The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-10-04
MEAT FOR
THE LEPERS
1t is Difficult To Get a
Supply.
NO BIDS FOR CONTRACTS
inability Of Board Of Health to
Obtain Contract Shows Need
of Steamer.

The Board of Health is having great
difficulty In securing supply of meat
for the leper settlement on Molokai
For months past superintendent Rey-
nolds has been reporting that the meat
sent to Kalaupapa was of q very poor
quality, and in one of his reports he
spoke of the cattle which We're being
received at the settlement as frames
saying that many were SO weak and
poor when they arrived at the settle
ment that they couId not be used, and
died
Early In the present summer the
Board of Health authorized Secretary
Wilcox TO call for bids for supplying the
settlement with meat, for the contract
of the Parker ranch, which had been
supplying the settlement with meat for
the past six months expired on the first
of the present month.
The Board discussed the meat ques-
ton at that time at great length, and
it was decided that as there seemed
to be great difficulty in securing the
proper kind of fresh beef, to try to Sc
cure some of the canned beef, or "em-
balmed beef" as 1t has been facetiously
dubbed. for the settlers.
Accordingly, Secretary Wilcox asked
III Oido 1OT klIQ or
meat for the settlers, as we'll as fresh
beef and salt beef. Ever since then
he has been waiting and whistling for
bids. No one seemed anxious to take
the contracts for furnishing the settle
ment with any kind of meat. Finally
one bid came in for the salt beef, but
this was all. No one wanted to take
the contract for either the fresh beef
or the canned beef
so tho nd Will y
ton to wrestle with at its next meeting.
How to supply the lepers with meat is
no joke when the contractors will not
Did for the job, and it may result in
the adoption of the scheme proposed at
the last meeting of the Board by Su-
perintendent Reynolds, that Of purchas
Ing q schooner and going about the Is
lands and gathering up the meat at the
various ranches as it Is needed at the
settlement
The reason for the reluctance of con-
tractors to take the contract for SUM-
plying the settlement Is said to be that
there Is no money In It, Beef Is scarce
In the Islands at the present time, and
all of the ranches find it all thew can
do to furnish Honolulu with the beef
mat Is consumed here, and the large
plantations, where big prices will al
ways be paid for fresh meat. But the
settlers must have some kind of fresh
meat, and this Is the hard nut which
the Board of Health will have to crack
at its next meeting.
The Board must eventually get q
steam or gasoline vessel for the settle
ment, said Superintendent REYNOLDS
yesterday. 1T is matter that / have
called to It's attention many times. and
1t ought to be given consideration. We
are paying large sums for freightine
our things to the settlement that would
De saved had we tender for the set
tiement, and then in the matter of
securing fresh meat it would mean
much to us.
AT the present time half of the loss
OF the cattle we receive at Kalaupapa
IS que to the carelessness of the shin
hands in landing them Whether they
arrive on shore safely or not they do
not care at all, and many are lost lust
because OF their carelessness If we
hau steamer we could handle the cat
.Ie ourselves. and we should take care
IN landing them, and there would he
very little loss, or at least much less
than there Is now. 1t will be borne In
On the minds of the members of the
BOARD that We need a steamer and we
VIII nave it some day, / hone