The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-06-27
Poi AND A
STEAMER
Paiai Contractors
Air Their
Pilikia.
CAUSED BY POOR
TRANSPORTATION
Health Board Confronted by a
Peculiar Situation Need a
Vessel Badly.

4 steamer set apart especially for the
needs of the Board of Health in connec-
ton with maintenance of the Leper Set
Element on Molokai. the sending Of food
supplies to these people, and the coilec-
ton of lepers from the other islands OF
the group to be brought first to Honolu-
iu and thence sent to Kalaupapa is alb
soIutely necessary If the lepers are to be
cared for properly.
The Board of Health men complain
that the service of the Island steamers
is poor, especially for the Leper Settle
ment and the steamship company state
that they are always nlisrepresented- 1t
is evident that, no matter what the cause
may be, the Settlement does not receive
proper attention
The Board of Health is just now in a
quandary as to what it win do to supply
the lepers with poi. contract for which
was signed last week by Lee Chu and
his associates to supply 400 paiai of TWEEN
ty-one pounds each, every week. After
the contractor had signed the agreement
by which he was to supply fresh paiai in
good condition landed at Kalaupapa, an
objection was made to the terms which
the Board imposed upon him. He ap-
peared before the Board with his attor-
ney J. A Magoon, who stated the va
rious objections which Lee Chu now had
against fulfilling his part of the con-
tract To man up a tree il seemed
! that Lee Chu was endeavoring to get
| all the good things Of a contract on his
side, removing all chance of the contract
being annulled for his failure to do Ger
| tain things, and to throw the onus of the
I paiai spelling before II reached Kalau-
papa upon the Board of Health, thus re-
/ lieving the contractor of any loss. In
other words, he proposed that the Board
should accept his paiai the dock here
! and pay him for it. If the paiai spoiled
| the Board would be the loser of the paiai
and the money, although the agreement
/ which he had already signed was vice
| versa.
The attorney stated the chief objection
| was In the delays which the Board ex-
perienced in having its Settlement freight
landed at Kalaupapa in anything like
specified period He said his clients only
| desired their legal rights, although he
confessed that their having signed the
contract proposed by the Board showed
| they had accepted the conditions up to
]
| The contract read that each bundle Of
paiai should be well packed and weigh
/ twenty-one pounds, and that the con-
! tractors should be ready to supply 400
paiai every week. He said this was I'M
satisfactory to the contractors. The
terms were such that if they failed to
perform this duty of supplying so much
per week upon an order which came
from the Board on a Sunday to be de-
day afternoon, whenever the steamer
sailed for the Settlement. it was eQuiva-
lent to their losing the contract. There
was further nothing In the contract
which stated when the money was to be
paid to Lee Chu He said his clients
wanted to be paid monthly. They would
be compelled to go to considerable ex-
pense in buying up taro lands. turning
rice fields into taro grounds, erecting
buildings. etc, and they would therefore
want il specified just when they could
i expect their money. Lee Chu had an ex-
perience with q former board in not re-
ceiving his money on time and had suf-
fered financial losses. His clients did
not propose to advance money to the
Health Department, which they would
virtually be doing if no provision for the
time OF payment was made
President Cooper inquired where the
Board of Health was to get off, if the
contract was twisted and turned to suit
! the contractor and not themselves. He
said that Lee Chu had accepted the ten
der advertised by the Board and had
signed the contract as it was. The ten
der called for the delivery of the paiai
+ at Kalaupapa landing
The attorney said that was true, but
when it was taken into consideration
that the vessel often steamed around TO
I I.zhajna and around MOlnEai n7akinO
its last port at Kalaupapa. two or three
days were consumed by this naneuverfng
and the paiai would naturally be spoiled.
> He said that paiai when placed in the
hold would sweat, and that spoiled it.
And for this the contractors were held
responsible and their contract could Re
; annulled. He thought this was not right,
and asked to have that part of the con-
tract modified. He preferred to have the
paiai accepted at Honolulu. DR.. Pratt
said the Board could not guarantee the
transportation.
Then We cannot guarantee good pal
al" returned Magoon-
Neither can the Board guarantee
, monthly payment" replied the executive
officer. All bills are now paid in war
rants"
You can't expect these parties to GO
/ 10 Gil this expense and not get their pay
y within a reasonable time, do your II
that IS the case. they ought to have their
bills draw interest
DR.. Pratt reminded the attorney that
y the expense the contractors were put te
did not cut any figure with the Board
0 The Board had advertised for tender:
and Lee Chu had accepted Further.
y more. the warrants were drawing inter
n est at per cent. DR.. Cooper said tbs
paiai could not be accepted here. Severa