The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-08-27
RICE PROF|TEERS
ROUSE JAPANESE
Dishonest Merchants of Own
Race Condemned and Depor-
tatlon Is Suggested

cd into the Asahi ThCatCr last night
and with icCrs and n"ots, plainly in
dirntcd their feelings regarding wealthy
rice profitCcrs. Despite the high feel.
ing which ran amorK the audience the
mass meeting, which was arranged at
the instance of the japanese Associa.
tiOn Of Hawaii was an orderly one. As
variops speakers mounted the stage and
rOundlv scored a number of Japanese
firms, who are alleged TO have faxed
their invoices, in order to evade the
food commission s laws, governing the
sale and price of rice in this Territory,
the audience, from time to time, rose
as ono man and checrcd the speakers s
drnunriation of these food regulation
viOlatOrs.
Resolutions highly commencing Food
Administrator Child were passed amidst
loud applause. Copies of these reso.
lutions will he presented to Mr.. Child
today by X. Ishida.
X. Ishida, as chairman, called the
meeting to order and made q biref ad.
dress He said that the question of
securing rice is most vital one to the
10000 japanese residents of the Ter
ritory.
scars higher and higher and the sup
after day." said Ishida, "it is no time
for anyone to make Joke out of it.
It is really a question that concerns di.
rectly the livelihood of the ma aiority
of the residents of the Territory, the
japanese.
Purpose Of Meeting
! He explained that the meeting was
called by the japanese Association Of
Hawaii, Of which he is secretary, for
, the purpose Of studying the rice question
as it confronts the japanese and to find
, some solution to the threatening local
situation.
The speakers at the meeting were:
Nishigaya, KOnishi, Kimura, Ncgoro
and several others. Nishigaya, a direc.
tor of the Japanese Association, de.
clared in his address, that ait is O
most regrettable thing among the jap
ancsN to hear an ugly charge that Of
profteering, brought against the prom
incnt japanese importers. While the
Japanese in general are cooperating
sincerely with the food administration
in saving the food for the nation, some
name of their fellow cOuntrymcn bv
prOGtCcring with the chief staple food Of
the Japanese He was enthusiastical-
ly applaudel when he made strong
plea for the "scvcrrst punishment up
on these prOfteers. "
Soldier is Speaker
The most conspicuous figure of the
mass meeting was Private F. Konishi, a
japanese draftCC from Fort Shaftcr,
who was formerly a reporter Of the
Hawaii Choho. He was clad in khaki
and when he was introduced by the
chairman as "One of our many loyal
fellow cOuntrymcn, who are serving
the stars and Stripes" the audience
gave the speaker in the American uni
form q wild ovation.
Konishi said, in his address, that he
is at present Il patient Of the depart
mental hospital at Fort Shafter but as
he is well on the way to recovery, he
WAS given permission to attend the
meeting. He learned, he said. that
there Was to be a meeting on the rice
question. through the papers, and desir,
ing to have an opportunity to attend
the meeting he asked Major Rose for
leave for the night, which was granted
readily.
Asks Deportation
"Whcn even an American officer,
who has naturally little to do with the
rice question, shows has carncstncss in
the matter, by granting me leave to at
tend the meeting tonight he said,
''is it proper for the Japanese mcr-
chants to be Indifferent to the policy
of the food administration and defy
the law by prOftCcring on ricri ! know
that the majority of the japanese are
sincere in cooperation with the food al
mluIStratiUn, but some selfish merchants i
are not sincere. They are openly VIC.
lating the food law of the United
States by means of false voice meth.
Ods. Ism t this II trcachcrouS act, one
against the interests of the country to
which they owe their protertionf
hesitate not moment in demanding
that these selfish merchants, who care
little to hclP the country in this great
emergency he promptly asked, or rather
OrdCrCd to leave the country
Others spoke in more or less similar
strain to that of Private Kunishi. They
all agreed in condcmning the prOftecr.
ing merchants and in asking for a
stricter supervision by the food ad
ministratiun of their business in the
future.
Three resolutions were read by X
lshida TO the audience and were pass
ed unanimously.
Following are the resolutions passed
last night:
RESOLUTION
Resolved, that the this national and
international crisis, when the soaring
prices Of commodities have threatened
the livelihood of the consuming class
Food Administrator J. France Child b,
pctitlOncd to establish maximum
Price Of rice which is the main daily
food of most of the residents of the
Territory Of Hawaii, with view OF
preventing PQrtenial social unrest
among the consuming class.
RESOLUTION II
Resolved, that Food AdministTatoI
J. France Child be thanked heartily by
this assembly of the consuming class
for bis fair aud strict enforcement o
the food law, and that its sincere sym
pathy and cooperation be given to him
RESOLUTION Ill
! Resolved, that Food Admiuustruto
Etnu.r Chilli hn I,niitinnnI .,.,,r,