The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-02-13

Company z. 1t Is reproduced, with
all its complaints, In toto:
MR.. EDITOR: In order TO correct
the belief of some OF your readers that
the position held by the enlisted men
of the National Guard of Hawaii, is
q snap, 1 give you the following
synopsis of how che man puts in his
time
Reveille at ) a. u, roll-call at 5'15,
guard mount at $50. Here his day
work begins-Breakfas from 6 to $50,
and then he is held for duty in the
guard room. l may as well state how
that while on guard he Is not allowed
10 leave the gaard room, that is,
the hall in the basement of the execu-
tive building except under the COM
mand of u nOn-cOmmiSSlOned officer
of the guard. From the guard room
he goes on post as a sentry from to TO-
Ten TO IL in the guard-room, when
he is marched over To- dinner. At II
he is stationed on the rear veranda,
where he stays until L O'Clock. Here
he must wear his belt and be ready TO
fall in at a seconds warning.
For the accommodation Of IS men
there are here four chairs without
backs, and one wooden bench long
enough TO seat four men by crowding
the balance sit on the floor or hang
their feet over the balustrade.
Att he is returned TO the guard room
sticks his gun in the rack, and hangs
his belt on it. Now he can't lie down
on a bench or the floor until $50,
when he is marched over to the kit
chen once more. Back to the guard
rOom). At 20 he passes the time as
we'll as he can until O'Clock, when he
again does two hours sentry duty. At
10 back TO the guard room, reached
generally by 1920. Now he can go to
sleep for three hours. There are 20
men in the guard room at night, and
4 single mattresses for all The others
musI pick out a clean spot on the floor
and spread their one poor blanket, and
thus get what rest they can. The
air Is always foul, and were it not for
the strong draught through, the long
hall would be unbearable.
The new doctor threatened TO
remedy this state of affairs, but
someone evidently put a ''fiea in
MS ear" He dropped it. At 1:30
A. u. he is called by the Ser
geant of the guard TO get ready to go
on post. From , until 4 he again does
duty as sentry, and at 4:2O is again in
the guard room. More sleep Is out OF
the question, for the drum beats
ReveifIe at D O'Clock. Roll-call at
5:I5 and at $50 the old guard is retired
by the new and the man Is free TO !
sleep until II:30. After drill in the |
afternoon his time is his own until 9 |
p. NJ, when he must be in bed to get |
the necessary rest for another twenty
four hours of duty. Let those who |
think such life, governed by tyran- |
meal officers, a snap dlsabuse their
minds of any such notion.
To make things still mole trying, |
the food furnished is not, three
quarters of the time fit for white
men to eat You quote Capt John
Good as saying, on the night the late
poison scare took place, that the men
had poached eggs for supper. Now, Mr..
Editor, if Capt Good said what he is
quoted as saying, he said 1t for the
purpose OF misleading the public as
10 the real facts; and it really did
sound we'll Poached eggs, macaroni
and cheese, roast beef and mashed
potatoes, and stew. No wonder peO-
Die think we live well. Now, Mr..
Editor, an egg has never been seen on
he mess table of Company z, unless
brought IN by the man himself and
he waiter coaxed into getting 1t
cooked.
For the month of January we had a
white man as bead cook During his
ervice the men received fair treat
nent, for while there was not always
enough for all, what there was was
rood. But he did not suit the officers
ness because, forsoOth, he would not
pend all his time connecting dainties
or their tender palates.
Can you reasonably expect one small
ange To cook for $50 men one style OF
Ood and, at the same time, serve first
lass hotel fare at short order notice,
or from ten 10 fifteen officers? one
larty must take their meals cold and,
Iaturally, the privates must do so.
he white man left and the Chinese
vas re-instated-
Filth again reigns supreme IN the
-itchen. 1t was owing TO nothing
lse that the supposed attempted poIs-
ming was due.
One would naturally think that in 7
ne land of the coffee berry good coffee I
would be accessible 10 all, but defy :
he most learned analyst 10 find more I
nan 2 trace of coffee in the article :
srved TO US a. such, land that reminds !
1e," as Abe Lincoln would have said. :
he other day the man on my right
{ dinner said he would take coffee [
lis vis-a-vis said tea and held out his C
up and was served from the same pot. {
he coffee man tasted his drink and i
raised kick" declar- Q
lg that he had been given tea By y
MS time the tea man had tasted and =
e grOwIed because he had been given :
Offee, so suggested an exchange. This
as done and both men were satisfied. y
leave you to draw your own cOnclu-
Ons.
Yours respectfully, q
4 PRIVATE OF Co. z. p