The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-04-05
POI CLIMBING OUT !.
Of REAcROF POOR
Meeting Was Held To Discuss
Measures To Reduce
7. the Price

In6 F7TICe
Poi, long the national dish of the
Hawaiian race, may become the exelu.
sive dish for the wealthy, unless prices
come down, and it was for this reason
that a meeting was held in the city
supervisors chamber last night, head
% by David Kanuha, city poi inspector
to discuss ways and means whereby
the food commission can bring the
price within the reach of the average
Hawaiian laborer -,
The meeting was well attended and
iaome Interesting data was presented,
which indicates that the price of poi
has reached a figure which makes IL
IN expensive dish and the supply to
the Hawaiian family must be reduced
in quantity, because he has not sufficil
efit funds to purchase a normal supply.
Mr.. Kamha explained that last year
he was asked by Food Commissioned
Child 10 secure data from Hawaiian
tar0 growers as to the cost of them to
j Nv flItpli dhu Uul VI thti
matches, bagged and into the hands Of
the factories.
Cost Of Production ,,
s.tHe found that from the time the
patches were prepared, the tarO plant
ed, tended during the time it was
growing, picked and bagged into 100
pound lots it cost On an average Of
Al % pei hundred pounds. Finding that
this appeared to be low in comparison
to the, rising rate Of living, he added
twenty cents, making it $l.45, and then
took off five cents, making his aver.
aSe $1.40.
~. This hundred pounds would produce
about eighty pounds of roi ns an aver
age. for the lowest grade and as high
as niuetv.fVe pounds for the best
grade. The price TO the consumer went
10 five cents a pound. Taking eighty
pounds as an average. at five cents q
pound, the consumer paid S.
There was too great difference be-
tween the cost of producing. taro and
the amount received for poi from the
consumer. He was told that labor
WIS higher, and other High Cost of
Living items entered into the increased
RATE to the consumer.
His figures, he explained were aver.
aGedS after. consulting a large number
Of ;taro patch owners and operators.
Tn some cases he felt that the data was
incorrect. and on returning to the par,
ties, had them 60 over their figures,
with the result that some changes were
made and the general average was
struck.
Nothing Done
This report, was turned over to the
food commissioner last September but
EnpthinR has been done. 80 ~ ~ i
~ w II. Hoogs "A new member. on the
food commission, will probably take a
hand in the taro and poi situation in
the near future, and ascertain wheth,
or or not the price of poi as paid at
present by. the consumer is too high
or gives the product of poi too much
profit. r-'
He finds that the legislative act
creating the food commission gives I'M
usual powers to the commissioners to
deal with the food situation, and also
gives the commission power TO aid those
who win assist in producing greater
crops and conserving same.
He also believes in the commission
meeting oftener, ON the ground that
there are important matters connected
with the food COMMISSIONS work
which should be attended to by the
commissioners more often than at pres
emit.
Land in plenty is available for an
increased production of taro, to relieve
the poi supply situation, but the en-,
tire problem rests on whether the sup
nIy of labor can be secured to develop
the areas. Suoh was the summary of n
meeting of the Hawaiian United Asso
citation which was held last evening
at the Office of Mayor Joseph J. Fern
The board of directors of the associ
alton were the only members present
and the session was called principally
TO discuss taro and labor.
ave have an offer of all the land
that we would require for the produc
ton Of taro," said James l.. Holt sec
rotary, after the meeting. "but it all
hinges on the other principal question
Of whore we will Obtain the labor snf
frient/tO develop the lands. We dis
russed this matter almost exclusi vely
The matter was not settled at all at
the meeting and will be taken up again
in the near future at another session.
---I--- W. g. g. So