The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-10-21
COMPETITION IS MNDN APPEAL 70 NMLNHAN HHBR ROYDWR PASSES H BUCK
A SAN FRANCISCO MERCHANT
ON HAwAITs FUTURE.
Strikers Lost sympathy OF Public
Through Breaking Faith-Was Liable
TO Involve Entire Pacific Coast

to Involve Entire Pacific Coast.
A. B. G. Dohrmann OF the firm OF
Nathan Dohrmann San Francisco, who
is at present in Honolulu for a short
business visit is a decided optimst as
far as the future OF Honolulu Is con-
cerned.
There seems to be pessimistic tone
among some of the people l have met
here that ! do not think is justified" I"
said Mr.. Dohrmann this morning.
What you want is a tourist crop as
well as a sugar crop, that and compe-
tition in all lines, competition in capi-
tai as well as cOmmercialism, will build
up the city. There is my amount Of
capital in the States, in San Francisco
Itself, that would be eager to take the
opportunities that present themselves
here. At present they are glad to use
their money at a much lower rate of
interest than your local magnates
would be satisfied with and are glad
too to get an opportunity.
Take Los Angeles, for example.
Commencing with next month the town
will be crowded until spring. That
town has been built up by Eastern cap
ltalists who were delighted with the
situation and the opportunity Of maxi
ing a heavier percentage than they
could back East. 1t was advertising,
persistent advertising, that brought
them there however and that is what
! It seems to me is needed here. Every
| body who comes here is delighted with
| the place but you want to bring more.
The merchants and the steamer lines
should combine and advertise the city.
! OF course faster and more frequent
steamers and above all the cable are
necessities to tourist travel and we all
| hope and think the cable is coming.
! Men are not going to leave their in
| terests and place themselves where
! they cannot keep in touch with imam
cial fluctuation, however inviting the
pace.
THE strike" continued Mr.. Dohr-
mann. sis over as far as the recurrence
of sympathetic strike is concerned. 1t
was an expensive affair and at the
last was settled on terms that could
| have been affixed on the first day. Still
/ think it was a benefit.
THE net results are I think these.
That no union can force man to JON
! their organization against his Will ana
| that a sympathetic strike Is not sue
cessful enterprise. The merchants of
san Francisco have no objection to the
draymen or other labor forming unions
for their own protection. They nave
no objection to those men forming q
scale of prices and hours, but they viii
not allow these unions to say to them,
you must not use such and such a man
although he is willing to work but does
not belong to the union.
"The merchants are not trying 10
break down unionism but the liberty
of labor must be preserved. If the
union cannot make itself sufficiently
attractive to induce every man to JOIN
or a large percentage of them, that
union will die of its own weight, NC
union has a right to say to man, you
must join our ranks whether we are
attractive to you or not nor mas II
right to say to the employer you mus
not use such and such man but TINS
man.
"There is no doubt that labor union
ism lost many sympathiZers during the
strike on account of the nature OF the
latter, When the people found thal l.
was not a question of wages or hours
when they found that, as in the case
of the Pacific steamship line, the lapol
union could not be trusted to keep ll'
word and when they saw the brutailtS
of the pickets, as they were called
where strikers In sets of five brutallA
broke fingers and limbs of other men
they lost all sympathy with the strlk
ers The strikers themselves ala no
feel very kindly toward their leauer'
towards the end. ,,,,.
"The strike was handled splendid!
by the wholesalers, against whom !
was directed. The Employers Assocla
tion through their executive committee
who, worked in secret, waged success
full warfare against the men ana snow
ed conclusively that the boast or smut
ting up the city in twenty-four hour
ny the draymen and longshoremei
striking was an idle one. The mer
chants all worked together and wer'
willing to close their stores altogethe
If necessary. 1t was expensive put
was salutary. Extra draymen ah'
their protective policemen alone mus
have averaged an extra cash cost y
over $4,000 a day for the eleven week
to say nothing of the water front am am
other campaign expenses. But thlhs
were kept moving. The fruit men a
first were alarmed, as 1t happened II
the middle of the canning season, ou
all teams, no matter what their own
ers business were put to work on IN
fruit and nothing was lost.
"Now there are 800 more draymen Il
. the citv that there were before, desplt
the $50 sent into hospital by the strlk
ers. The strike was ready TO sroN
farther than most suspected had IL no
been nipped in the bud. Organizer
were ready in Seattle and all the coas
ports. 1t was a question of the whol
Pacific coast being involved had we nc
won out"