The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-07-19

One lone American has been fighting
the battle of his life during the last few
weeks against a horde of Japanese and
Chinese fishermen and fishdealers. This
man is II. ]. Bray. whose set-up indicates
at glance that he is a born fighter
Bray has been a fisherman for the past
thirty years and many stories are told OF
his big catches in Puget Sound and OF
even bigger work in other places on the
American coast. He is small wiry man.
with face tanned and scared by his
many years fishing in all sorts of places
and In all sorts of aseather. His hair and
moustache are of an iron grey color and
in fact everything In him denotes the
man of saltwater and fish.
The trouble started sometime ago when
Bray invaded the fishing business here
with the most up-to-date fishing boats
and appliances and opened sale for MS
fish at Stall No. l. Fish Market. The
noisy crew of Japanese and Chinese there
| had long been at war with the native
fsh-deaiers but Bray's advent stopped
| this and the lone white man became the
objective point of the fiercest KIND OIL
Iopposition. The yellow and brown men
| did not wish to have to compete against
white methods of business so every pos
| sible device has been tried in an effort
| to get him to shift. But Bray says he
will stick right there and will get more
Americans who properly understand hsn-
ing to come over from the Sound to help
him Fifty thousand fish are sold every
month in the market and Bray considers
that American citizens should have at
least a small spoon in the chowder
The Cinnamon and JaDs first tried a
| boycott on Bray They refused either to
sell him any fish permit him to handle
any of their catch on commission. But
they found that this did not hurt Bray
as he brought in many fish by his own
boats as he could handle
Then the clans got together and De
cided that something very radical must
be done. They did it on the following
day AS soon as Brays catch had been
placed on his counters for sale the price
of fish was cut in two. When customer
approached his stall a nearby Chinaman
would shout that he would sell fish at
half the price Bray asked Under such
competition as this of course, the Aner1-
can hads to lower his prices. Then the
conspiratorS would sit back and smile ana
watch their fellow countrymen buy up
Bray's supply. Just as soon as Bray $
fish were all sold the Cinnamon and Jap
anese would open out for business
Miracle of miracles, the price OF their
own fish suddenly jumped fifty per cent.
They smiled, and continued to smile until
they tried the same trick and worked II
again on the IOlOWlDS ueS oioS N'OSs7i' :
like this but says that it helps him TO
prosper as he is always sure of selling OFF
his catch each day and does not have to
place any of them in the ice house at
night.
But Bray hopes to get back at the Jap
anese AS they are not American cltl-
zens he claims they cannot fish inside
the three mile limit and he says that
those who fish outside this limit In boats
of over five tons and bring fish into Ho-
noluIu are acting contrary to our hshlng
laws Boats of five tons or over carry
ing fish in here, he claims are subject to
regulations under the shipping laws and
should be required to clear the same as
any other merchant vessel Bray is
regular sea lawyer and has his case down
fine and as soon the Government an
swers two questions he has had forwarded
to Washington he may be able TO make
considerable trouble for them.
At present the yellow race seems TO
have a short advantage but Bray claims
that they fear that the Government Will
stop them and so are rapidly skinning the
fishing grounds of even the smallest or
fish and pouring them in on the market.