The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-03-22
WANT WAGES
Hundreds Hard Up and
Hungry,
Cannot Get Their Pay Until the Board
OF Health Secures Ap-
preparation.

u Several hundred men who have been
Il engaged in emergency work occasion
ed by the presence OF the bubonic
plague in Honolulu are anxiously
awaiting the passing OF the $3.50. 900
suppression OF the plague" appropria-
ton bill. I They want money and they
are asking for IL daily. They have
/ earned the money for which they ask
and are in many cases actually suffer-
/ ing, and their families are suffering.
because their wages are not fOrthcOm-
ing.
Not a single day passes without
numbers of men-honest, respectable
/ looking fellows the majority of them
apply at the Board OF Health Office.
/ telling their tales OF woe and urging
the necessity of immediate cash.
when are We going TO be paid?" they
/ cry. by and by" is the indefinite
answer. Meanwhile many are at a loss
what TO do for a living; their grocers
/ will no longer trust them; their Chi
nese poi-men have ceased to give
/ them poi; their landlords are telling
/ them TO move.
/ Some are still employed by the
Health Department; they have receiv-
/ ed no money since March LIST. Ii is
not so hard on them; they still have
work and can get credit, but those who
have been harged-hundreds of
/ them-because there is no more work,
/ can no longer procure credit. Their
/ grocers and landlords say to them.
How do we know that you are to re-
/ ceive any money from the Govern
ment for your services; perhaps you
1 have a already raeafuaH IL
squandered it in drink; pay US or 20
without food and lodging" So the
| streets and the parks are the present
homes OF many, and the houses Of
/ friends are crowded to their utmost ca
pacity.
/ Yesterday about twenty-five Hawaii
ans, formerly employed on the scows
used TO carry refuse and debris from
/ the burnt districts out TO sea, called
a. the Board of Health Office in the
rear OF the Judiciary building and ask
ed Secretary Wilcox IL they could get
| any money. Each man had an average
of twenty TO thirty days pay due him,
and each man had his separate story
to relate, of want, hardship and need
OF cash.
| Wilcox informed the applicants that
there was no money wherewith to pay
them, and that they would have to
wait until the s250.O0O plague appro-
| priatlon had been made before they
could get their back pay. The crowd
OF impecunious natives then marched
in body 10 the Interior Office in the
Executive building and wanted to
know If any of the proposed $3.50, 900
could be anticipated on their account;
they were referred, however, to the
/ Finance Department whittier they
went. But the hungry band received
no satisfaction anywhere; from the FL
nance Department they we're sent back
to the Board OF Health. Just as they
arrived once more at the Health ONCE
one of the men caught sight of Minis
ter Young and the whole number pro-
ceeded to him in a body and put the
/ oft-repeated question to him, when
can We get our money!" Minister
! Young, of course, explained matters as
they stood, telling the men not to wor-
ry about their pay; they would get 1t
/ Oy ana by.
sam Johnson, who employs the men
wOfAng On tile scows, 0as seen Dy an
Advertiser reporter yesterday IN reia-
ton 10 MS men and IneIr wages.
| A lot OF my men nave Deen ulschaTg-
| ed, SAID Johnson, and Inere Is con
siderable money coming 10 them IOT
back pay. 1ney were discharged De-
cause there was no work to- them 10
| DO; 4 should say there was ABOUT SIOOJ
due these men. They are all Of them
very BABY IN need Oh casn ana many Of
them are actually suffering through
want OF the necessities OF life. Many
OF the men WORKING uhder me now nave
| mad no pay for three weeks; il Is a
great hardship, but do not see now il
can be helped. The men come 20 me
every day, Wherever they happen 10 see
me In the street CT at the ONCE, and ask
me when they can get some money. /
can only tell them that there Is no
money TO pay them with and that they
will have to wit. In February l ad-
vanced them little sums of money out
OF my own pocket, some were so hard
up that something had TO be done. 1
advanced nearly two hundred dollars in
this way but most OF II has since been
made good TO me. l asked Mr.. Cooke of
the Finance COMMITTEES If he would ad-
vance sufficient money TO at least pay
the discharged men a few dollars each;
but was informed that If this was done
in one case it would have TO be done
In great many cases and would oc
casion great amount of trouble gen.
orally. Naturally the men come to me
Tor employed them; but all the salts
faction / can give them is that perhap!
tomorrow they will get their money
tomorrow, it must seem always to
morrow to them. have spoken to DR.
Wood about the matter but he Is pow.
erless TO relieve the situation. There
isn't any money and the only thing tC
do Is to wait until there are funds"
Men who worked on the scows are
not the only ones who are unpaid
among the class that needs money the
most; there are many others and they
feel anything but happy at having TO
walt for their earnings; they complain
that thousands OF dollars have been
I paid out to corporations and other
large concerns while in many cases the
/ laborer who depends on his earning
( his Living from day 10 day has had 10
walt and Is still having to wait for his
u Mma