The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-05-14
.|EA MANAGER
REFUSES TO
ACCEDE
,From Thursdays Advertlser.)

(From Thursdays Advertiser)
Refusal OF the demands OF the Japa.
nese strikers OF Honolulu plantation
was made last night by the manage
ment of the estate, a letter from Man. |
ager Ross being presented to the Com
mittee OF Twenty. The manager ad-
vised the strikers TO return TO their
work, and II they still felt they had
any grievances to adjust, to submit
them in the manner customary here
tofore. Manager Ross sets forth in
his answer that the strikers have
taken false step, and he advises
them to cut loose from outsiders and
outside influences. Manager Ross let
ter is as follows:
Aiea, oahu, II. H., May u, 1909
Messrs. T. Okino, II. Koga, h. Horii,
Y. Mazda, s. Sanada, I. Morikawa,
T. Takata, w. Shimada, S. Sasaki,
S. Kawamata, G. Sugiyama, U. va
manishi, T. Aoyama, T. Miyashiro,
X. Miyazaki, X. Fujimori, X. Kuzu-
Okla, H. Kashiwada, N Nakashima,
L. Kanemura.
Gentlemen. Your letter or state
ment of May 10, purporting to be a
| statement of grievances by the labor
ers of this plantation, and a request
| for the redress of the same, has been
| duly received by me, and the contents
| of same carefully noted, not only by
myself, but by the owners of the plan
| tation.
| In the first place / desire to thank
you for your acknowledgement and
appreciation of past kindness and
| favor on my part and for the dec
laration of your present sincere re-
spect" for me.
Whether 1 am all you admit or not,
| am sure that l have tried to treat
you for your acknowledgment and
regret that you have found it neces-
sary, with an employer such as you
believe me to be, to quit work in a
body without prior notice, without
giving me an hour to prepare to save
the cane that was being cut in the
fields and the juice that was in the
mill, and without first presenting your
requests or grievances to me; and !
regret further that after you had
struck work yourselves, you. or some
of you, thought 1t necessary or proper
to intimidate laborers of other nation
|
Do you think this is right? / am sure
you do not, and I do not believe If
left to yourselves you would have
taken any such course.
AS matters now stand, I certainly
decline to discuss with you the de-
tails of your letter or the merits OF
|; your demands, and 1 request YOU. as
your employer and one who has dealt
, fairly and property with you in the
past. to withdraw from the false steI
you have taken and return to your
work, dismissing from your consider
alton all outsiders and outside infiu-
ences that may urge you to con-
! trary course, and then, If after you
, have returned to your work you are
, still persuaded that you have griev'
ances that should be righted, these
/ can be presented, so as not to>inter
> fere with your work and in the man
ner heretofore customary when you
have had anything to say to me.
Between Plantation and Laborer.
, The Planters Association as an as
ISOLATION is not appearing in the mat
ter at the present time, although of
: ficers of the organization have con
4 sidered the question of the strike, bu
, it Is left as a thing to be adjusted
, between the plantation and the labor
! crs. Thus the direct reply of the Ho
, nolulu plantation to the laborers.
/. Maxine and w. o. Smith.
e Much of the tenor of Fred Makinot
4 talk in regard to the strike refers II
o a bitter way to w. o. Smith, whom
Y the higher-wage advocate accuses o
being the cause of the row. Maxim
alleges that Mr.. Smith took no motto
e Of letters sent him in regard to in
= creased wages. and left the complain
e ants no chance to present their griev
G ances.
Waipahu Joins Aiea.
Japanese laborers on the Oahu plan
tation at Waipahu struck yesterda,
morning, tying up the mill and feel
work. The movement is half-hearte
I at Waipahu, however and 1t is certain
1 that the interest in the strike is main
] ly due to coercion on the part of tn
agitators and strikers from Aiea.
h Lightfoot, Strike Attorney.
v Attorney Lightfoot is counsel for tn
. Higher Wage Association and tn
: strikers, and he appeared before
, meeting of Japanese, called by tn
Higher Wage Association, on Tuesda
night and made speech advisin
n them of their alleged rights in tn
, matter. One of his principal argu
- ments to them was that the pIanta
! ton had no right to order the strik
ers off the land. claiming that the pc
"a sition of landlord and tenant existe
;. between them and that at least te
days notice should be given by tn
n plantation. Otherwise, he felt tina
disorder might result-if an effoI
n were made to force the laborers off.
a 81 believe" said Mr.. Lghtfoot yes
"a terday afternoon. that the plantatio
"a laborers are entitled to some increas
n of wages-not talking about a dolla
a a day. as has been stated-but to a
n increase of some amount.
: IT believe w. o. Smith has nc
d treated the laborers in a judiciou
: way. he probably depending upon tn
v enormous power OF the plantation II
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