The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-05-18
RETAIL MERCHANTS
WARNHONOLULANS
AGAINST HYSTERIA
Newspapers Urged To Avoid In
spring Fear In Minds Of
the Local People
CHAMBER PLANS TO OPEN
AN ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN
lanes D. Dole Announces Food
Commission Expects To
Issue Report Soon

Meeting 10 discuss war taxes. and
tearing the roof from board of retail
trades resolution anent hysteria among
the common people, the chamber OF
commerce, yesterday afternoon pre-.
scented q human likeness to the noun
tain, whose labor has become pro,
verbal Every thing from the psyche.
loqy Of the mob TO recruiting in the
national guard entered into the discus
sion. And it was some discussion
The newspapers were chiefly roasted
for Inspiring the hysteria, but there
were other elements of the population
to come Ia for verbal castication. D..
The report Of the legislation commit,
G tee approving tine measures Of the War
Tax Bill, which means the enormous
increase Of taxes, large share of
which in Hawaii win be paid by firms
represented at yesterdays meeting, was
adopted without a solitary word of dis.
cussion. The smallest sum mentioned
in the report Of the committee was
one hundred million dollars.
Following the passage of this import
ant document the discussion for move
ment TO prevent Honolulans from turn
ing themselves into tightwads was led
in the affirmative by John Efinger of
the South Sea Curio Company, James
ID. Dougherty, Of Wall & Dougherty
and W. d. Adams, of the Bergstrom
Music Co. The discussion lasted one
hour and thirty-fve minutes. -
EnlnEer Explains ...:
Chairman Efinger, of the retail
trades board, explained that the board
had intended going ahead on its own
hook, but after a conference with the
chairman Of the finance committee, Mr..
Bishop, they had been advised TO come
before the chamber and get the whole
body to back up the campaign.
Mr.. Dougherty put the proposition
on the floor by motion that the cham
Der Of commerce, "expend $500 in an
advertising campaign not to advertise
bnsiness, but to put at ease the minds
Of certain people in Honolulu. /" Chair
man James ID. Dole of the territorial
food commission, asked If the persons
whose minds were to be relieved were
the retail merchants of Honolulu.
william G. MeGonagle, vice president
Of Benson & Smith, druggists, and
George w. Smith, president Of the same
firm, led the fghtlfor Dougherty's mo-
tion. Mr.. Smith described the psy-
chology Of the mob and the manner in
which II was Influenced by general ref.
erenee to affairs, long continued. He
gave as examples the patent medicines
adds, in which the business men who
got up every morning with a lame back,
bad taste in the mouth, or headache,
were told they had something the mat
ter with them which could be cured by
John Doe's pills, and he added that be-
cause nearly every business man got up
once in a while with one of these symp-
toms they got thinking along general
lines and eventually took John Doe 5
pills for what ever was the matter with
them. .s ...s
.Mob'' Grows stingy ~. .t@a.,s
This, he explained, was the case with
the "mob ~ who saw daily general ref
erences TO such things as the food sup
ply in the newspapers and gradually be.
came hysterieal over food shortages and
high prices; commenced to hoard their
money and deprived themselves of
things which they could afford
All the speakers on this side of the
question, particularly Mr. Dougherty
made the point that failure to pur-
chase the customary things which one
could afford hurt business, and il had
most patriotic thing that could be done
was 10 keep business going. ~"
Ed. Towse president Of the Merean,
tile Printing Company, spoke for the
motion, but advised further considera.
tion rs he believed, from signs In his
own business and other businesses with
which he was acquainted, that the by
steria had passed. tE.f ~
Opposition Gets Busy
The landslide came when the oppo.
sition started This was led by H.
Faxon Bishop, of G. Brewer g. Co.,
James ID, Dole, president Of the Hawa.
iian Pineapple Company and chairman
of the territorial food commission, A.
Lewis Jr., ee-president of Bank of
Hawaii y. d. Tenney, general manager
Of Castle 4 Cooke, aud Senator A. l..
Castle. The opposition was strong, and
its arguments lucid, but II was weak
In numbers as the eventual vote showed
Mr.. Dole was invited TO speak as
representative Of the food commission.
At that time, he did not care to speak
against the motion, he said although
he opposed it by Inference late) but
he refused to approve OF IL.
IT was from this point that the Oh
position was made, Senator Castle, who
was the father Of the food commission
bill, came out fat.footedly against the
motion. II was bad stand for the
chamber OF commerce 10 take, he said
and in the face Of the fact that the
food commission had not yet made a
public report upon which to base an
understanding OF the need Of any re.
ttenchmeht, he believed action by the
chamber OF commerce 10 be premature.
He asked Mr. Dole il the food com
mission expected 10 make such a report
IN the near future, aud Mr.. Dole re-
pied In the Affirmative.
M. Bishop stated that as chairman
81 the enanee committee he had been
! alec mon by the retail trades mem
hers and had advised fuller considera-