The Hawaiian gazette., 1901-01-25
CLAIM Poi
IS SCARCE
Only a Small Quantity
In This City.
MIXTURE is SUBSTITUTED
Death Rate at Molokai Increased
By MalariaI Fever and Not
BY Starvation.

especially so on Molokai. The Board of
Health had this brought forcibly to its
attention by the receipt of letter from
the Leper Settlement, wherein COM
mittee of the sick ones declared that
they had been without poi for two
weeks and that without II they would
die. A translation of the letter was
pubiished in the Advertiser on Tuesday
morning The Board decided yesterday
that every effort should be made to Sc
cure pol made from taro for these peo-
pie, but that II 1t could not be obtained,
Aour-poi should be sent in as large
quantities as possible. Executive Off
GER Pratt stated yesterday that he had
canyassed Honolulu and vicinity and
taro was not to be had In large guam
titles. A few bags here and few bags
there were all that he could lay his
hands on.
Superintendent Reynolds of the Leper
Settlement stated in reply to the accu-
sations made against him by the COM
mittee of lepers that Ambrose Hutch
ison was at the bottom of most of the
trouble which arises at the Settlement.
Furthermore, Reynolds said he had eX-
planned to the people the great difficulty
of procuring poi nowadays and urged
them to accept rice, bread, flour and
other edbles in place of it. He de-
cared that 80 per cent of the people
had accepted his explanation and were
apparently satisfied.
AS to the meeting of the few discon-
tented ones, he said it was not largely
attended and although Hutchinson had
engineered the meeting, he did not have
the stamina to place his signature to
the open letter. The contract for sup
plying the Settlement with poi was held
by a native on Molokai. who began to
show signs that he could not supply 1t
as long rs n year ago. For several
weeks at n time he was unable 70 fill
his contract and taro and poi had to
be supplied by others. At the end or
last year the contractor, who it seems
Is under no obligation to the Board for
failure to provide. announced he could
procure no more taro. Thus the Set
Element met with a sudden shortage.
The death certificates, if compared with
the corresponding months Of former
years would show no decided increase
as was intimated by the petitioners.
Malarial fever has caused the majority
of deaths in the past six months.
1--WE have been running along the
best way we can," said Reynolds. 1--WE
have tried all over the Island of Oahu
to get poi and none is to be obtained.
The majority Of the natives don't see
real poi now. 1t is flour-poi and takes
the place Of the other very well. They
live almost entirely on this substitute.
In March we will again be able to sup
ply their demands from the Molokai
taro. There are a few soreheads at the
Settlement, Hutchinson being one OF
them. and he Is the man responsible
for this trouble"
When 1t was proposed by the Board
to post in the Settlement an explana-
ton Of the difficulties encountered. Mr..
Dole said he did not believe il was the
best plan for the Board to enter into a
discussion of the question with the Set
Element people. The Board would use
every endeavor to furnish poi when it
could, and IL not, would send the next
best thing. The president protein
thought it best under the circumstances
to lay the matter on the table. which
was done.
AS to Hutchison's statement relative
to Superintendent Reynolds misman-
agement of the Settlement, that officer
arose ard said: "It is entirely a false
true that I took those half-drowned
sailors into a coffee shop and gave them
leper-prepared coffee. These men We're
washed ashore after their boat had cap
sized and got them and told them to
come with me and I would get them
some coffee and dry clothes. Evidently
there was a misunderstanding, for after
I came out of the store with the clothes
| found them coming out of the coffee
shop. Whether they had coffee or not
don't know. I would not have al
lowed IT had known 1t in time. ! was
wet myself and told them to come
with me and I gave them blankets,
clothes and whiskey and kept them for
a day and all that night"
The Board was satisfied with Mr.. Rey-
nolds' explanation and nothing more
was said concerning the incident.
A petition from the lepers was also
read in which the voters asked that
Representative Beckley and Sol. Ka-
waihoa be allowed to visit them. The
letter read:
I'VE, lepers who have the right OF
suffrage hereby submit our humble pc
titlon to the Board over which you pre-
side that the right of entrance to this
Settlement for business purposes be
given 10 the Honorables +. w. Beckley
and Sol, Kawaiiioa I'm accordance with
their petition submitted to the Board
OF Health on the 4th OF January"
Mr., Lowrey said that II proper arr
rangements could be made at the set
tlement for the reception of visitors the
permission might be granted, otherwise
not lie then presented the Board with
the following rules "a govern visitors
10 the Settlement and other matters
which were adopted as follows,
The superintendent If the Leper set
Element az h0lpkal h hereby direeted
io have set apart parcel ~ lana ~
about hhlf an acre IN AREA, near tho
landing 40 kalaupana same tp be en-
closed with double fence together
nlih entrance thereto, Hp that persons
may rnArh SAID enclosure ana remain
therein without being able % come in
Personal contact with any Inmate ~
iHa Settlement In The anflnfuTn rhHll