The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-01-18
OODCDMMISS|ON
'ANDBOOzEDOARD /
JUDGE
Resumption Of Eyenino Hours Of
Z Selling Liquor Characterized
As Stupid and Unjust
TERRITORIAL MARKET
n g CLOSING WAS ASlNlhE
Prices Of Eatables Promptly
Jumped, Says Ashford More
intelligence Is Badly Needed

Yieofops eriticism,of the liquor Ii.
cense board and Of the food commis.l
sion fs included IN letter received by
The Advertiser from Judge o. w. Ash
ford. Judge Ashford minces no wofds
but gives An opinion straight from the
shoulder ON what he terms the ,asinin,
ity Of their actions # sF,
The board Of license commissioners
il fiaysd for the resumption Of tho
lAxebipg hours for liduor,seiling imme-
aiately after che federal order prohib.
iting all furnishing Of liquor to men
Of the army. Judge Ashford stigma.
ties this az o stupid aud unjust mems
,pre, and says Il is in large measure
the cn,lse Of the increase in bootleg
ging and Illicit liquor selling. /.
The Judge, speaks strongly Of tha
order Of tbs board Of forestry, acting
under orders Of the food commissioners,
be says, which stopped all retail sell,
ing At the territorial market. He says
that Although in his personal expert
ence IL was conducted largely by ig-
norant and inefficient boys, neverthe-
less Il did n real service to the poorer
part Of the community. tri
z Prices Of food commodities have
SCARED. says Judge Ashford, since the
closing Of the retail market depart
ment, and will continue to soar. They
will continue toldo so until less indif-
fetenee to the interests of the poorer
classes y evidenced by those in power,
he asserts. ~ tk+
Il Foilowing Is the letter in full. Z.
FOOD PRICES CONSERVATION.
z N AND BOOZE
Editor Advertisef-As the result lof
several years of markat catering for
my household, have acquired some
ideas respecting what regard as the
fafeical attitude of our food,conservas
tion authorities during reeent weeks.
Our local administrative government
has lately recorded two utterly sasi-
ninb positions. The earliest Of these
was the resumption, under permission
Of the board Of license commissioners,
Of the hours for the sale Of iqnor,
which had been cnrtailed from eleven.
thirty p. m. toseven p. m, and was
: 'Working1 WslLs d But 5,vbeh, the federal
authorities stepped ip and forbade the
furnishing Of liquor TO army and navy
msh in uniform, the gsapient gentlenien
composing the board Of license commits
sioners Immediately let down the bars
they had previously, put up, and tex.
tsnded the period Of evening and night
sales to nearly midnight. ~
Unjpst and Foolish Policy TIA ..tt
EEyeyyone knows that the streets of
Honolulu contain more soldiers between
thef hours Of seven and eleven-thirty
p. NJ. than at any other hours Of the
day. It appeared, and appears, to me
as being q distinctly cruel, as well ,as
upinst and foolish policy to have, thus
thrown, open the barrooms during the
foursand.a.half hours of the evening
and night when the streets are, thronged
with soldiers, who cannot avoid being
affected by the consciousness thai
everyone except. themselves is, during
those hours, entitled to guEzle book
TO his, heart . content, provided he has
whsrewithal to pay: -.
That very act of repressiye iDjustct
could not be expected TO affect them
or many of them, otherwise than to in
spire them with the determination ID
obtain booze on an equality with the
ciyiian, Or something approaching
that equality. In other words, II, dur,
ing those hours, the civilian was en-
titled to guzzle booze ad. lib, many Of
ouf. boys in uniform would, Of neces.
sity, as a, direct result Of the prompt.
ings Of human nature, reflect upon the
privilege, mersly because they wear the
uniform Of our country. II can think
Of nothing more stupidity unjust than
this, and TO this act Of inequality ! at,
tribute, in Q large measure, the in
aRaaaa Ia IIkaokIans.la.1 ooI okko-
forms Of Illicit traffic In liuuor.
Hetail Market Closing - ,N
The. later, and possibly the greater,
exhibition Of asininity to which I. refer
was the order promulgated by the Blu
fean of Forestry s(issued at the instiea.
ton Of the food commissioner that the
Territorial Market should cease to sell
food products at retail. It is difficult
TO Contemplate or to discuss this order
temporarily, and without impatienee
In view of the twenty four karat stu.
pidity involved therein. 81. e. .
My personal experience of the Ter
fitorial Market had been that IL was
badly conducted, largely by inefficient
and ignorant boys, and that only q
1.-THE of the benefits contemplated by
the statute creating it was being
achieved. Nevertheless, even with
these limitations, ID was o distinctly
beneficial source of supply Of food
products, at moderate prices, and was
Of especial advantage to the poorer ele.
ment of the. community. No sooner
was its retail department closed than
other dealers in meats, vegetables,
fruits, ct cetera, which it had been
handling Jumped their prices inordi-
nateiy, and those prices are still soar.
ing, as have occasion to observe, from
week to week. -
] observe that "drive" is now be-
ing condueted to secure greater con
sumption Of bananas, Whereby our
local product may be more largely con.
sumed. The banana 10 most health
ful, pleasant and nutritious article of
food, and, while the Territorial mark OF
was selling this fruit ut retail, ia
price was moderate. But since then
the price has advanced so sharply and
continuously that fifty cents per bunch
Is now being charged by Oriental vend
ora. whsre similar bnnehes had beeu
hAbitnally sold in the Territorial Mar
ket at twenty to twenty-five cents.
q .hh ftr.r. q d. ~. = sd. .. 'N..-. u.. tl.