The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1910-06-29
RUSSIANS COME
TO THE FRONT
Lead List Of Applicants for Free
Aid at the Government
Dlspensary.

The new Russian population has come
strongly to the front in one way, at
least. The records of the government
free dispensary show that. notwith-
standing their small numbers as com
pared with most other nationalities in
Hawaii, more Russians were treated at
the dispensary during the month Of May
than members of any other race. Two
hundred and seven Russians were given
free medical and surgical assistance
during that month, as against 1877 Por-
tuguese and a total Of 664, including
all nationalities.
Heretofore the Portuguese have stood
at the head in the doubtful honor. The
record for the month of April of this
year shows that of the 4OS eases treated
l4l were Portuguese, sixty-seven Rus
SLAMS, tortytive Porto Ricans, forty
three Hawalians, twenty nine Koreans,
twenty-four Spanish, sixteen part Ha-
wallan, ten japanese, nine American,
seven Danish West Indian, five negroes,
two Chinese, two Irish and one Norwe-
gian.
But in the following month the Rus
slams came to the front in a Jump.
The list for May is as follows:
Russians 207, Portuguese 1917, Hawai-
ians slxty-six, Porto Ricans sixty-one,
Spanish thirty five, Koreans twenty-six.
Japanese twenty, part Hawaiians eigh-
teen, Americans fifteen, German seven,
Chinese six, Danish West Indian five.
- NV Of ba+ Lo
total number of cases treated in May
was more than a third larger than the
total for April. But this extra third
Increased number of Russians who APP
piled at the dispensary for aid.
1t is stated at the dispensary that
many persons abundantly able to pay
Doctors bill apply there for free as
sistance This is, according to the
statements of the dispenser, particular
~ true Of the Portuguese, many Of
whom will put on their oldest clothes
and their most miserable appearance
and go to the dispensary when they
ought to 90 to a doctor who would
charge them a fee. \ recent instance
is cited where a Portuguese with a
felon on his finger appeared at the dis
penSafy presenting Sucl plclute Oh
utter misery and poverty that the at
tendant felt that he really ought to
give the man carfare home, at least.
The man wore an outfit of clothes that
a self-respecting tramp would not pick
out of an ash-barrel, and in order to
be sure of getting free medical as
sistance, had gone so far as to let his
beard grow for about two weeks, so
as to increase his appearance of wretch
edness.
The man went to the dispensary sew
eral times and had his finger dressed, but
one holiday when the dispensary was
closed, he had to go to a drugstore.
The druggist who dressed his finger
saw at once that the bandage he took
off had been put on by professional
bandager and asked who did it. The
man replied that it was put on at the
dispensary You ought to be ashamed
of yourself to go there,' said the drug
gist, and when the man had gone, he
wrote to the dispensary, giving the
facts in the case. 1t appears that the
wretched and poverty stricken Portu-
guese is the owner of big dairy and
has about Us head of milch COWS. He
doesn't go to the dispensary any more.