The Independent

AT MOLOKAI.
The Independent
Joins the
Excursionists.

Old Ocean Bowls Them Out In Fine
Style-They Get a Wetting at the
Settlement But See Many In-
teresting
Things
Upon
Which the Scribe
Dilates

(Continued from Yesterday.)

Mr. Dutton is evidently a man
with military experience; for if he
were not the large establishment
under his direction could never be
conducted in the manner now pre-
vailing. The grounds surrounding
the place are the finest public
grounds outside, perhaps, of Palace
yard. The houses, inside and out-
side, are kept in such a shape that
the most fastidious old housekeeper
would be unable to find a fault.

And remember that in those very
houses, in those clean rooms, live
boys and men afflicted with the
most dreadful disease; men and boys
who, if nature counts, should feel
desperate for being punished for
their misfortunes; human beings
who have been forced to leave their
homes, their parents, their wives,
and every thing which makes life
worth living. And do you think
that they are despairing, dear read-
er? Not much! We were received
with a yell of joy by a number of
youngsters, who rushed up to the
great Hall to tell the band to see
that the great "dripping" and very
funny looking procession had arrived
And we got there, and after leaving
the marks of our muddy boots and
irrigating clothes, we arrived in the
Hall and heard a band play, which
would do credit to any school or
amateur society we have ever run
across. Twelve boys dressed in the
neat uniforms donated by generous
people in Honolulu, and looking as
nice and proud as our old band,
greeted the visitors with jolly good
music, although, alas! several boys
were obliged to play their instru-
ments with their left hand, the
fingers of their right being lost.

A few appropriate remarks were
made by the chairmen of the two
Legislative Committees. Then Sen-
ator Baldwin, who was hailed with
enthusiasm by the beneficiaries of
his generosity, said a few words of
encouragement and aloha to the in-
mates of the Home.

Mr. W.O. Smith made a stirring
address to the young people. He
expressed the appreciation of the
Government for their good conduct,
and he earnestly begged them to
hope for relief and have patience
during their sad infliction. He
pointed out how remedies had been
found for many diseases, which a
few years ago were considered in-
curable, and he told them how the
medical scientists of the world were
hourly searching for light in com-
bating the dread disease from which
the inmates of the Baldwin Home
were now suffering. He assured
them that the Government would
spare no expense in securing any
remedy which could be reasonably
expected as a cure, and that the
whole country, which felt deeply for
their afflictions, was watching any
new development in the researches
of the scientists with the greatest
interest. Mr. Smith's address made
a deep impression on the audience
and renewed hope gleamed in many
eyes among those youngsters, who
yet only feel the disease in the first
stages.

When Mr. Smith
finished
his
speech the leader of the
band
stepped forward and addressed the
assembly in a few well-chosen words.
The young fellow, whose name was
Arthur Mitchell, was leading the
band during the illness of the band-
master. He is a handsome young
fellow who does not outwardly show
any sign of the disease which has
confined him, yet in his teens, to the
Hawaiian Siberia. On behalf of his
comrades the young fellow asked
Mr. Smith to thank the people of
Honolulu for their kindness in fur-
pishing uniforms for the Kalawao
Band. The boys were very grateful
indeed, but, said Mitchell, they
would like to have blue pants to
match their coats, because the white
pants which they are now wearing
needed much washing, and (with a
husky voice), there were some whose
hands couldn't very well stand the
washing. In response to a question
from Mr. Smith, Mitchell stated,
that blue serge pants for the mem-
bers of the band would cost alto-
gether about $75. It was well worth
noticing the gratified smile of the
boy when his request was answered
from the ranks of the "wise" men
with a hearty "pololei! aole pilikia!"
There were numerous Solons who
wished that they had some dry
trousers in sight just then. The
Kalawao bandboys will get their
blue ones all right enough.

Bidding good-bye to Mr. Dutton
and the good Brothers, the bedragg-
gled visitors returned to Kalaupapa,
where a lot of futile attempts were
made to dry the "outer" man, and
some success was made in wetting
the "inner" man. At 1 o'clock a
meeting of the Board of Health was
held at the office of the Board, and
at the same hour a public meeting
was held at the Public Hall, where
the committee listened to the
COMPLAINTS OF LEPERS.

A number of eloquent speeches
were made, in which the speakers
enumerated some frivolous com-
plaints and some which will have
the earnest attention of the Legis-
lature. The main complaint re-
ferred to the shortage in the supply
of poi. The Legislators explained
to the people the scarcity of taro and
the unforeseen blight, which have
injured the present crop, and made
a great deal of taro unfit for food.
Representative Kahaulelio made a
forcible address, in which he told
the assembled people of the Maine
disaster and the supposed war be-
tween America and Spain, which
will cause a general rise in prices and
create much hardship all over the
country. He pointed out that the
people at the Settlement were really
better off, than their friends in the
old homes He assured them that
the government, whose wards they
were would continue to supply them
with as much pai-ai as could be pro-
cured, and that the supply of rice
and flour to the settlement would
not be impaired in the slightest de-
gree never mind what prices the
dealers might eventually demand.
In that respect, said Mr. Kahaulelio,
they were better off than the out-
siders who probably would be un-
able to raise sufficient funds to meet
the high prices, and who eventually
would come down to the unenviable
position of "ai pohaku." Other rep-
resentatives spoke in the same strain
and the people of the settlement
realized the difficulties now existing
and declared themselves satisfied by
getting what they can at present
and hope for better times to come.

Shortly after five o'clock farewells
were said, and the Noeau was
HOMEWARD BOUND.

Although it was as smooth a pass-
age as any traveller could desire
wise men, newspaper men and other
men did the old act over again, and
entered into communication with
the monsters of the sea, to whom
they
their
delivered
experiences,

(Continued to 4th page.)
(Continued from 1st page.)
lunches, and other incidentals in
their possession. After a very smart
run the Noeau reached the wharf in
Honolulu at 10 o'clock, and the
party dispersed with wonderful
alacrity, seeking home and dry
clothes.
The impression of the trip is that
the Board of Health is doing excel-
lent work at the Leper Settlement,
and that the important questions,
with which they have to deal are

FOOD, FUEL AND FLUID.

After the observations made during
our brief visit, we suggest, that any
responsible man at the settlement
should be allowed to start cultivat-
ing taro on a large scale. We do
not believe that the government
should undertake the task. The
lepers, as a rule, will not work and
most decidedly not for a govern-
ment which virtually confines them
to a prison although they have com-
mitted no offense. A private in-
dividual, paying reasonable wages.
can always find a laborer, and there
is abundant land for a taro enter-
prise, although the best lots, through
the blunder of some idiotic adminis-
tration are used to "plant kanakas
in" instead of taro, or in other
words as a cemetery. We hope the
food question will have the earliest
and earnest consideration of the
Board of Health, and that no private
"pull" will interfere with the estab-
lishment of the taro industry at the
settlement.
Fuel is getting very scarce. The
mountain sides are nearly bare, and
it does not seem to us that any in.
telligent steps are being taken to re-
new the forests. If Algaroba
trees had been planted in the so-
called crater a few years ago, there
would now have been a very large
grove there of that desirable tree.
Owing to the weather we were un-
able to make a thorough inspection
of the nursery. A cursory glance
did not indicate that much progress
has been made, or that any imme-
di immediate results or help can be expect-
ed from that quarter.
At Kalawao they use as fuel a
shrub, which grows very readily and
owing to the hardness of the wood
makes excellent fuel. A large plot
on the mountain side has been
planted with this shrub, and there
seems to be no reason why the ex-
ample should not be followed at Ka-
laupapa. The shrub belongs to the
Acalypha family of the order of the
Euphorbiceae, and is very prolific in
tropical and semi-tropical countries,
where it is frequently used as an
ornamental plant owing to its
beautiful colored leaves. As fire-
wood the shrub has proved excel-
lent, and due attention should be
paid to its further cultivation.
In regard to water we have very
little to say that hasn't been refer-
red to in the columns of this paper.
The settlement can get all the water
it needs, if an eight inch main is put
in from Waikolu. The expense
would not be very great, and the
next Legislative committees visiting
the settlement would be spared the
humiliation of finding the water-
pipes at Kalaupapa dry, an experi-
ence
which
we
enjoyed until
the rain came.
There is water
enough in Waikolu to supply a town
like Honolulu; all that is needed is
a pipe system of the proper size.
The men who, for to-day at least,
hold the fates of the unfortunate
people on Molokai in their hands.
have now visited the settlement and
seen for themselves how a large por-
tion of our revenues is being annual-
ly expended not alone in the inter-
est of those who are sick—but for
the benefit of "the other fellow." We
hope they have gained much in-
formation and will assist the govern-
ment in making the burden as easy
as possible for those who are segre-
gated for the protection of the
whole community.