The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-01-24
CL AIN Poi
IS SCARCE
0n!y 4 Small Quantity
In THIS llly.
MIXTURE is SUBSTITUTED
Death Rate at Molokai Increased
By MaIarial Fever and Not
By Starvation.

Poi is scarce in the Islands and
so ON Molokai. The Board of
Health had this brought forcibiy TO its
attention by the receipt of letter from
the Leper Settlement, wherein a com
mittee of the sick ones declared that
they had been without poi for two
weeks and that without it they would
die. A translation of the letter was
published in the Advertiser on Tuesday
The Board decided yesterday
that every effort should be made to Sc
cure poi made from taro for these peo-
pie, but that if it could not be obtained,
flour-poi should be sent in as large
quantities as possible. Executive Off
Ger Pratt stated yesterday that he had
canvassed 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 edibleS in place of it. He de-
clared that 80 per cent of the people
had accepted his explanation and We're
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 it
as long as a year ago. For several
weeks at a time he was unable to fill
his contract and taro and poi had to
be supplied by others AT the end of
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 sudden shortage.
The death certificates if compared with
the corresponding months of former
wears. would show no decided increase
as was intimated by the petitioners
of deaths in the past six months.
1--WE have been running along the
best way we cam said Reynolds. eve
have tried all over the Island of Oahu
to get poi and none is to be obtained
IIhe majority of the natives don't see
real poi now 1t is f1our-poi and takes
the place of the other very well. They
live almost entirely on this substitute
IT., Mo- ha q h1p
lply their demands from the Moloka
taro. There are few soreheads at the
Settlement, Hutchinson being one o.
them. and he is the man responsible
for this<trouble.'
When it was proposed by the Boare
to post in the Settlement an explana
ton of the difficulties encountered Mr.
Dole said he did not believe it was thu
best plan for the Board to enter into ;
discussion of the question with the Set
Element people The Board would US
every endeavor to furnish poi when i
could, and if not would send the mex
best thing The president protein
. thought it best under the circumstance
to lay the matter on the table. whic]
: was done.
AS to Hutchison's statement relativ
agement of the Settlement, that office
arose and said: ct is entirely a false
hood The statement is absolutely un
true that I took those half-drowne
sailors into,a coffee shop and gave ther
Ileper- prepared coffee. These men wer
: washed ashore after their boat had cap
sized and I got them and told them t
come with me and I would get ther
leo Nd oil EtyriI o11fl
there was misunderstanding, for afte
came out of the store with the clothe
: found them coming out of the coffe
shop. Whether they had coffee or nc
] II don't know. 1 would not have a
lowed it had 1 known it in time. wa
wet myself and l told them to com
with me and L gave them blanket
clothes and whiskey and kept them fe
a day and all that night
The Board was satisfied with Mr.. ReS
}. nolds' explanation and nothing MOI
was said concerning the incident.
= A petition from the lepers was ais
!. read in which the voters asked thu
h Representative Beckley and Sol. K;
ii waihoa be allowed to visit them. tt
letter read:
8, I'VE, iepers who have the right
II
!. tition to the Board over which you pr
= side that the right of entrance to tn
Settlement for business purposes
given to the Honorables F. w. Beckls
and Sol Kawaihoa in accordance wi
their petition submitted to the Boa
of Health on the 4th of January"
I. Mr.. Lowrey said that if proper a
p rangements could be made at the Sc
. tlement for the reception of visitors t
permission might be granted. otherwi
not. He then presented the Board Wi
the following rules to govern visito
TO the Settlement and other matter
which were adopted as follows:
The superintendent of the Leper Sc
tlement at Molokai is hereby direct
to have set apart parcel of land
about half an acre in area, near t
landing at Kalaupapa. same to- be e
closed with double fence togeth
with entrance thereto, so that perso
may reach said enclosure and rema
!, therein without being able to come
personal contact with any inmate
IL Atlo Tn, ,a1o CHI