The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-03-21

better citizens than if allowed to stay
on Molokai. but DR.. Emerson and Su-
perintendent Reynolds both declared
that unless the parents were willing
they should leave them. The attempt
to remove them would be futile. It
was also said that children born lepers,
are given full rations from the time
they are able to eat the foods supplied
by the board.
1t was stated that President Ray
mond strongly advocated the erection
of a home in Honolulu for non-lep-
rous boys and girls. There was a
home here already for non-leprous
girls, but no institution for boys. The
concensus of opinion OF the board
members. and that of a few of the
legislators. was that the Legislature
should appropriate a sum of money
for that purpose.
1t was agreed that the request for
cash in lieu of clothes be denied.
The request to be allowed to erect
stores in competition with the Board
of Health provoked considerable dis
, cussion, in which it was brought out
that many of the lepers believed the
! boards wares were selling too high.
1t was pointed out that under new
ruling the board was selling goods
with the cost of conducting the store
included. The petitioners claimed that
much of the food at the government
store was unfit to eat, that the hams
We're mouldy, and the canned goods
rotten. There was also a lack of the
necessares of life such as potatoes
and rice, and it was always case of
first come, first served"
Senator Kalauokalani said he had
taken a few memorandums of prices at
Kalaupapa. Shoes which sold in Ho-
nolulu for 81 % were sold there at
81 So; tin pans, selling here for so cents,
were sold at the Settlement for 55
cents. He believed the matter OF
prices should be looked after.
The request for free postage will be
referred to Washington
The request for one-fourth of cord
! of fuel once a month will be granted
! if the Legislature sees fit 70 make an
appropriation covering that item. The
board passed the request, and 1t Is now
,. up to the SolOnS.
/ ava, not to exceed two stumps at
each sending, the board announced
! that resolution had been passed some
months since prohibiting ava in the
Settlement. except in the physicians
stores.
! The lepers also want the health
! board to dig the graves of deceased
persons, instead of compelling them to
perform this work. They complain
that in many cases their hands were
untitled for such tasks. The report OF
| the president of the Board of Health
ending December 81, 1900, was distribu-
| ted among those present. This showed
that 21S persons had died at the Set
| tlement in two years-averaging about
| nine n month. superintendent Rey-
nolds said the cost for digging a grave
was about 81. Mr.. Lowrey stated that
if the Legislature was of a mind to
make this concession, an appropriation
of $500 or $500 would have to follow.
The request that a law be enacted
providing for the examination OF clean
lepers biennially called forth long
statement from superintendent Rey
nolds as to the manner in which per-
sons declared lepers, and IN whom the
faint was not prominent, are examined
at the Settlement. He stated that in
the majority of cases the. people did
not want to be sent away from Molo-
kai Among those who are receiving
full rations as lepers there is feel
ing that if they are declared not leperS
their food supplies will be cut off and
they will have to work for their living
if they stay at Molokai.
This brings out the fact that there
really are persons who would rather
be termed lepers than clean, and that
it is more to their liking 10 be her
aided about the world as unclean.
Representative Beckley inquired
whether persons requested to appear
before the examining board failed to
do so, and whether they We're ordered
lSummarily to go before the physicians.
|
left to their own volition to appear,
but very often when the physicians are
at the Settlement they disappear for
day or two and cannot be found,
turning up after the departure of the
board
Senator Baldwin then stated that
several of the lepers. including one Ka-
lani, had said to the legislators that
they considered themselves clean and
desired to be allowed to return to the
| =,
persons who had made similar state
ments to the legislators, which. APP
peared in the voluminous report that
has been printed by the Legislature.
One of the Board of Health members
inquired whether the Settlement ply
stefan had declared they were not lep-
ers, but got no reply.
Senator Kanuha launched into the
matter and put several questions to
the board. which DR.. Emerson answer
ed He thought it was not right to
: have persons not afflicted with lepro-
: sy, living there on the public, and IL
they were not lepers they should be
released DIR. Emerson said that was
matter which could not be definitely
! decided. The men might not be afflict-
| ed with leprosy in decided form at
certain periods, yet it was possible the
: disease would break out violently, and
no one could say that this or that man
was cured because the disease seemed
: to be arrested Kanuha thought that
such persons should be segregated
: from those known to have leprosy, and
! if they were really cured they would
: not again be tainted Dr. Emerson
t thought that was impracticable on Mo-
: lokai, and said that the whole social
system there would be broken up il
: that We're done, probably with bad re-
: suits. Senator Kanuha was told that
5 if these ten men wanted to get away
!, from the Settlement they should pre-
sent themselves for examination to DR.
{ Oliver, medical superintendent at Ka-
laupapa and say I'VE don't believe we
? are lepers'' and if they were really not
lepers then they would be released, but
not otherwise.
Senator Kaiue asked If the physician
!, at the Settlement made any pretense
] at treating the disease. DR.. Emerson
E replied that no systematic treatment
= was attempted, as it was usually toe
Y tiresome to the patients, as it broke II
e too much into their social life, anc
e they did not have the patience to stanC
: the treatment day after day.
t The lepers also asked that their al
t 'owance of paiai be increased from
ltwenty-one to twenty-five pounds pei