The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-03-29
WHOLESALE DISCHARGE OF
WHITE MEN AT SPRECKEbSvILEas
New Manager Lives Up to His Mamie,
and Boots Out the White Man, Re-
placing Him by Orientals. 49,.

The startling Information cemcs
from the. Spreckelsville plantation tSat'
Proprietor c. A. Spreckels and Msn
agef G. NJ. Boote are dischargingrall
the white men on the plantation. The
positions, which are important and
command good salaries, are being
given to japanese and Chinese. -
Since the retirement of David Center
as manager of the plantation, a little
more than six weeks ago, a" constant.
crusade has been kept up against the
white labor employed on the planta-
tion by the new manager, who hails
from Louisiana, and who has had con-
siderable experience in sugar planting
in the Southern States. He has Dseh
letting his best men go as rapidly as
he was able to break in some Oriental
to fill the vacancy until last Saturday
evening a big batch of the Anglo Sax
ons were notified that their services
were needed no longer.
Among the last to go was Fred
Myers, who has held the position of
head luna for several years, Alexander
Shepard, head carpenter William
Morton, plantation policeman; Mr..
Smith, camp boss; Thomas Dunn,
stable boss, the timekeeper and one or
two others. :.
Myers will probably accept posi-
tion on the Waianae plantation on this
island, under his old employed, David
Center Sheppard has come to Homo
lulu and will probably hang out HIS
shingle as contractor. Mr.. Dunn
and one or two others of the men who
were let out came to the city yester-
day to seek employment. "."
These men were seen by Star RET
porter this morning. They stated that
they were potified of their discharge
without a moments warming and no
explanation was offered.
"On Saturday evening l was handed
my pay and told that | was not want
ed any MORE" said Stable Boss Dunn.
81 asked why | was let out so uncere-
moniously, but my paymaster offered
no excuse. | then went to Mr.. Spreck-
els, he being an old acquaintance of
mine, and sought information from
him. He replied that l was not the
only one, that all the white men had
| been or would be taken off the pay
I ,oIlu XNhap I ;nciSta1 ttnnp an aynln
nation he stated that he was obliged 20
cut down expenses and that under the
new management he had decided to
do away with every white man pos
! sible, even to the heads of the depart
ments, and to instate either Japanese
or Chinese in their places.
The proposition to work for re-
duced wages was not even submitted
to us. Had it been am certain that
some of us would have been glad to
have been allowed to remain on the
plantation, even under those circum.
stances, as we were caught rather
short in our sudden Dismissal. had
been investing my money in one OF
two directions which | wonld not have
done had the slightest idea that such
a change was contemplated by tho
management.
q. "Since Mr.. Boote took charge ot
things about a month and a half ago
he has been letting out the best white
men on the plantation one at time
1 Still we never dreamed that wholesale
discharge of the white labor woulc
take place as it did on Saturday even
ing. The few white men that hnv,
been retained are feeling very shak,
over their jobs and expect to be noti
fed at any moment of their dismissal.
One of the boys said to me wher
left on Sunday that he expected 10 %,
Booted out most any day now"
Chief Engineer Stoddard is undel
contract with the Spreckels brothers
as is also T. F. Sanborn, the chemist
The latter is serving his second year
The life of his contract will expire /,
December.
Mr.. Spreckels, while in Honolulu
few weeks ago, said that he was con
sidering the idea of importing Italian
TO his plantations.
!