means. He
still refused. then threatened to leave the body
IN the roadway. The officer then, becoming
frightened, took the body away and had it buried
All lepers have tags with numbers, like dogs. The
overseer is told that number, and SO, is dead he
asks if he is living outside of the grounds if So
his friends must bury him. Women who are
kokHdS are obliged to do task work, they are re-
quired to braid so fathoms of Irvine for nets, if
they do not do this they have to leave the place.
At this point MIR. Gibson speaking to Messrs
Cleghorn and Wodehouse, but loud enough to be
heard several feet away, objected to 'persons ask
ing leading questions especially when they had no
make them without being asked questions,
Continuing still, Kamai stated that, there were
several cases of gin arrived there before election
kahanu had told him that they we're sent up by
MIR. Gibson. (Laughter.)
We are not taxed poll or road tax, but the asses
sor tries to tax dogs. have objected for,
besides being civilly dead as we are, these dogs
are raised for our own consumption. Sensation
among the foreigners
Representative Lilkalani now asked the people
present, some two hundred, if they verified the
truth of the statements made and they answered
| in the affirmative
Kalemanu, a former resident of Hilo, said: have
been here three years, am going to speak only
what know occurs within this Hospital enclos-
ure. When patient gets very low. there is little
| or no attendance. Generally some one goes by.
looks in the window and finds the body stiff Pa
tients IN advanced stages placed with those of
| first symptoms. They should be separated. Nurses
| paid fifty cents per month are constantly grum-
bling Supposed to get three pints of poi per day,
but get far less. Have to take what is given. Head
steward asks people what wanted by them. If
| three people say rice he puts down ten. Par
TALLY displayed in the giving out of the clothing
Patients strictly prohibited from raising chick
| ems or keeping pigs"
Hope complained that the steward was in the
habit of stealing rice. One time he was watched
! m 6A mt 6uTIr nna
week 56 pounds, which he used to feed his own
chickens. Advanced lepers receive little attend
ance, their sores are not attended to and maggots
breed IN them; the doctor does we'll enough when
present, but rarely here. The difficulty was not
with Mr.. Hutchinson, but the head steward, Xiii.
Keoni Kekauloa. stated that several things had
| been omitted by previous speakers, and that was
! the ration OF salmon, which was three pounds
now, but should be six /; beef ration was seven
pounds but, if bone was taken out would only be
| four pounds. Thought that the Board of Health
| should pay freight on goods arriving. At the
butcher shop, the meat was cut on the floor
amid the dirt, spit, ETC., from all there congre-
| gated. Considered that $40 should be the allow
ance of clothing per year. The people congre-
| gated agreed with the speaker.
Kapuni, crippled leper, said many like him
would rather have the money than the store order.
because they could only get cloth at the store and
| being crippled they could not make garments.
| When we'll people come up kokOKas they are made
to build walls. They might be employed IL get
ting wood and water and in burying the dead.
Kailikaea, said that the scales used for weighing
were short in weight seven pounds by them really
only weighing five pounds.
Kiha the wicked steward" so designated, jocu-
| larly, by MIR. Gibson, now came forward and Of
fered his statement, which Mr.. Gibson hoped
would be as carefully taken down as that which
had preceded. He said that all the statements
made against him were wrong, he did not steal
rice; he had debarred the raising of chickens by
order of his superior officer; nurses paid from
80 cents to Spite lowest priced merely for bring
ing food to lepeTs, the others for assistance in
| feeding. Assistance always called when lepers
| dying; the complainants and others we're down on
him for prohibiting unsuitable amusements, such
! as hula dancing and gambling. True, that beef
was poor; four or five hundred head should be
brought in at once, kill portion, rest could fatten
! on excellent pasturage.
Assistant Superintendent Hutchinson, said that
those epers dying in the Hospital were buried by
the Government; outside lepers, living with their
friends, their friends were expected to bury them
The water for kalaupapa has to be carried mile,
people requiring pay for carriage. Trouble in re-
| gard to delivering pdiai from Pelekunu, rough
weather, hardship for lepers to 60 Sometimes
fall into the sea, known of deaths from exposure.
Steam service proper then paiai could be obtained
more regularly. Beef poor but could be eaten.
Rice and bread good but Oregon bread not liked.
Paiai ration lasted him full week. Suggest that
rations of bread and rice be made equal viz, nine
/ pounds. Would suggest also that money be given
/ to some instead of rations.
| Mr.. Gibson. ignoring the chairman of the com
Inittee, Rep. kaHnamano, who had left his seat as
if on account of previous interference introduced
Rev. Father Damien who stated in a hestating
manner that; the steward took good care of the
hospital patients, but not in manner equal to
regular nurse. There was some pilikTa there, some
thing lacking. he did not know exactly what was.
Representative Dickey asked if there was any
| trouble with regard to the medical attendance.
| Father Damien said there was difficulty
but did not know exactly where the fault lay; when
| the doctor was here everything seemed to be all
| right, but he present so little that fault was
| found. Thought a druggist should be stationed
! there permanently. The doctor carries thekey of
! the drug store. If they wished to examine the
] store they would have to break the door open.