Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-01-17
TO WORK OR TO JAIL
THIS IS ALTERNATIVE
OFFERED BY PLANTERS
To Unemployed Porto Ricans in City
Men Being Collected To. day
By KAPPA and Mac
Caulay.

4 meeting of the trustees Of tho
Planters Association was held yes.
terday afternoon for the purpose Of
considering the Porto Rican situation
in the city and OF finding some means
OF relieving It. The meeting was not
a very long one, and it was soon de.
cided that the regulation by which it
becomes necessary for laborer from
one plantation to obtain a letter OF dis
charge before he will be taken by any
other plantation, should be laid aside.
The reason for this action was the
great number OF Porto Ricans in the
city and the many complications which
their presence here has already
brought about.
Having come to this decision, the
planters found they could offer work
TO about two hundred Porto Ricans
The following plantations were men.
toned as being ready to take each its
proportion of this number: Olowalu
Olaa, Lihue. Honokaa, Pacific Mill
Onomea, Union Mill, Hawaiian Com
mercial, Honomu and Hamakua Mill.
A letter to High Sheriff Brown was
then drawn up and in 1t was contained
the information already given above
with certain conditions which the
planters insist shall be carried out
before they will undertake the fulfill
ment Of their part of the agreement.
| They state that the Porto Ricans col
I leCted from the various parts of the
| city by the Police Department, shall
| be in good health and that they shall
have explained to them the situation
which is presented by the planters.
The letter goes further and asks the
Sheriff that in the event OF the Porto
/ Ricans, after having been delivered to
! the various sugar estates, refusing to
work, they shall be rounded up by the
deputy sheriffs Of the various districts
and prosecuted for vagrancy.
/ Sheriff Brown had the following IL
say to Bulletin reporter this fore
! noon: The arrangement made by the
planters Is very acceptable to me. for
/ | believe that ii will remedy the Sc
rious state of affairs that exists here
now. have started in on the work Of
rounding up the Porto Ricans already
Detective KAPPA and Interpreter Mac
Caulay are out about the city today
taking the names of those men who
are willing to work ON plantations.
These are being told to report at the
police station at 10 o'clock tomorrow
morning. The steamer Maui is leav.
ing for Maui tomorrow afternoon, and
| am in hopes that we will be able to
send at least thirty to that Island
There are nine men now detained at
the police station on the charge OF va.
grancy. These have expressed their
Willingness to go to any Island to
which they may be sent to do work on
the plantations, and they will be de.
spatched tomorrow by the Maui.
There are now eighteen Migrants
In Oahu jail serving out sentences for
vagrancy. As soon as these men have
served their time, they will be sent
TO the plantations to work. After we
have made a thorough canvass we will
attend to the number who remain in
the city without work. There will then
be no excuse whatever for any Porto
Rican to say that he cannot get work
for anyone who applies will be sent
TO some plantation"