The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-03-04
WARDS OF THE TERRITORY
(Continued from page 81

WHhU0 VI It'll lLRAIlUhl
Continued from page 81
tition which had been signed by the |
committee of twelve. Regarding sec
ton / of the smaller petition he said |
that he was in reality the father of the !
proposition. He had favored local |
management years ago. SO far as the |
second clause was concerned he con- |
sIdered that the water supply was ade- !
quate for the present needs. The main !
petition was then considered.
Hutchinson was very strongly OPP
posed to changing the paying the $40
cloth allowance in cash. 1t would be
improperly spent he said and the result
would be that many of the improvdent
ones would be running around without
suitable clothes or else borrowing from
their friends.
His testimony was quite interesting
regarding clause IL which required the
planters at Waikolu to make their taro
into paiai and deliver it at the food dis
pensary at Kalaupapa. Three years
ago he had started this idea and the
planters had taken it up but Mr.. Rey-
nolds had ordered them to desist The
board saw how profitable a thing it was
! in this case so they tried to take it up
themselves. On one occasion about
month ago the police officer went to his
! place and asked if he had any taro He
| replied that he had none. The officer
| said that there was some in the garden.
| Hutchinson said that it was not ripe.
The officer said it made no difference
! 1T was good enough for use. Hutchin-
son asked him it he had come there for
taro on the order of the Board of
Health. The officer replied in the mega
tive but said the assistant superinten-
dent had sent him for the stuff. In
spite of the fact that Hutchinson pro-
tested against the man taking his un-
ripe taro the policeman and another
helper took all the taro they could find,
claiming it was to make up the def
cency of the boards supply. The board
had not as yet compensated Hutchin-
son for this taro and he was waiting
for them to do it. The tarO allowance
had been cut down the witness asserted
on account of Reynolds complaints.
He doubted the practicability of send
ing an expert there for by the time a
person was sent to the settlement he
was practically considered incurable.
So far as increasing the allowance of
paiai from q to % pounds was concern
ed the witness did not see how it could
be done since there was not enough
supply on hand now to give the smaller
allowance. Hutchinson thought that
self government would be an excellent
thing If it could be accomplished but
| he thought it could not be done as there
was not enough well members of the
| settlement who We're well enough to run
| the government and those who were
| well were apt to get sick.
In the evening the board held short
examination of witnesses. William
! Motley testified to the extensive drink
ing of swipes among the members of
the settlement He said that they man.
ufactured the intoXicant at the settle
ment and it was drunk by many of the
| lepers.
The most interesting feature of the
evening session however was an adj
dress to the lepers by DR.. N. Russell
the President of the Senate. He said
| that the time had come when the legis-
| lature proposed to give the people of
| the settlement self-government His
idea was that they should have regu-
lar municipality. A board of alderman
a mayor, and the various other officials
OF a government should be chosen by
| them from among their members.
| Ihere should also be a justice and
| peace officers among them whose duties
! should be to pass upon matters requir-
| ing the Immediate administration of
justice. Prisoners and others would
nave the right of appeal from the deci-
sions however. 1t was not the inten-
ton however to take the absolute con-
| troll of the settlement out of the hands
of the Board of Health
Regarding the disease itself. DR.. Rus
| sell expressed the opinion that il is in
durable but it was the intention of the
| legislature to do every thing possible
for the alienation of their suffering
1t would appropriate 900 for a sta
| ton to study the disease
sunday morning the work was resum-
ed. Leaving Mr.. Beckley in charge of
| the examination at Kalaupapa Mr. En-
meluth, w Prendergast and other
! members rode to the Water works at
Waikolu and made an examination of
! the plant. Some interesting informa-
ton was secured by Mr.. Beckley re-
garding the prices of goods at the store
and also some charges against assis-
tant superintendent Freary for doing
politics."
John Williamson, a leper the store
keeper of the Board of Health and the
postmaster said: 1.-THE superintendent.
Mr.. Reynolds tells me what to charge
for each article. In my opinion as store
keeper some of the goods are second
hand. The merchants of Honolulu
when ordered to send up a certain
grade to the settlement send a lesser
grade. Whenever that happens l re-
port it TO Mr.. Reynolds and he tells
me to fix the price accordingly The
people never come directly and com
plain to me but l hear complaints indi-
| rectly. 1t is one of the rules of the
store that whenever there are any
goods not in proper condition they are
told to return them and then they can
be condemned.
$50 far the prices charged are not ex-
orbitant. No injustice in my opinion
has been done to the people of the
settlement in the scale of prices charg-
ed
Both dry goods and canned goods
sent here have been second hand"
Charles W. Brewster, one of those
who signed the petition was the next
witness. said he was the beef, oil and
soap dispenser for the Board of II ealth
Gave the lepers I pounds fresh meat
including bone, pounds salmon, ;
pounds corned beef a week: as far as
beef allowance was concerned there
should be no complaint from the lepers
as to Partially. Brewster endeavored
to make the rations as nearly equal as
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