The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1903-08-07
SOME PLAIN TALK
FROM EMMELUTH
TO LABOR MEN
A Spirited and Interesting Meeting
of the Builders and
Traders Exchange.

The Builders and Traders Exchange
working jointly with the Federated
Trades decided last night to eliminate
the Asiatic from the local labor prob
lem. The employers agreed to employ
only citizen labor, which they have
been doing right along, and the unions
through their representatives agreed to
try to secure the adoption of rule
providing fine for patronizing Chinese
or japanese stores. The trades council
will meet tomorrow night to try to
make their promises effective.
There was much discussion at the
meeting over the labor question and it
was not at all times amiable. There
was quite a divergence of views in
the matter, though the meeting ended
very tremendously. Members of the
Builders Exchange were of the opinion
that labor was not at all times fair,
while the union men had some doubts
about employers as well.
John Bowler, speaking for the build
ers, said that he had used citizen labor
wherever he could, andSthat sometimes
1t was very difficult to fill all classes
of work with Americans. For instance
on the new Mark Robinson building he
said his orders had been to employ only
Portuguese or Hawaiian, yet he was
compelled to get japanese stone cut
ters This was for the reason that there
were no white men engaged in that
business and he either had to use Japs,
or leave the building unfinished.
EMMELUTH FREES HIS MIND.
Mr.. John Emmeluth, member of
the same organization, said that he
employed Japanese labor upon his
house and that he intended to keep
on doing it, until the house was fin
ished He said he was compelled to
protect his family and was unable to
pay white labor. A year ago, lie saii.
plumbers had struck, leaving him with
$50, 900 of material which he could not
use. The goods were tied up and twen-
ty-three men We're thrown out of EN-
plOynrent. He lost nearly $50 000 If
the plumbers had been reasonable there
would have been no need of the strike
Now Japanese had entered the trade,
to the exclusion of everyone else. Also
he had tried to do his duty in politics,
as a member of the legislature, and
again was dumped" By this he lost
100000 He said that individual effort
could do nothing, and there would
never be any success until the labor
unions on their part decided never to
enter a Japanese or Chinese store or
restaurant. "As for the plumbing bust
ness" said Mr.. Emmeluth, Il shall
never put another dollar in the plumb
ing business under conditions, as they
exist today-conditions which were
created as a direct result of the I'M
warranted strike of a year ago"
Mr. Callahan, of the Plumbers Union,
who was present, holly resented the
remarks of Mr.. Emmeluth. He said
that the plumbers We're not to blame,
that on the first week of the strike they
had proposed compromise and been
refused. On the other hand Emme-
luth's foreman had promised plumbers
six dollars a day when the new sewer
system was opened, and when this was
done had laughed at them. The Japs
turned out of Mr.. Emmeluth's shop
We're the ones now competing with him.
AS for himself he had never entered
a Jap store, and also given orders at
home not to buy from Asiatics.
Mr.. S. Stephenson said that there
should be no ill-feeling-that it was a