The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-06-01
Hotel Men Complain.

The japanese lodging housekeepers
who promised the Higher Wage people
at the commencement of the strike,
while the enthusiasm was running high
to lodge strikers free of charge, Just
'to help the cause along" are now
complaining because they have learned
that many of the strikers have money
and have placed it on deposit in the
Japanese banks. They want their share.
The Hawaii Shinpo supporters are
now more in evidence among the Japa-
nese and they are beginning to take
cognizance of the advice given by that
conservative newspaper. According to
the Shinpo the labor situation is shap-
ing toward a victory for the principles
advocated by the Shnpo.
Statement of E. D. Tenney.
r. ID. Tenney, president of Waialua
and Eva plantations and manager of
Castle d Cooke, agents for both plan
tations, gave out the following state
ment yesterday on the labor situation;
"The cry of the agitators in connee.
tion with the strikes now in progress
is that $500 per month, the wages paid
the Japanese, is totally insufficient for
the people to live on and far below
that paid to other nationalities. The
statement being untrue and the amount
named so far below the real wage earn
ed by these people, / have been tempt
ed to make public statement setting
forth in some detail the facts of the
case in so far as the plantations are
concerned, with which | am connected
"'For the year 1908 the average
wages earned by and paid to the Japa
pese men, women and children employ
ed upon the Eva plantation were $2l.S0
per month of 26 days.
"I have before me the labor state
ment for the month of April just pass
ed. The average earnings for that
month were $2316 for each 26 days
labor performed. While the ostensible
rate of wages paid Japanese day labor
ers is $500 per month of 26 days work,
under the system now in vogue, of
special contracts for special work, this
rate is fictitious one in so far as the
great majority are concerned. The con
tracts are open to every employe of
every race or color but are taken ad-
vantage of by few outside of the Japa-
nese. They afford the Industrious and
energetic man an opportunity to earn
large wages. Take for instance, cane
cutting contractors. There were eight
japanese companies engaged in this
work during April, the contract rate
and conditions under which they were
working were identical; nevertheless
the amount of work performed and con
sequent wages earned varied from 5.24
tons cane per day, and $224S earned
per month to ZOO tons of cane, and
S30.2S earned.
"There were 2O75 japanese on the
April 30 payroll. OF this number 29l
were working at the $500 rate. Nat
urally among them are the least eff
ficient, least industrious, and least am
bilious men on the place and among
them are many, doubtless, of much less
value to the plantation.
''The wages paid these laborers in
cash by no means represent their cost
to the plantation; there are several per
quisites enjoyed by them such as free
homes, fuel, hospital and medical at
tention, assistance in maintenance of
schools and churches which annually
total up no mean sum. Their houses
are constantly being improved and in
the case of married man, the expense
to the company on this item alone is
equivalent to at least $500 per month.
When all is considered, | am of the
opinion that these people, if in Homo
lulu, would be compelled to earn an
average of at least $l.25 per day or
$3.50 per month of 26 days in order
to provide themselves with earnings,
comforts and conveniences equal to
those they obtain on the plantation.
"The Eva Plantation Company aims
to treat its employees fairly, perhaps
literally is a better word, and enable
them to earn wages commensurate with
their industry. These remarks apply
equally to conditions as they exist up
on Waialua plantation excepting that
the average amount of wages earned
by the japanese laborers is about 60c.
per month less than at Eva,
Paid OF at Kahuku.
Manager Adams of Kahuku planta-
tion made the following statement con
cerning affairs ON his plantation yes
terday;
IA committee of the striking Jap.
anese at Kahuku waited on me yester-
day morning at my request, and ! gave
them the notices of discharge of fifty
Japanese employees, together with tho
numbers of the men who We're to be
discharged.
"On Wednesday | had told this same
committee that fifty men were TO be
discharged because the plantation had
for long time been considering the
pol'ey of cutting out certain unprotit
able fields and that we had now deter
mined to put this policy into effect,
l explained fully TO the committee what
fields We intended 10 abandon, quoting
as our reasons our cultNating statistics
40 to costs, etc,
CATER several meetings yesterday
the committee asked me, If the fifty
men were discharged, could the balansc
of the men he allowed to remain in
the camp, | Informed them this was
policy ON which khad no authority t.
act, They Informed ME that this NA'
controversy of wages and that they
had decided that the hfiy men shonld
lemaln IA the camp together with IN,
rest of the men, until the wage ques
lion was settled, | replied hnally thai
irrespective ot the question of wages
thp AfIg men kyQTp uuu4NpNsATN Ia tNt