The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-03-15
GRIEVANCES AIRED
AT FISH MARKET
Hawaiians Complain Fifty=Eifty
Rule Of Food Administration
Works Hardship On Them

Tecting at the fish market yes
terdaS morning which was designed to
tbresh out the matter of mullet prices
and the boarding charged to the pond
men, widencd into general clearing
house for grievances Of HawaiiRns
against the food administration, which
broke out in riotous language from a
big gathering Of the natives.
Loud voices broke into the speech
making about fish to inquire why it is
that Hawaiians are obliged by the food
administration to purchase on the
hal f.and-half basis when they are buy
ing flour with which to thickep poi.
The cereal substitutes which the fifty.
, fifty rule requires them to purchase
along with flour are of no use to the
Hnwaiians in their manner of cooking,
and this was the basis Of strenuous pro-
tests during the fish meeting.
In the thick Of the loud murmur
which arose. Ebcn Low of the Vigi,
lance Corps took the soap box and as
sured the Hawaiaus that il is his in.
tentiOn to see that the food administra-
| tors ruling be amended in order that
they may receive relief in what
amounts to hardship on the part Of
many HaWaiians.
Purpose Defeated
Mr.. Low conceded that the spirit Of
the food administration rule is car
ried out when the Hawaiian moi is
| thickenPd with flour. thus making a
staple of consumption which il less
than fifty percent white flour, as the
| pc l..
But at the same time. he said, il forces
the natives to purchase something they
have no use for. He believed that the
purnOse of the food administration is
really defeated, in this case, because
| of the waste
1t. is now necessary for, the Ha-
"Niians to add large percentage Of
| flour to the poi in order to make il
more nourishing, in the absence of
| aY"ilnhlP nomrishmcnt of other kinds, "
said Mayor Fern, who was also present
| ~ thc meeting. "This has been call
ed to my attention many times, as n
hardship and believe that the Hawaii;
| ma are entitled to some redress from
Wa shingtOn.' y
The governor was present. at the
meeting and listened attpntively to all
of the Hawaiian speech making, al.
| though he did not uubend to an, ur-
gent request for a speech from himself
! Fern and Low Argue
Previous to the speeches which were
made for the information of the Ha-
waiinns, Mayor Fern and Mr.. Low en-
| ""''ed in sPt-tn about the mullet stu
alton. which is described rs serious by
the fish men,. Mayor Ferns conten-
tion is that the retail price Of twenty
rents for mullet is unjust. to the, fish
men and that they are to some degree
warranted in withholding the usual
supply of mullet until their demands
are met. He contended that the prin-
Ginal thing is to get the fish to the mar
+ ket and II the increase of FIVE cents
per pOund will DO this the public will
! gladly pay it rather than go without,
md at m" same time the mission Of
the authorities to protect them from
erretic and exOrbitant prices is filled.
Mr.. Low contended, however, that
the stand of the pond men is nothing
but an attempted hold-up and an il
legal boarding of food supplies whir b
| is classed as criminal under the rulings
of the food administration.
A Bad Precedent
"If we accede to their dema nds and
place the price five cents higher, what
assurance have we even then that fish
"ill come. into the market in quaint
tiesR" he demanded of the mayor.
There is nothing to prevent these
men from arbitrarily fixing their own
pri"" under pain of no mulIet in the
market, and that is something that we
cannot afford to set precedent in and
( n thing that is not permitted in the
cas-" of any other food product. "
Mr.. Low promises that the strong
arm of the law will soon be excrtcd on
the mullet pond men to force them to
bring their fish to the market in ado
Quate quantities and at the price that
has been stipulated in the program Of
the food administration.