The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-05-12
MAY ORDER A
GENERAL STRIKE
Continued from Page one.)

| be our fondeSt and most cherished hope
| to continue to help the development
and progress of your plantation, and
through it that of this Territory, the
outpost of the American civilization
and its power and majesty-the meet
ing place of the East and the West.
While we thus look back upon the
past with pleasure and pride, and look
| forward with hope and enthusiasm, the
! progress of the time has brought about
many varied changes necessitating an
enormous increase of expenditures.
which cannot be met with the
present scanty wages. Therefore, it has
become our painful burden to hereby
respectfully present to you our request
for reasonable increase of wages.
| The following are our requests:
| ID That the wages of the common
field hands, the lunas. the mule-men,
the mill-hands and all other kinds of
laborers be increased by eight dollars
/ t$S.00) per month of twenty six work
J ing days worked. Provided, however,
that the wages for one Sundays work
be paid at the rate of two days work
OF the secular week day.
(2) That the price of all kinds of
piece-work be increased at the same
rate as provided in the foregoing
clause. Provided, however, the contract
price of the cane carriers be increased
ten cents (10e.) per ton, and the ear
riers shall have the right to station one
representative of their own at the time
and place of the weighing of the cane
to watch the correctness of weight and
to record the same.
For reasons in making this reauest.
we have the pleasure to refer Won to
the accompanying statement of reasons.
Trusting to your kindness and gen
crosby, and hoping that our request
herein be granted. we have the pleasure
J ITO be. sir. your obedient servants.
| Signed by committee of twenty1.
Statement of Reasons.
We beg to state the reasons for the
foregoing request as follows:
: % The prices of daily necessities
have increased remarkably ten years
since. From the reliable source we
| hear that the price is more than
r doubled in average. Since the present
wages schedule has been adopted. the
I general price has advanced by twenty
1 five per cents ESQ. And we are ali
/
price. 1t is very difficult to maintain
ourselves now at 69c. a day wages thar
it was five years ago.
CD The increase of prices is not
confined to Hawaii. but it is the gen.
eral tendency of the world, includins
Japan. The standard of life in Japar
has risen more than in any othel
place. Ten years ago japanese labor
Il ers. who saved a few hundred dol
Y lars, could maintain their families ii
{ comfort for the remainder of life il
: Japan. But now things have changed
). and few hundred dollars will not suf
I flee to keep them for two years There
: fore, we have decided to permanent,
n settle here. to incorporate ourselve
/, with the body politique of Hawaii
J. unite our destiny with that of Ha
i wall. sharing the prosperity and ad
versity of Hawaii with other citizen
e of Hawaii. Many have family t
? maintain, children to educate an
\ most of us will have to not in yer
a far distant future. And as we ar
gradually becoming settled 1aborers
al various social relations have sprun
a up, and educational and religious in
,e stitutions are growing up. We mus
2s besides maintaining and educating on
in families and our children, keep up SC
ID cial intercourse. contribute to the fun
of for the building and maintaining c
q schools, churches and temples, an
"a also, contribute to assist the poo
r. needy sick or manned persons. TIL
~ present wages of 69c. a day is utterl
ir insufficient for these purposes.
Id Further, as the result of high stant
x ard of life in Japan now prevailing
we must send more than twice I'll
sum which was sent few years ag
We are not giving sufficient suppo
to our aged mothers and young 81.
ters. Most of us who at present tin
make small remittance to Japa
n are not sending the savings of wage
4 but it is the money obtained by DO
rowing scheme, generally known
Tanonoshi.
he Such being the consequences upS
ar our condition of high price and his
nd standard of life, here and in Japa
al nothing can be saved to provide f
s. our old age or for the time of sickne
RS or other accidents. This is true bo
I'D for the married and unmarried. b
n the stress is more keenly felt by Il
married men. The wives of the fan