The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-11-16
PLUMBERS
WILL SUE
Gehring and Butzke
Are the Plaintiffs.
THEIR BILL RESISTED
Contractor Campbell Hailed to Court
Because He Will not be
Held Up.

One of the leading ana DOlOeSt mem
bers of the plumbing trust of Hawaii
is the firm of Gehring & Butzke. The
Advertiser has published many COM
plants of the fabulous prices for work
and material charged by this firm. In
fact a majority of the public COM
plants against the master plumbers of
the trust have been directed against
Gehring e. Butzke.
The bills rendered by this firm to
householders and builders have been
given in detail in this paper. Now the
firm has the illimitable gall to go into
the courts and seek there to compel one
of it's victims to pay the extortionate
price for a plumbing job which he had
refused to pay on account of it's having
been pronounced excessive by compe-
tent judges.
Contractor Campbell of the firm of
Campbell & Minton is the man who has
had the bravery to fight the trust and
this is his story of his trouble with
Gehring & Butzke in a few words:
1.-The facts from the beginning said
Mr. Campbell, ARE as follows. / went
to Gehring & ButZke and told them /
was in need of having some plumbing
work done. They advised me not to
have it done by contract but to let it
out by the day and give the work to
them. In fact they said they would
like to do all my work by the day if 1
would give them steady employment
and they assured me it would cost less
that way and I would be sure of having
the work done properly.
e. L. It.
helper was to be $40 day. The firm
said: You will think this is excessive
but that covers the cost of delivering
the material on the ground. In addi-
ton to this we will only charge you a
small percentage of the cost of the ma
terial'
Previous to this I had mentioned to
them the cost on three houses for the
plumbing work. 1 told them 1 consid-
| cred that the prices had been excessive
| Gehring & Butzke assured me that
| having the work done by the day and
in the way he advised me, the work
would not cost me as much.
| "On that recommendation I engaged
the firm and they did the job. Wher
| it was completed they rendered me q
/
thing that 1 had had done at the high.
est figures of contract. 1t was in re-
atty $176 higher than the duplicate o.
the house which l had erected or
Young street. The work on the latter
was done about the same time, 81
| there could be no difference in the
prices of materials. / paid them S26l
on account.
They refused to submit to arbitra
| ton. / said to them, L was willing tt
let three men figure on that house ant
take all material into consideration
and am willing to pay you the bill O.
| the middle figure of the three estim
| ates. They would not listen to mea
| then told them 1 would give them
check for $125 for the balance, but ever
this they refused and said if 1 did no
pay their bill they would carry the
matter into court.
This is what I received YESTERDAY
from their attorney j. A. Magoon:
Honolulu, Nov. 10, 1900
Messrs. Campbell & Minton,
City.
Gentlemen: Messrs. Gehring & Butz
Ike have placed in my hands for collec
ton the balance of their claim agains
you amounting to $22S.S4 You ar,
hereby notified that unless this claim
is paid forthwith lien will be filed up
on the premises for the amount of tn,
claim, and suit will be brought agains
You.
Hoping that you will save your
selves trouble and costs in this matter
1 remain, .
Yours very respectfully,
j. ALFRED MACON.