The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-05-07
LETTER FROM
M0LOKAl ISLE
VIM. Clark Denies Some of the
Statements of Supt.
Reynolds.

Editor Advertiser: As my name has
appeared somewhat prominently in late
issues of your paper in connection with
your reports of Board of Health meet
ings, 1 would ask your valuable space
for few words in my own behalf In
your issue of April 18th I notice that
Mr.. Reynolds calls ma chronic kick
err so 1 propose to take up categori-
cally the various matters mentioned in
that issue and show whether I can right
ly be called 'kicker" or not
First as to the short supply of bak-
ing powder: During the month of March
for three weeks the people here in Ka
lawao were compelled to take their ra-
lions of flour without the allowance of
baking powder which was rightfully
their due; the food-giver stating that
there was none on hand. In letter to
DIR. Raymond, under date of April 4,
called attention to this matter and asked
who was to blame for the people being
deprived for so long a time of what was
rightfully their due. The only answer /
got was that the matter would be in
yestigated, and / would receive an an
swer later. Mr.. Reynolds makes very
plausible excuse of failure to fill order,
bad weather, etc, butt fails to show how
1t Is that shortages of that kind in the
peoples rations are never made good
when a supply arrives; nor is his excuse
sufficient to account for the fact that
on April Both the stock of baking pow
der Is again short, and people have to
go without
Second, in regard to the ration tickets
in the store, Mr.. Reynolds knows as well
as / do that the one contention that
made was that the people did not get
the full value of their tickets. When
the system was first inaugurated by the
late Mr.. r. w. Meyer, the price, fifty
cents, was based on the then contract
price of paiai and Storekeeper was
| ordered to issue all food supplies on
| those tickets at Honolulu cost price. The
| tickets were afterwards stopped and it
| is only few months ago that they
were re-issued, the amount. fifty cents,
remaining the same, although the con-
tract price of paiai, and rations of taro
grown here in the Settlement, had ad-
vanced to Sly cents; also, instead of
goods being issued at the cost price, they
were to be issued at the regular cash
selling price, meaning profit to the
! store of anywhere from 10 per cent up
to IS per cent and as high as SO 1-3 per
| cent. For this reason / commended, and
still contend. that people do not get the
full value of their ration tickets; the
1 dTS ldtety dQNdHScu tndt tlO 6OO0s
| have been reduced to the contrary not
withstanding Mr. Reynolds tries to
make out that the way the tickets are
| now issued is perfectly satisfactory to
| everyone except me and a few others
who desire to set up an opposition store.
| while at the same time he knows well
| enough that others besides myself, who
know how they were formerly issued
have spoken to him on the same sub
lot 6.,f Jeff atf xyc
it up, and are taking the tickets as best
| they can get them.
| Third, and now briefly, as regards the
/ matter of freights Mr.. Reynolds makes
the statement that I was buying goods
in Honolulu and selling them to the peo-
pie, and that was the reason why 1 was
refused permits. The truth of the mat
ter is this: I w&s ordering goods that
people wanted from Honolulu, because
in a good many instances they could not
get them in the store here, and again,
! where they could get them here, the
fprice was from Is to Is per cent higher
than I could get them for in Honolulu
I was delivering these goods here at
exactly the Honolulu retail price, and
simply asked for these permits to save
expense to the people for whom I Or
dered. The point of this whole matter,
however, lies in this: that, whereas,
had, as the saying goes, my little finger
/ in the business for few months there
were others in the Settlement who mad
been in it up to the eyes ior years, and
nothing said about it by Mr.. c. B. r. OF
| any one else So I think any one can
readily see the cause for my charge OF
discrimination. Finally, Mr.. Reynolds
charges me with wishing, along with
others, to open an opposition store. ]
do not know what the ideas of these
others that he mentions may be; for my
self I can say that I have no particular
ambition in that line. although as far
as competing with the Board of Health
store is concerned, man with a little
capital could very easily do that in
quantity, quality and price of goods Of
fered for sale. There are other matters
that would like to touch on, but I am
afraid I have already far exceeded my
limits; SO, with thanks for space grant
ed, very respectfully.
VIM. CLARK.
Kalawao, Molokai, May 2, 1901
|
Tourists and visitors should not fai
to take a ride on the Pacific Heights
E.1naf il Dol m rrY,o utau