The Independent. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1895-1905, 1901-09-24
CORRESPONDENCE,
wanton Destruction of Unripe Taro


Your reporter who accompanied
the Board of Health to the Leper
Settlement has not given fair
statement concerning my claim to
the Board OF Health, therefore You
will do me the favor to publish the
following facts:
Those persons that will plant taro
in Waikolu can do 60 with the
sanction of the Board of Health
under the condition OF delivering
all ripe taro to the Board for three
quarters OF the market price. am
one OF the planters who cultivated
taro there and received in 1899
$8l Is for my share and in 1900
$95.2S. This year having more
ground (about 3 acres) under culti-
walton l expected still more, but
tho authorities in the Settlement
having spite against me gave
orders to pull my taro before it was
ripe (some patches was not planted
two months previously. This was
done on the ooh of January, 1901,
against my protest, 30 my tato was
wantonly destroyed and what had
matured realized but $46, which the
superintendent OF the Settlement
rendered me and which I declined to
accept or sign the voucher for this
amount. l complained TO the
Board of Health of the action OF
the authorities in the Settlement.
Under date OF May %, 1901, the
Board answered sustaining thu &C.
ton of the Superintendent aud say
ing "that if l did not accept soon
what the Superintendent has al
ready rendered me for my taro Chat
i, $46) the Board OF Health will
consider the same as having for
feited to the Board. because | had
not kept ny contract with the
Board of Health" Not understand
ing in what way hal broken my
contract with tbs B )ard, l wrote
explaining the case to the Board,
to which Secretary Wilcox answered
June 10, 1901, chat all the reports
received by the Board OF Health
regarding your contention that the
t,ro was not ripe state the taro
p illed to be ripe and fit for use, in
tlis letter you now state that your
uurips taro was pulled and wanton-
ly destroyed by the lep-rs February
%, 1901, which is something new.
Mr.. Reynolds states that you were
notified that the employees Of the
Board were going 10 pull The taro
and you did not taks the trouols
to be present to look out for your
own interest. To this | ans wered
reiterating my statement to the
Board of Health that the taro was
not rips when pulled. MIR. Char
lock, the present Secretary, arknowl-
edged the receipt OF this stter and
that was the end of my CORES pond
ence With the Board.
Ga the l7,h of June, 1901, Su-
p ,rintendent G. b. Rsynoics sent
for me to come TO tho office AID
expected it WAS to settle the matter
in dispute, but Instead OF that Mr..
Reynolds began to Teproof me- for
writing about him III the news
papers, ETC., when | told him that
had come for business and not to be-
abused he rendered me again the
same voucher which l would not
sign aud left the OIL %. e
Now, we lepers are without ap-
peal in the hands of the Board Of
Health, should we have the means
to bring the Board before Court
where is the Court We can go to?
Where is the Lswyar allowed to
assist ns in our pro.e,utioni We
live here in a prison hole and can :
not get out aud the Board of Healt h
allows nobody to come in.j When a
complaint or grievance is made to
the Board of Health against the
m ,nagement in the Settlement, To-