The Pacific commercial advertiser., 1900-10-18
HELD UP BY
PLUMBERS
King Seeks to Plumber
Everyone.
HONOLULU At ITS MERCY
board Of Health viii Throttle the
Thieving Combine at
Once.


The Boara Of Health says empnaticai-
J.. "Not'
Inder the plumbing regulations ADOPT
ed By the Board Of Health during the epi.
demic OF plague that body has discovered
mat the plumbers have banded them
selves together In a ring and are mulct-
ins the public by their ridiculous charges.
Especially have the poorer classes and
the Oriental races been affected by the
lextortionate methods employed by the
plumbers and those who deal In plumbing
supplies. =
The experience of the Board of Educa-
tien has proven that Honolulu, as far
as plumbing IL concerned, Is gripped by
ring which Is proving detriment to
successful sanitary conditions, rather
'han an assistance. The Board of Edu-
cation hnds itself placed In the awkward
position Of being unable to put one Of its
own employees at work to repair the
plumbing In the schools because the en-
ploye cannot purchase suppnes from the
dealers.
| Chinese plumbers who can do cheap
PLUMBING repairs cannot purchase sup
Plies from the white dealers. as the latter
ers strengthen their ring,
The situation has become so tense that
the Board of Health is at the point of res
ending entirely or seriously modify
ing tie plumbing regulations I'm order
that they shall operate in the manner
originally intended.
prominent member of the Board OF
Health was interviewed last night rela-
tive to the stand to be taken by the Board
against the combination of plumbers.
| is there any truth in the rumor that
the Board has any idea either OF rescind-
Ing wholly or seriously modifying the
present Board regulations because of the
combination OF plumbers and dealers?'
was the question asked.
There Is this much truth In it," replied
the Board of Health member. Members
of the Board feel that they have been
inhocently drayn into ring which seems
TO have for its principal business the
'cinching' of the public. The plumbers
have formed a cast-iron trust and practi-
cafly have gotten in with them, all the
dealers In plumbing supplies, so that II IL
impossible for an Individual to make any
rerairs. no matter how slight, to the
plumbing in his establishment without
lcelling In a plumber. and that means
some one OF the ring VINO Will do and
lcf arge what he pleases. Moreover. IL Is
coming to such poiat that the builders
and contractors are refusing TO bid on
Itnc PLUMBING OF DulldingS TOT winch tney
arr taking contracts. The contractors
don't know what the plumbers will charge
them for their supplies and II they do bid
trey are liable TO get in the hole.
"The acton Of. the Board of Health in
passing these plumbing regulations has
made II possible for n combination to be
formed. and such n combination has been
formed. which. under the regulations
takes In all the plumbers and dealers ir
plumbing supplies, and puts IL In theii
power to hold man who has any plumb
ing 10 DO. absolutely at their mercy.
nan Is compelled 10 do plumbing IN G
certain way and TO pay them whatevei
they choose TO charge for It, The regula.
tions were passed by the Board with thu
idea OF improving sanitary conditions and
o. preventing any plumbing from being
, put IN which was not sanitary or better
ing the sanitary conditions. The regula
. tions are working directly against tina
end on account OF this combination which
has been formed. by preventing peopi'
from making any attempt to repai
plumbing which they know to be bad. be
, cause they are afraid II they call I'm
, plumber he viii tear everything out an
there II no telling what the expense vii
be.
when the Board passed these rcgula
, ticns u was under pressure. The sifgges
ticn came originally from the plumbers
who persuaded the Minister OF the Int
necessary to have plumbing regulation
passed right away.
They represented to him, and tn
> Board believed at that time, that tn
sewerage system was nearing completion
that In a short time connections woul
have 10 be made with the sewerage sys
tenn. that on account Of the large mum
ber OF houses having been burned down
rev houses wculd have to be built, espe
: G ally by Chinese and Japanese. and peo
. pie VINO would not put In expensiv
r. plumbing and u was absolutely neces
: sary TO get these regulations passed be
I. fore the sewerage system was complete
I, and before these new buildings wer
!. erected. In order to prevent bad plumb
!. Ing being done In other words. compt
, them to put IN sanitary plumbing Tha
was good reasoning.
sThe Board was forced to pass tn
regulations IN n hurry. because IL wa
also represented to them that there wa
no plumbing material here. and IL wa
inec essary that they order II right away.
1T was discussed by the Board AZ meet
ling after meeting and was not finally act
cd upon then by the Board. because tina
lbcdy had other important business to al
tend to- and IN the next place. not bein
familiar with plumbing. the members fe
Id'fidsnt about passing regulations the
a dfc not understand. and IL was only afte
= .pcated urging from the Minister or tn
= Interior that the regulations were passe
" a they now exist
The passage and enforcement OF thos
,v regulations on the part OF the boar
made the latter an innocent party to IN
ring and makes II possible now Tor IN
n plumbers 10 hold the community up Q
efYectuaiiy as ~ at the point Of a shotguI
sIt Is especially hard on the Cnines
and Japanese and the Ignorant ciasse
A who can be buildozed. although every IT
Il Idividual who has had any plumbing 70 .
; in the past few months has been at N
mercy OF the plumber. Take the case
n Chinese. He proposes to build; ne ma
Ito nut In plumbing because people are
+ live IN the building. When he applies io
p his building permit he makes applicatio
4 also for a plumbing permit. A yisif
,f the plumbing inspector Is made, VINO tei
the Chinese the plumbing must be put
lir n certain way TO accord with the rel
uiations. The plumbing Inspector tak'
IRIS departure. The Chinese goes 10
- pIumber-to n white plumber-becau'
lire houses which carry plumbing SUI
niles win not sell their materials TO
chinese for fear OF being boycotted. TT
L white plumber is necessarily memb'
m OF the ring. He persuades the Chimes
10 A.. a NIT In n great de-