The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-10-18
PLUMBING TRUST IS HERE.
MASTER PLUMBERS AND JOURNEY
MEN COMBINE.
They Propose to Control the Labor as
Well as the Purchasing Market of
Honolulu.

Evidence has come to light within the
past few days of a combination between
the journeymen plumbers and master
plumbers by which monopoly of the
| plumbing business in Honolulu has got
ten into the hands of a few. The
/ scheme has been quietly brewing for
some weeks past and now that it has
been effected it shows how nicely the
netire plumbing Industry has dovetail-
ed the various details of work
According to the agreement, the jour
neymen plumbers, at least such as are
acceptible to the master plumbers
are to be awarded all the work
while the dealers are to be guaran-
teed monopoly of supplying the plum
bling apparatus to the trade.
! Now that the halcyon days of com
merce have come wherein the capital
! tiger lies down with the labor lamb,
! orators can point to the plumbers OF
Honolulu as painters of morals. The
arrangement as contemplated may at
first be a trife irksome to the dear pub
! lie, which seems to occupy the same
position as a pack animal does with two
men on opposite sides of him, tighten
ing the cinch straps but time, which
heals all wounds, can be relied upon 10
help out the disgruntled complainer.
1t may, at first, seem a trifle unusual
and come close to coercion to a pur-
|
that unless he buys his goods from the
men who are in the combine, that
he won't work for him, while to others
the intimation by the trade that II
they want to buy any goods they VIII
have to employ a jouPneyman plumber
who is acceptible to the combine, may
SAVIOR a trife like browbeating but they
can console themselves that they VIII
in time get used to it.
| Trade claims that there has beer
, no combination on their part to raise
! prices Indeed on the contrary they
are trying they say to lower the price:
so that every person in Honolulu car
purchase a new bath tub and be clean
1t is true that the purchaser may b'
cleaned out when he goes to meet th'
: prices of the combine but some of these
| interested appear to go on the principle
that it makes no great difference hov
he is cleaned just so the operation il
: done.
In the past, many plumbers were civ
en- credit by the trade for goods. QUIZ
a number of the workingmen have ran
, ed to pay up, and one reason for tn
: present situation It. is claimed is to pro
tect the trade from irresponsible peo
: ple, They also desire to keep the con
troll of businesses out of the hands o
irresponsible persons. -
In making it's regulations to lnsur
the installation of the sewer system III
Y BOARD of Health has unwillingly be
Il come a supporter of the comblnatlor
k Certain rules for the repairing and IN
- stallation of the plumbing apparatu
t were adopted. AS the result of this ac
e tion the average householder Will b
rather loath to risk failing to compl
with any of these rules and he VIII L
more apt to pay the master plumber
or journeymen plumbers who are men
! Of 10 eXOrDlIaI
amount reasoning that they are MOI
ant to be fully acquainted with th
rules than himself.
: The Queens Hospital has run u
l. against the plumbing trust 1t starte
= in to have the plumbing of the entll
g building oVerhauled. The work of me-
l. essity had to be done by the day. VINE
it was partly completed bill to da
st was asked for with an estimate of Il
l. cost of completion. The bill to date VIZ
l. about 1000 and the estimate for con
id pletion about $2,500 This was so muC
ID higher than ii was expected to be tn
a the trustees felt compelled to stop u
~ work, much as 1t was needed.
D. The Board of Education in seeking
Id put in plumbing in school buildings r
p quired by the Board of Health, run
c. against the trust. The contractor I
to the board could not buy material unle
n he employed plumber agreeable TO [
trust and then the expense would be
Mt much more than it would formerly ha
,h been that the repairs could not be ma
he within the appropriation.