The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-04-10
THE STRIKE At LAHAINE.
KAANAPALI JAPs RETURN TO
WORK.
Fight With a Luna Last Week-Cane
Knives Taken, From Strikers-only
SEQ On Strike.

500 On Strike.
Advices received by the steamer Ike
Au HOu yesterday regarding the strike
among the Japanese at UafIaina and
Kaanapali state that there is little fear
of further trouble at Kaanapah. The
Japanese there have gone to work
again. Those at Lahaina are still hold
ing out and refuse to listen to peace
oveTtures. The number of men on the
strike is less, than a thousand now.
One" of the Immediate causes of the
strike was a fight between one of the
lunas of Lahaina and a Japanese con-
tract laborer The luna is man named
Won Budwitz, who is said to be a Ger
man count, and who has quite a repu-
tatiOn as a VIOLIN player. As he was
riding past the laborer with whom he
had the difficulty, which occurred last
week, the luna's horse shied and struck
the Jap. The count was thrown off
and the Japanese angrily attacked him.
In the fight that followed Won Budwitz
received a cut in the hand. The Jap
anese was arrested, tried and convict
ed, and fined $50, the money being paid
by subscriptions of his countrymen.
Count Won Budwitz discharge is de-
manded by the strikers.
The men who are on strike have made
up a list of conditions" on which they
will return to work, making a number
of demands that the plantation mana
gers cannot consider. II is asked by
the strikers that $4,000 each, or $4,000,
| be paid for the three Japs who were
killed in the recent accident. The COM
! pany Us stated to be willing to do some
| thing for the families of the dead wom-
an and two men, but will only pay the
money to the Japanese Consul, whereas,
| the men at Lahaina want it paid there
among themselves.
! Other conditions proposed by the la
| borers have to do with the men en-
! pioyed to boss them. They want the
| manager of the plantation discharged
| also the sdgar boiler in the factory, some
| of the lunas, and others. The doctor and
| engineer ARE also under the ban. The
! men who began the strike are contract
| laborers, though they compelled many
of the others especially at Kaanapali,
to join them in ceasing to work.
| It Is thought by some that behind the
| trouble there is something that has not
come to light. ]. F. Hackfeld of Hack
field & Co., agents for the plantation.
stated this morning that he had reason
to believe that the strike had been TO-
mented by some ringleaders whose mo-
tives were not what the strikers mad
been making known, "The accident
/ that cost three lives may have been the
cause" said Mr.. Hackfeld, but think
some leaders have been working the
thing up for some time.
"At present, according to advices /
received yesterday, there are only
about 500 strikers. They have made a
lot of demands, some of which cannot
be considered. They want the mana
ger and lot of other people discharged
and an Indemnity of $1,000 each for the
three persons who were killed. So far
as I have heard there has been no trou-
Bile. and / do not think any is eXpe5t-
ed"
At Lahaina there is citizens guard
of about thirty men, and at Walluku
there is another citizens guard, the
members numbering forty. The lunas or
the plantation secured many of the
cane knives used by the Japanese
which are thought to be the only weap-
ons any of them have. and 1t is thought
that the white men on the scene Ear
handle the situation. 'I have received
no call for help" said Marshall Brown
land do not think there will be any
serious trouble. Sheriff Baldwin wrote
to me just as the Ke Au Hou was leav'
ing and did not intimate that there was
any likelihood of assistance being need
ed from here. I think the men on th'
scene and the citizens guards can lool
after the affair"
The peace ENJOYS who were sent from
\
, huence with the Japs. The latte
seemed to think that the men from
Honolulu were friends of the planta
ton, and refused to pay any attention
to their advice. The people of Lahaina
are reported to be somewhat disturbed
over the attitude of the striking Japs
c. H. Dickey, who arrived by tn
Kinau says that just previous to tn
; Inauguration of the strike the can
! fields were set on fire three times, bu
{ without much damage being done. The
the strikers gathered in procession an,
with Japanese and other flags, an
banners flying, marched through tn
. streets of Lahaina, and to various part
Z of the plantation wherever gangs wer
| at work, compelling them by the shov
of numbers and purpose to join tn
strike. Mr.. Dickey saw a procession
of this kind on Friday compel a gam
of free laborers who were working ol
S a railroad to quit work The free labor
$ ers quit unwillingly, but had to qui
t in the face of threats and the show O
. numbers.
b Mr.. Dickey says the commissioner
who went from Honolulu have been un
successful, and were practically drive
? out of the strikers camp. He under
stood an appeal had been made to tn
Japanese Consul to go over and tr
and settle the matter.
Japanese Consul Mkt Saito Is of tn
opinion that some agitator has been a
work among the men at Lahaina, incit
ing them to strike. He has written {
the strikers. and Is awaiting a repoT
from the two agents who went on tn
Niihau to try and induce the laborer
to return to work. 81 advised the me
to return to their work." said the con
sui, until their complaints could be in
vestigated, and told them that If 1t wa
found on investigation that they wer
not getting proper reatment I shoul
see the plantation people about tn
matter for them.
"The men have made out a list G
;, eighteen complaints. Some of them ar
e about the managers, and some abou
I the kind of buildings they have to liv
/, in. Hackfeld & co. have kindly offere
$500 each TO the families of the thre
who We're killed, but there is some rine
leader stirring up trouble. l have not
d fed the men who left their work thf