The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-03-21
HEALTH BOARD
AND LEGISLATORS
CONTINUED from Page IL


ers are SICK people and inclined to take
the shady view of every matter
brought to their attention. Sick people
are known to be the greatest grumD-
ierS, and the lepers have ills which are
constantly before them. felt by them.
ana nave more or less influence upon
their dispositions. Attorney General
Dole's comparison of the Leper Set
tlement government to similar
government in a hospital seems to
nave struck the keynote of the opposi-
ton to granting to the lepers the right
to control their own affairs
The demands made by the lepers
upon the Board of Health and the
Legislature are of such a nature that
the Board of Health's revenue from
additional burdens of expense piled
upon them. AS matter of fact there
may not be sufficient revenues to be set
aside for the usual expenditures OF the
Settlement in future.
The second request in the petition
was next presented to the board as
follows: THAT a liberal appropriation
be made to increase the water supply
of the Settlement
superintendent Reynolds, of the Set
tlement, stated that as far as the sup
ply of water for domestic purposes was
concerned there was a sufficient guam
tity of 1t throughout the year. To sup
ply water for all the taro lands now
under cultivation and those projected,
there would be needed a water system
on much larger scale. Mr.. Baldwin
called attention to complaints that the
houses distant from the center of the
Settlement did not have sufficient wa
ter, to which the superintendent replied
that taps We're run for several families
in such cases, instead of single tap
for one house.
The cultivation of taro at the Set
Element occupied much of the discus
sion of the afternoon. 1t was pointed
out that there was considerable land
at Kalaupapa which could be utilized
for taro growing. He estimated the
cost of putting in water pipes and
leading water to this new taro land in
all about $50 acres, would be in the
neighborhood of $40, 900. There were
100 acres now being cultivated near
| the Settlement, and this was only half
the quantity of acreage needed to sup
! ply taro for the Settlement the year
| around.
| Request number 3, that a steam YES
! sci be owned by the Board of Health
| for transporting freight from the other
| Islands to the Settlement, was agreed
| upon by health members and legfSla-
| tors as necessity, and it lays with
| the solons to appropriate the money
| to purchase it.
The meeting then took up consid-
| Grafton of the complaints made to the
K. Nathaniel Andrew Aud. w. X.
| Makakoa, G.. w. K. Palaualelo, Kimo
Kuale, J. H. Hulihia, George j. Kani-
kau, William Kapela Jr., j. M. Kali
| mai, James Prosser, John Kaahiki,
William Keaouli, j. Harriet and Chas.
| NJ. n. Brewster.
The complaints and suggestions were
, taken up in their order, discussed, and
the opinions of the board members
taken down by the legislators stenog-
/ raphers. The first was:
"That the Board of Health be pro-
| hibited from claiming any share in
the taro produced by the farmers of
| Waikolu."
Reynolds stated that in former years
Waikolu valley was tabu to the 1epers,
| and they had to have special permit
J to go near the place. The valley was
kept ythe health board in dry sea-
! sons for breeding stock. Four years
ago taro was planted, and the board
made an agreement with the ralsers
! of taro on that land that they should
receive half the taro so produced. That
arrangement was later changed So
that the lepers received three-fourths
| of their husbandry. When reynolds
| started the planting, Ambrose Hutch
inson was assistant superintendent;
! and he says that all were very well
satisfied with the arrangement. Sena-
tor Kalauokalani inquired whether this
| agreement was in writing, and received
an affirmative reply.
Senator Russell asked whether the
people there had to pay ground rent
for the taro lands, and was told that
the sharing of the taro was the pay
ment The board in return had fenced
off the plots to keep out the wild hogs.
Superintendent Reynolds said the taro
! raisers were paid 571a cents for palal,
consisting of twenty-one pounds OF
hard poi. which is equal to about thir-
ty-fve pounds of taro. This ration
was served out once week.
THAT the Board of Health be made
to pay for the carriage OF freight Tor
the Iepers from all the Islands OF the
group"
| Mr.. Lowrey replied to this request
that all goods We're now carried from
Honolulu to the Settlement, free Of
charge to the lepers, but no arrange
ment was in vogue to carry sucn
freight from the other Islands to Ho-
noluIu, and thence to the Settlement
He pointed out the evils of this sys-
tenn, whereby some would take adVan-
tage of it and send down absolutely
! useless packages which would in time
} become burden of expense.
To the request that all the houses
at the Settlement be whitewashed, the
board agreed, and will purchase
spraying machine for the purpose.
The request which caused the great
: est comment was as follows:
women be given full food and fish al
loWance. as well as wearing supplies
not to exceed the value of $40 year
Superintendent Reynolds explained
that such children are given half ra'
tions until they are old enough to ge'
work about the Settlement. In time
they are supposed to earn enough tC
feed and clothe themselves. There
was no particular age at which the
rations were stopped. Some patient:
continued to enjoy them until they
! were twenty-one years of age Key
nolds Said there was always plenty O
work for them to perform. for which
they were paid. Such children, were
I of course a burden upon the Settle
ment. Being well and not tainted by
leprosy. they should be given thei1
: full liberty elsewhere in the Islands
but all such attempts in the past ha6
failed. resulting at one time in thu
shedding of blood. When the board at
tempted to remove these children the!
met with such a determined resistance
that the plan was abandoned and thu
children now grow up in the Settle
ment with Ieprous persons. At presen
there are eightyseven such children
J. Kalaupapa.