Ready to Produce Poi

I recently built a Poi Factory for Myself, and am ready and am steaming taro. My poi is six pounds for a quarter. Those people who want to pick up poi however should bring a bag to put the poi in.

My taro comes from Pauoa, a land of delicious poi. All those who want poi are invited to leave their poi orders on the day prior to when they want it so that I know how much taro I need to cook so that there is enough for the desired poi.

The Chinese are Ready to Raise Poi Prices.

We see the lessening of the poi of the poi sellers, and the people making poi are ready to lessen the poi once more, that mean increasing the price of poi once more. This increase in the poi price would happen in the case where the price they pay for taro is high. But the price they pay for taro is very low. They pay me a dollar and a quarter for a bag of poi, and I have to pull it and take it to their poi factories; that is like a dollar a bag. I would not complain about them if they increased the poi they sold to those who want poi. They want low poi prices, but the poi being sold to those who eat poi is so little.

Therefore the thought came to me to build a Poi Factory for Myself, so that I could cook taro and sell it to you the people.

I will not deliver the poi to the houses unless there is a great number of people who want poi in the various districts lest there be much cost expended for just a small number of people wanting poi in the various districts. However if it comes to that, then only five pounds of poi will be gotten for a quarter, because buying a car to deliver the poi here and there while paying someone to do that work will cost a lot.

For me to continue this work, friends, please help me by purchasing the poi of this friend of yours. This way the Chinese will not be able to harmfully raise the price of poi again. But it is a fact that the price of our poi will increase if the high wages that the sugar plantations are paying the field workers continue, the wages of the people who work the taro fields will go up accordingly.

Don’t put off sending in your poi orders so that you can eat the delicious poi of Pauoa made by the careful hands that know of poi eating.

YOUR FRIEND,

JONAH KUMALAE,

Poi Factory . . . 1719 Liliha Street, Honolulu.

(Alakai o Hawaii, 5/26/1920, p. 3)