The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-08-06
A Spirited and interesting Meeting
of the Builders and
Traders Exchange.
Unions Will Be Asked Not to Patronize japanese
and Chinese Hores--Will Be
Fined if They Do.

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 a rule
providing a 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 harmoniously. 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 we'll.
ers, said that he had used citizen labor
wherever he could, and that sometimes
IL was very difficult to fill all classes
of work with Americans. For instance
on the nev. Mark Robinson building he
said his orders had been to employ only
Portuguese or Hawaiian, yet he was
compelled to get Japanese stone cut
rers. 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, a member of
the same organization, said that he
employed Japanese labor upon MS
house and that he intended to keep
on doing IL. until the house was mn
ished. He said he was COMPELLED 10
protect his family and was unable TO
nav white labor. \ year ago, he ss.1'
numbers had struck. leaving him with
S2O 600 of material which he could not
use. The goods were tied up and twen-
+v-three men were thrown out or EN-
ploynrent He lost nearly SSOOcu- IL
the numbers had been reasonable there |
1,-o,,Id have been no need Of the strike |
lovv 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, ana
again was dumped" By this he lost
saO GOO. He said that individual effort
oo,Id do nothing and there would
never be any success until the labor
unions on their part decided never 10
enter a Japanese or Chinese store or
restaurant. LAS for the plumbing busi-
ness F." said Mr.. Emmeluth. I snail
never nut another dollar in the pump
,,s business under conditions, as they
- .odav-conditions which were
created as a direct result OF the uh-
warranted strike of year ago.
Mr. callahan, of the Plumbers Union
who was present, hotly resented 'he
-ar,,a-rs of Mr. Emmeluth- He SAID
.L+ The Numbers were not to blame
that on the first week Of the strike 'ne
had proposed a compromise ana
rafusad. On the other hand Ei1lliie
Iutb,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 shoP
were the ones now competing with hifn-
As for himself he had never entered
a ian store, and also given orders al
home not 10 buy from Asiatics-
Mr.. $. Stephenson said that there
sbouId be no iII-feeling-that it was
slow work at best and much had al {
ready been accomplished. He said there