The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1904-07-26
STRIKERS LOST
EVERY POINT

Wv '
The Waipahu strike ended before
midnight last night with an agreement
drawn up and signed by Manager All
rens and the strike leaders. i'm the pre-
sence of the Rev. Imamura and Editor
ShiozaWa as witnesses. The laborers'
demands were all refused, the strike
being complete failure. The agree
ment as drawn up covers two proposl-
tons, neither of them of Importance.
which Were not among the matters
brought forward by the strike leaders.
There We're thirteen propositions
brought forward by the strikers in the
Iast negotiations. There WIRE also
thirteen men or the committee which
did the negotiating with the manage
ment, and thirteen hundred men were
on strike, so that the hoodoo number
played quite a part in the PROCEEDINGS.
The final agreement was reached last
evening, when after much discussion
the matter was brought to an issue by
final offer from the management to
sign the agreement already referred to-
1t promises to allow the laborers the
same hours as other neighboring plan
tations give and to increase the adj
vance on profit-sharing contracts from
$l2 to $13 per month. This is an adj
vance not wages, and the plantation is
simply advancing the men a dollar a
month more of the laborers' own money
pending the settlement when the crop
is harvested between plantation and
laborers' huis who have contracts. The
rate of advance is said to be $13 on
the plantations nearby. When this
proposition was made known by the va
rious interpreters the strikers almost
unanimously raised their hands in the
air, voting to return to work today. The
agreement was duly signed and Wit
messed, and that ended the strike. a
majority of the police from Honolulu
including Sheriff Brown and Deputy
Chillingworth. returned to Honolulu on
an early night train.
The Rev. Imamura, a Buddhist priest
of Honolulu was very strong influence
in settling the difficulties During yes
terday afternoon, when it began to APP
pear that the strike was only a useless
expense to those taking part, some of
the strike leaders who We're weakening
suggested that he be sent for. He went
to the plantation at once and his work
in explaining matters had a very good
effect 1t is estimated that the strike
which lasted five days, cost the strikers
about $4,000 in wages. They have moth
ing to show for 1T and some of them
have lost positions of the better class,
substitutes having been employed while
they were on strike. Manager Ahrens
refused a last demand, that the new
men be discharged and strikers restored
to their old positions. Chinese laborers
who took the places as teamsters, va
Gated by strikers, were retained by che
managers and a number of the strikers
lost transfers positions and had to 20
back into the field and take chances of
getting up again.
The thirteen demands beginning with
the unconditional discharge of luna
Suiehiro, included many matters which
were utterly trivial. The laborers APP
pear to have held a meeting and put
down any old thing they could think
of. The principal other demand was
that the proft-sharing contracts be an
nulled and those who have been work.
ing on such contracts be given SIG per
month for their work in the past and
the same rate hereafter, the plantation
taking their cane as it's own. This de-
mand was refused and is ignored alto
gether in the signed agreement. Notn-
ing was said about it at the time OF
the concluding agreement to return to
work. Other demands were increased
piping in certain camps; that railroad
cars use more care in picking up Ia
borers to take them home at night
that a system of punching tickets to
keep count of DAYS work be inaugural
ed: that a road be cut through a cane
field nit a certain point 10 shorten
the distance to a camp; that a SPECIAL
train be sent out to pick up brakemen
along the line of the railroad at night;
that five Japanese and one white luna
be discharged; other camp sanitary inn
movements. some of which We're al
ready under way; that some of the
camp regulations with regard to use of
lights be changed or abolished and
finally, that 50 men who had mule
drivers or teamsters positions before
they struck be given back the same po-
sitions on ceasng to strike. The lat
ter demand would have called for the
discharge of Chinese who had taken
the places and were doing good work,
and was refused simply on the ground
that fairness demanded that the new
employees be retained as long as they
gave proper service.
At the time Of the agreement to re-
turn to work, several of the striking
Japanese attempted to prevent the
final collapse of the strike by arguing
that the consul should be asked to come
again, ana should be present to take
part i'm the settlement. They We're
voted down, however. The consul, it
Is stated did not want to conduct any
more negotiations with the strikers,
preferring to leave them to fight their
losing battle themselves as they had
once refused to listen to his advice.
This morning nearly all the strikers /
returned to work and the difficulty APP |
Deared to be at an end. The police |
from Honolulu returned, as there was
no need for any further spe-
.ial guard About a hundred of the |
Japanese had not resumed work when
7 i,,,tavapt TJart and men with