Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-12-14
STRIKE On M(BRYDt
JAPANESE L,BJRERS WERE
ANXIOUS TO QUIT WORK
AND THEN ANXIOUS TO COME
BACK AGAiN-CHlNESE AND
PORTUGUESE IN THE
MILL.

I.ihuo. Kauai. Dec. 12.--Last Wednes.
day was day of considerable excite.
ment at Eleele.
The contract cane cutters Of the File.
Gle side of McBryde plantation became
dissatisfied with the contracts they
had entered into with the plantation
and demanded of Manager Stodart
that he raise the contract price from
eighteen to twenty cents a ton for
cane cutting. This was last TuCsGIy,
and during the night the japanese or.
sanized themselves into a labor union
and sent out walking delegates who
visited every Japanese employee on
the Eleele side OF the plantation and
demanded that there be an absolute
cessation of labor on the plantation.
Even the house servants of Manager
Stodart were visited and given the
ultimatum. The affair assumed a SC.
riOus aspect before eleven O'Clock
Tuesday night for the reason that 1t
was the intention OF the manager
that the mill should start grinding
v cdnesday morning and a great many
Japanese were employed in the mill
and these had all been ordered out on
tho strike and had agreed to join. Mr..
Studart learned these facts Tuesday
night about eleven O'Clock and hastily
made arrangements to start the mill
next morning as planned and use Chi
nesc and Portuguese in the mill IN the
place of japanese. Next morning the
one hundred contract cane cutters of
the Eleclc side of the plantation, Join
cd by about four hundred cane hoers,
etc, refused to 90 to work and not 4
japanese showed up at the mill for
work. Still the mill was started as
planned, and because of the cane al.
ready cut and the cane which came
lin from the Laval side of the planta-
ton the mill was able to run steadily
along all day Wednesday, with tho
assistance OF the Portuguese and Chi.
nese who had been put In the mill
On the whole Elcelc side Of the plan.
tation not japanese touched his hand
to a piece of work the day long. Early
in the morning n delegation OF twenty
men had gone to Laval and had urged
the japanese employed on that side OF
McBryde TO join them in the strike
but these Laval japanese fatty refus'
ed to have anything to do with the
matter, and stayed by their work.
Late in the afternoon the Japanese
began to see that they were M
against failure and repaired to the
manager with a proposition of com
promise. IL the manager would give
them 10 cents per ton instead of Is
cents which they had contracted for
they would go back TO work and take
with them all the idle Japanese on the
plantation. Manager Stodart told
them that they had made fair con,
tract and they either had to live up To
II as II had been made or throw il VI
altogether. Then the cane cutters
wanted to cut cane by the day and
throw up the contract entirely. This
also was refused by the manager. lie
told them II they cut cane at all they
must do so under their own contracts
1 they could go TO work hoeiRg cane and
|. other field work by the day II they
b. desired, but that was the best he would
n do for them. BY this time the mil
hands, who have better work and re
Celve better wages than the field hands
= began to feel that the mill could b,
J, run without them, and that they were
!, in good way to lose their own Jobs
!. by heipinb out the cane cutters, II
!. things were not soon adjusted, anC
!. they therefore, put In word or twC
edgeways, and insisted that the field
!, laborers agree to go back to work IL
the cane fields II they did not desir,
to carry out the cane cutting contracts
t and they would so back to work in tn,
!. mill Themselves the next morning
s Manager Stodart had no objections tC
a this and the latter was SO arranged
Thursday morning the japanese mil
hands took their PAGES in the mill ant
the one hundred cane cutters accom-
! panied the regular field lab0rers into
the cane fields, hoeing cane. No fur
: ther trouble has been reported-Gar
: den Island.
To seCnre a lellghIfnl Ierml natlnn Il