The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-09-25
Wilcox Was Before
the Visiting
Board.
WILD STATEMENTS
TO SENATORS
Accuses Board of Health of Vac.
cinatins Hawaiians With the
Germs OF Leprosy.
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'
Mr.. Wilcox-4. That the leper colony
at Kalaupapa on the Island of MoIokai
be taken under the care, control and
maintenance of the Federal government
as reservation for leprous persons un-
der the direction of the Secretary of the
Treasury. but that no leprous persons
other than these of the mainland of the
United States and of this Territory be
allowed on such reservation. Because
we don't want lepers from the Philip
pine Islands
Mr.. Thurston-Do you want them to
come from the United States?
Mr.. Wilcox-In the United States
there are only three hundred.
Mr.. Thurston-You want them
brought down here?
Mr.. Wiicox-Brought down here. The
whole thing up there-they get no care
there. The last Legislature when they
so up there find they have rotten
salmon. rotten bread, rotten clothes and
a store there built so that the Board of
Health makes 10 per cent out of it.
Senator Mitchell-What are the find
ings of the Committee?
Mr.. Wileox-That is the report of the
Committee? Each person was sworn
and answered question, and this is the
whole report of the Committee last
Legislature and 1 know the fact.
Judge Humphreys-Isn't it fact that
that store Is run over at Molokai SO that
merchants can unload shelf-worn goods
onto this store?
Mr.. Wilcox-They have always done
1t. know some members of the Board
of Health do that and send up bad
- 1,
them full prices.
Judge Humphreys-Is that not the
reason the local government wish to re-
tain control?
Mr. Wilcox-I don't believe in the
Board of Health being in business and
l know, not this Board of Health but
ones before, and I say political man
ayers of the government here and the
Board of Health do this. It is not the
only objection. There is another OBJ
lection. L say the natives dread this
place being under the Board of Health.
They have no confidence in the Presi-
dent of the Board of Health, the ma
tives have not.
Since the beginning of the Board of
Health, since the segregation of the
iepers there, there have been about 40,
900 and it is just the same today 1000
every year. Never any decrease. They
never mind, the people here, most OF
them. They look upon the doctor OF
the Board of Health and they think he
vaccinates the children with leprosy,
puts leprosy in their children. Parents
here good and clean, the children vac
cinated in the school and they turn cut
lepers. You can blame the doctors of
the Board of Health. The lepers have
no confidence in the present govern
ment. They think that place is kept
up for the benefit of this Board OF
Health, for gouging one hundred dol
lars a year off the leper To save all
this trouble I believe it is the whole
thing, the opinion there that the Unit
ed States will see that the poor leper
is well taken care of. They Will oulid
a hospital there and the United States
is a big government, not like TINS one
horse concern here; and they VIII see
that the poor leper is we'll taken care
Of This is my belief. / know all the
natives are scared of that place, scared
of these people. scared of the Boaru OIL
Health When we have got munlc-
ipal government then we will nave
Board of Health from the people, and
not one appointed either by supporters
of the government or political man
ayers and all that. We can not blame
them making money, they make money
out of the leper, out of anything.
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With its two sittings today will close
the hearings of the Senatorial Commits
sion, and from the indications the last
phases of the inquiry will be as full of
interest as have been any of the pre-
ceding ones.
Chairman Mitchell announced during
the afternoon session yesterday that it,