The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-10-19
An Illegal Combine Holds Up the
l1OuSeOWnerS.
SUPPLY HOUSES AND EMPLOYERS
IN COLLISION WITH ONE ANOTHER
Prices Charged for all Jobs and NonMembers
the Trust Refused Material to
Work With.
"A RE THE plumbers or Honolulu
~ playing a stand and deliver

n RE THE plumbers or Honolulu
"a playing n stand and deliver"
game on the people?
Householders. builders and the pub
lie In general say they are.
Never have prices for plumbing work
been so high. with no duty on mater
ial and with three times as many work
men here as a year or two ago, it costs
more than ever for the smallest or
largest job.
An investigation proves that the
plumbers are in a conspiracy to keep
up the prices. and that the house owner
Is the victim Of gigantic and illegal
trust whose qualifications extend to
every part Of the United States. and
whose power Is sought to be absolute.
In every plumbing job four parties
are interested--the house owner. the
master plumber or boss of the estab-
lishment which accepts the job or un-
dertakes the contract. the Journeyman
plumber or man or men who do the
actual work. and the firm which sup
plies to the master plumber the ma
terial used.
The latter three-the master plumb
kers, the workingmen and the sellers OF
Imaterial-are Joined to empty the purse
lof the house owner.
Not that the three are working IN
harmony with one another, for they are
fighting like cats and dogs, but on the
subject OF mulcting the unfortunate
customer they are as united as tbs
Siamese twins.
On June IA when Hawaii became a
Territory OF the United States the
plumbing octopus took possession OF
Honolulu.
Before then the plumbers bought
their supplies where they pleased In
the United States or elsewhere, and
competition kept prices down to fair
ly honest level.
When Decentralization came TIN
plumbing trust OF the United States put
down its foot. There the trust absorb:
most of the manufacturers. the plumb
ing houses. and the workingmen. The
are almost all subscribers to an ironc az
contract that binds them to do bust
ness with none outside the trust undel
pain OF boycott.
Knowing beforehand that the trus
would extend It's Shiny tentacles to Ha
wall, one of the master plumbers here
laid In $4,000 worth of materials. pre-
ferring to pay the interest on such
kTtdl STOCK lDd0 10 SlauO the teffll'
figures of the trust supply houses. Blu
the customer gets no advantage.
/ When the plague scared people int
sanitation. and the Board OF Health
recognized the need OF a clearing VI
with the prospects of the sewer system
being finished and connections with !
becoming necessary, plumbing regula
tions were passed which put the cit.
into the hands Of the thieving ring bod
lily.
There were then about five maste
plumber houses here. that Is. fv
houses which employed journeymai
plumbers and took contracts. Thes
five employers did all the business. an
though making fortunes. were able {
handle all that came their way. The
bought from the cheapest sellers a
export prices I'm the United States, an
with the prospect of the enforcement
OF the plumbing regulations looked 70
a rich harvest.
Now there are about fifteen employ
ling plumbers. The graft was too goo
for i've. and three times as many ar
dividing IL. The only plumbing con
tractors who were reasonably chea
were Orientals. and a plan was imme
diateiy organized TO freeze them GU
and thus get the house owner by tn
throat.
The American system of Skin tn