The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-03-29

KY.
fog quitting work being one 20 the
effect that the children ~ tho Puuucne
school had snapped OF a Russian boys
bire leg with an elastic.
Mr.. MottSmith made an engage
mcnt with them for two o'clcck this
afternoon. when nc will take up their
list item by item.
Some inside History.
Attorney Lightfoot was seen by The
Advertiser yesterday, and, when in.
formed that the RUSSIANS referred TO
him continually rs their attorney, ga,
out the following history of his con
nection with the newcomers from the
time of their arrival in the Islands.
"When the last big shipment of
about 450 Russians came here he
said, several Russians came to me
and represented that they were com.
mittee from two plantations-Maka.
well and Waiakea. They said they
wished me to look out for them, mean.
ing by that, as they explained, all the
Russians at present in the Islands, and
also the Russians arriving.
"There were then on the Bishop
wharf about 450 or 500 Russians. Very
shortly after that, President Mott.
Smith Of the board of health tele.
phoned me and said that he under
| stood that 1 was the attorney for the
Russians and that he desired to move
them from their then location on the
Bishop wharf, to the Channel wharf,
for the reason that the sanitary ar
| rangements on the latter were, to some
extent, about complete. lie asked that
1 would advise the Russians to move
to the Channel wharf, wnich did, and
they moved.
Helped Authorities.
IA short time after diphtheria broke
out in the company, and it was de-
| cided by the board of health that they
would have to be removed to Quaran-
tine Island. Mr.. Mott Smith again
| asked me to use my innuence with the
Russians so that they would remove to
Quarantine Island without trouble,
which ] did, and they moved. After
being in quarantine for several days
it was found that the sickness among
them was more serious than it had
been first anticipated. leading to their
detention from that day to this.
81 went over to Quarantine Island
every day, being permitted by the
board of health, and attended to any
little detail of management when the
Russians came in conflict with the au-
thorities and everything was satisfac'
/ torily settled
Unfortunately, we had two deaths
among them from pneumonia, due not
to any fault of the board of health or
the quarantine authorities.
Conferred with Ivers.
elm the early part of the week 1
| had conference with Richard Ivers,
head of the territorial immigration
board, who told me that certain plan.
tatons on this island and on the island
of Maui desired to employ Russian i'm
migrants, and that those plantations
were willing to pay the, expenses of
committees of the Russians to visit the
plantations, and to report to their coun-
| trymen the conditions which they
found. / thought this was fair prop
osition. Tt was what the Russians had
requested when they first arrived here,
that is, the two last importations of
Russians, the request having been de-
MED by the planters.
Would Stay and starve.
81 therefore advised the Russians
to select committees to visit the vari-
Gus plantations. said to them: sYou
can visit these plantations; you can see
with your own eyes the conditions that
J obtain there, and if I am able / will
. ,t
Russians who have come here from the
plantations have told us that it is i'm.
possible for us to 90 to the plantations
and make any money; the longer we
remain ON the plantations the further
have anything to do with the planta,
tions; we will starve in Honolulu, OF
we will he sent back to Russia, and
the present circumstances. They then
said that was in the pay of the
planters association, certainly an as
tonishing remark.
"In the mean time I had had sew
eral conferences with Mr.. Ivers, il
which we had gone into the complaints
of the Russians, some of which MIR
Ivers agreed were well founded and
| icCtihcu. MI iNNib iho 10
sured me that many of the troubles OF
which the Russians complained were
already matters of serious consideration
by the board of immigration, and had
been directly or indirectly submitted
to the planters.
| Dropped the Matter.
"However, when / found that the
Russians were unwilling to be advised
by me, and further had insinuated that
I was in the employ of the planters, and
absolutely refused to follow my advice
as to sending delegations to the planta
tions. felt could do nothing more
in the premises. In the mean time
there arrived at my office a document
or petition signed by about 500 Rus
slams, requesting me to act as theil
advocate, and this in spite of the fac
that they refused to adopt the advice
! which their advocate had given them
I explained to the Russians that the,
had occupied great deal of my time
that I had been over to Qnarantin,
| Ialand many times TO consult them