The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-05-23

as to guarantee some return upon the
capital.
This calls to mind the Union Iron
Works, the greatest shipbuilding yards
on the Coast, practically closed, ex.
cept for the small repair work done
by few hundred men, instead of the
thousands who formerly made the
district in which the works we're
located a small town in itself. The
men who control the yards simply
will not put themselves in a position
to be dictated to by the leaders of
their workmen. They will not take
the chance of bidding on great battle
ships and vessels, and then have the
work tied up at critical times by men
who demand sudden privileges when
they know that to refuse the same
would mean thousands of dollars loss
to the company.
AS an industrial center San Fran
cisco has not only almost ceased to
compete in the worlds market in
some lines, but actually has to i'm
port lines which in years gone by
were made in this city.
This leads me to the latest hollow
victory of the labor union-which
has just resulted in the closing down
of the California Cotton Mills in OAK
land throwing 600 operatives out of
work The trouble came about as
result of the eight-hour law which
goes into effect this month. The
mills operated under a nine-hour
basis, and the operatives demanded
that they be given the nine hours
pay of the past for the eight hours
work of the present. This was
agreeable to the management provid-
ing ways could be found of speeding
up the machines and in various other
ways increasing the product of the
mill so the aggregate would be the
same under the shortened time.
In case there was any doubt about
this being done it was proposed that
the method be tried for ninety days,
and if it was found impossible to
maintain a higher speed some other
would be made. This
the employees or their representative
absolutely refused to consider, and
finally, under the urging of members
of the Industrial Workers of the
World most of the employees walked
out and the management announced
that the mills would close down in
definitely.
Cotton mills are a scarcity on this
Coast. Here was a new industry,
trying to build up a business which,
If successful, was destined to give
employment to thousands of work
men. This particular factory was
said to have perfected a secret
process in manufacturing jute ma
terials which could not be initiated
by any factory in the world, and it
was conceded that with steady work
demand could be created which
would lead to a tremendous business.
Here, then, was a new industry-and
not content with even allowing it to
get on it's feet, as it were, the throt-
Ting process begins, until the own
ers, sick and tired of all the non
sense, announce a last payday, the
whir of busy machinery ceases, the
smoke from the chimneys dies out, the
noise of closing doors echoes
through deserted shops, and labor,
the still and silent factory,
announces a wonderful victory.
Perhaps the mills will open again
in the near future, after the union
leaders have argued enough to make
their constituents think they are
wise men, pledged to work solely in
their behalf Meanwhile, wives and
little children may suffer for bread,
men may drift away elsewhere seek
ing work, and the news going out TO
The world, would cause whoever did
have any money to invest, to turn n
any direction but toward San Fran
cisco.