The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-04-26
that that wife if living would hay
brought him."
BATHS OF WARM WATER.

"The japanese are wonderfully clean
~ When they come in from the nelds
their first attention is to bath, pre-
pared for them in big tanks near their
shanties They are not particularly
modest about sufficient attire, and with
hardly anything but a towel to conceal
their nakedness, they rush TOR the
baths, which they insist must De or
warm water. But they are remarkably
susceptible of typhoid fever, due chief
ly to their own reckless habits. new
er saw a Chinaman in the Islands ill
with typhoid. That is because they
rarely drink water, always preferrinS
tea, which, of course, is made OF boiled
water. Especially after the neavy
rains the Japanese suffer severely from
typhoid. On our plantations the deaths
were often as many as four or five
week.
They suffer also from beri beri,
which is distinctly tropical disease.
There is a theory that it is caused by
the fungus of decaying rice. Rice is
a leading article of diet among them,
and it is noteworthy that, after the
announcement of that theory, the ra-
ton in the Japanese navy was changed
to more meat, following which the
prevalence of beri beri among sailors
was reduced The symptoms or the
disease are lameneSS in the exrremitIeS
and a putting up of the flesh. 1t is a
sort of dropsy, and if the disease Is
serious, the swelling may rise upward
till the lower part of the body and alb
domen are affected. In the final stages
the lungs fill with water and the pa
tient soon dies.
''There is very little tuberculosis
among the Japanese, but the natives
are rapidly dying from it. Very rigor-
Gus steps have been taken by the Ha-
waiian Legislature looking toward the
examination of school teachers and
others to prevent the landing of tuber-
culosis patients on the Islands. If the
local regulations regarding leproSy are
allowed to stand, before many years it
will, I believe, be stamped out In the
Islands. I saw but two cases on the
Island of Kauai, and those were In
cipient.
LEPROSY WILL BE STAMPED OUT.
'"Twice a year the children in the
public schools are examined, and those
suspected of having leprosy are sent
to receiving station at Kalihi, where,
in turn they are carefully inspected
by a board of five physicians. If the
verdict of the board is unanimous, the
suspect is sent away to Molokai, the
Ieper settlement If a majority of the
board, but not all of it, find evidence
of leprosy, the patient is retained for
time at the receiving station; II only
two of them find evidence of leprosy,
the suspect is sent back home and di-
ton after a certain time. The enact
ment into law Of the bill introduced in
Congress to send lepers from outside
Hawaii to Molokai would be most I'M
fortunate, and it would insure the pres
ence of lepers in the Islands for many
years to come"
Dr. King had some experience with
the politics and politicians of the ISL
ands. I'm Kauai" said he, two Ter
ritorial Senators and four Representa-
tives were elected. OF these six only
two understand the English language.
Neither of the Senators can understand
English or write it. / voted for Akina,
one of the Representatives, who was
subsequently made speaker of the Ter
ritorial house He is half Chinaman
and half native Hawaiian. He was
Republican, and intended to run FOR the
Legislature on the Republican ticket.
but the preponderance of natives in the
Island was SO great that the Republic
cans induced him to change his poll
| tics and run on an independent ticket.
He was elected and chosen speaker,
where he does the will of the Repubf-
can party. Delegate Wilcox it may be
remembered, once led an unsuccessful
revolution, and was found few hours
afterward, it is claimed, hiding in a big
oil tank. One of the pictures circu-
lated in the campaign, was of such an
oil tank with the head of Wilcox Just
hat.
Funny ACTS OF LEGISLATURE.
| 1.-The Legislature this winter has
| been doing all sorts of funny and ludi-
tcrous things. Akina at the benest of
Republicans, ruled that speeches in
EEnglish might be translated into the
hHawaiian language, but that speeches
! In Hawaiian should not be translated
/ into English. White men number bare
Iy more than one-third of the Terrific
rial Senate, and so by that narrow
margin, the Legislature is unable to
overrule the vetoes of President Dole"
Dr. King says that the Japanese la
borers on the Island of Kauai, as prob
ably elsewhere in the Territory, are
ceasing to consume saki, a native drink
something like a very poor brand of
sherry, and very insidious in it's effects,
because of the high duty, and instead,
are generally drinking American beer,
which costs s14 barrel of six dozen
| quarts. That beer comes chiefly from
Seattle "Saki," said the doctor, rs
the worst drink going 1t is taken hot,
and while the Japanese are not gen.
orally given to excessive drinking, 1
have seen them completely disabled by
! it. After certain amount OF the
drink something seems to shut down
quickly and unconsciousness ensues.
The Japs are rarely seen intoxicated,
but they are hilarious on their holi-
days
'The native Hawaiians are more or
less fond of drink, and they want
something that scrapes all the way
down Okolehao, a colorless drink
made from the root of the Il plant, is
largely consumed by them. But what
is known as 'sandpaper GIN is In great
favor"
DR.. King states that there is very
general prosperity throughout the ISL
ands, and that wages are good, book
keeper on the plantations getting
about $50 month. But living is high
"Oranges grow wild in the valleys on
the Island of Kauai" said he, land fol
a quarter we could hire a native tc
go out and shake the wild cocoanut
trees from which he would bring US
a barrel of the fruit.
PRICES, FLOUR AND KEROSENE
"But, nevertheless, it is necessary tc
purchase at exorbitant prices, compar-
atively, about everything that one con-
sumes in the Islands. The same -four
. that costs us s1.63 on the Island OF
Kauai was advertised for So cents IL
San Francisco. Five gallons OF kero
sene, that could be had for so cents IL
Frisco, cost US 81 go out there, and 81
, on through long list of articles"