for Business this Monday
[This building stood where the current downtown BOH building is on the corner of King and Bishop Streets. It opened for business on Monday, the 28th of March, 1927.]
Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Buke LXVI, Helu 13, Aoao 1. Maraki 31, 1927.
A Hawaiian boy whose name is John Gilman Kealoha, who is working on the Submarine R—23, as the one who operates the Radio aboard that submarine mentioned, wrote a letter on the 26th of this past August, to his mother, Mrs. Cecilia J. Kealoha of this town, describing how he is living and also the love he has for his parents; and the thoughts in his letter written in English can be seen translated for the benefit of the readers of the Kilohana [“the Foremost,” an epithet for the Kuokoa], below:
U. S. S. R.—23,
New London, Aug. 26, 1922.
My beloved mama:—
I am writing to tell you that I’m currently working aboard the Submarine U. S. S. R.—23 as the one who operates the Radio Telephone. I have submerged 22 times from when I first boarded this vessel. Our captain is good, and so are the 30 people aboard this craft. I am in good health and I hope you two are as well, as well as everybody else living at home. Our submarine will leave here to travel on to Norfolk, Virginia with another submarine, the R—27, and while in Norfolk, the ship will be filled with fuel and food supplies and from there it will travel to Charleston, Key West, and then to New Orleans to gather for when the convention of delegates will meet, and there the submarines will show how they submerge so the people there can see, and the rest of the time will be spent by us at Coco Solo, near the Panama Canal [alawai o Panama], where the submarines will stop.
Mama, in my opinion, it is for the best if younger brother, Kalei, stays with you two at home always; he was paid two months ago; if he is at home, give him a lot of my aloha, and also to the people at home; this way, I know that I will get word by letter from some of them, mainly from Younger brother Herman and sister, and from you two as well.
It has been nearly three years that I’ve been away from home, and it is you mama who I think a lot about, and papa as well; and it is for you two that I always pray at night and day, until we meet once again. I wrote to you before this, but I did not receive a reply to that letter, maybe you sent one, but I didn’t receive it, maybe because you sent it to the wrong address; here is where to write again:
JOHN GILMAN KEALOHA,
U. S. S. R.—23,
New London, Conn.
O Mama, I just put in money into my savings again, at the Navy Savings Bank, [83 Sands Street], Brooklyn, N. Y.; I’m putting away $20 a month, and when my money accumulates, I will send it to the Bank of Hawaii in Honolulu by remittance. I have the number of that Bank book with me.
I have decided to spend my New Year (Nu I-a) at Coco Solo. I end here and wait for your reply.
Give my big aloha to papa and all the family and friends at home.
From your loving child,
JOHNNIE.
[If this is the same person as the “John Kealoha Gilman” whose grave at Punchbowl is recorded here, he was only 16 years old in 1922…]
(Kuokoa, 10/12/1922, p. 7)
Ka Nupepa Kuokoa, Buke LXI, Helu 41, Aoao 7. Okatoba 12, 1922.
The lei that took first prize and made with great skill by Mrs. Lulu Kawelu—that truly beautiful lei was made from the flowers called “Ka ui o Olaa”¹ [Olaa Beauty], and it was made in 4 hours and a half by Mrs. Kawelu.
¹This plant is also known as “Nani o Olaa”.
(Hoku o Hawaii, 5/8/1928, p. 2)
Ka Hoku o Hawaii, Buke XXI, Helu 48, Aoao 2. Mei 8, 1928.
On Tuesday last week, Hilo held a celebration and display of flower lei of all sorts, and this was done at the Bank of Hawaii in Hilo. All types of lei were brought down and they were made will all kinds of flowers of all types, and prizes of all kinds were prepared of gold coins [dala gula].
The doors of the Bank were opened at seven in the morning, and lei of all types were brought in from then on until 10:00 A. M. of that morning, and then the doors were closed to bring in the judges.
However the bringing in of lei to put on display by others after that was not barred. Entered were all types of lei of all sorts; for instance, lei made of various flowers, and some lei were woven with the buds of the lehua, and lei hinahina, and lei pukamole of all sorts. Also brought for display were some oo bird feathers, and feather lei of various birds, but they were not there for judging, they were just there to show the many beautiful kinds. Some of those lei of oo bird feathers are valued at $1,700 for one.
The placing of the various lei were organized by the Committee chosen earlier, and also chosen before were the judges who would decide which lei won the prizes, and they were Miss Ivy Richardson, Mrs. Emily Sexton, and Mrs. S. L. Desha, Sr. Also selected was the one who would announce the winning lei and he would also hand out the prizes decided upon by the lei judges.
From the time when the Bank was opened until the time when the awards were given, there was approximately five-thousand visitors who entered to look at the many lei, and voices of appreciation were heard from the mouths of many attendees, and the crowd expressed their joint feelings to rouse this new Hawaiian spirit, and that this event will be commemorated always from now on. There were countless [hewa i ka wai] lei that were crafted of all sorts, and it was truly a difficult task for the Judges to give their decision on some of these lei.
When the many lei were brought in, the name of the maker was immediately announced, and a number was given to the lei, so therefore the judges did not know who strung the lei, or crafted them with great skill.
When the period for the competition lei to be entered was over and the doors were closed to the entry of lei competing for the various prizes, the judges began to examine each lei, paying attention to make up of the lei, and how it was crafted, and how cleanly it was made and how neat they were as well. [They were judged] not on just how pretty the flowers were, but on how the lei were made.
In the examination by the Judging Committee, their job was tremendous, being that there were just so many beautiful-looking lei of all sorts, but some were distinguished by how they were made, in that they were woven with true craftsmanship, or by how the flowers were sewn into the lei. By those qualities did they hand down each of their judgements.
There were two competition divisions that were entered, those being lei entered by individual lei makers, and lei entered by a group, and many different schools entered their lei. The Judges awarded the First Place Prize to the beautiful lei entered by Mrs. Lulu Kawelu, and that was a prize of $30.00 and the second place prize went to Miss Charlotte Lyman, $20.00.
To the Women’s Association of Hilo went the first prize of $20.00, for the lei entered by a group; and the First Place Prize of $20.00 for the beautiful lei entered by a skilled maker of lei—to Mrs. Susie Naope with a lei of Red Lehua skillfully woven and wound with white lehua, and by weaving this lei, that prize went to her.
As for the schools, the prize of $15.00 went to the Mauna Huihui School, and the second place to the school children of Puumaile Home, a prize of $10.00.
To Hilo Junior High School went the first place, and to Kapiolani School the second place; $15.00 was the first prize and $10.00 was the second prize. The school that was the luckiest was the Kurtistown School, whose principal is Miss Mary Nailima—to them went the first prize and second prize, $15.00 and $10.00.
Kahu S. L. Desha, Sr. announced the winners of the prizes and it was he who presented the prizes. Some people had all sorts of ideas regarding the decisions of the judges, but the Judging Committee did as they thought was right. It is difficult indeed to please everyone, but they did what they could, and should you, O Fault Finders, be in their place, there mostly surely would be those faulting your decisions. The thing sensed by the crowd there at that time was the new Hawaiian spirit; and this event will become something that reawakens the spirit of Hawaii of times past.
(Hoku o Hawaii, 5/8/1928, p. 2)
Ka Hoku o Hawaii, Buke XXI, Helu 48, Aoao 2. Mei 8, 1928.
Honolulu was truly festive on this day to wear lei, and so too was the Bank of Hawaii in Honolulu, which was like a lovely flower garden. Most of the maile lei and lehua lei which decorated that display of flower lei were however from Hawaii Island. The single first prize went to Mrs. Liggie [Liggle?] Lee at that show in Honolulu.
(Hoku o Hawaii, 5/8/1928, p. 2)
Ka Hoku o Hawaii, Buke XXI, Helu 48, Aoao 2. Mei 8, 1928.
This 1st day of May is the day on which to go and visit the Bank of Hawaii, and to see the beautiful lei and flowers displayed on the tables prepared for this day for wearing lei.
(Ka Hoku o Hawaii, 5/1/1928, p. 2)
Ka Hoku o Hawaii, Buke XXI, Helu 47, Aoao 2. Mei 1, 1928.
nupepa 