The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-03-25
FRISCO LETTER
CContinued from Page one.)


err has come to fight against what the
latter believes to be an iniquitous
measure-the eight hour law-which
provides that no woman must work
over eight hours in any given day
except in the case Of the fruit pickers
The bill at present has the sanction
of labor leaders throughout the state, !
therefore all the power that big bust
ness" can bring against this measure
will avail not with the men who keep |
their political ears to the ground, and
who therefore know the power of the
labor vote.
Fruit pickers are the exception be-
cause of the perishable nature of fruit,
which must be picked and disposed of
quickly. But no exception is made
of those manufacturers whose goods
are in demand only at certain sea-
sons of the year, and who need lots
of help, who must needs work more
than eight hours if the manufacturer
is to turn out his goods cheap enough
to compete with manufacturers in
other states for instance-where work.
ing hours are not restricted.
Neither is exception made for the
holiday season when shops are in the
habit of remaining open evenings. All
this must end, if Governor Johnson
sees fit to sign the bill before him,
unless stores employ two shifts-which
they are not likely to do. Up-to-date
house servants are not even excepted,
and a strict Interpretation Of the law
might permit the cook and servant to
stop work in the midst of madames
dinner party-their eight hourday
! completed.
1T is a case Of humanity against
dollars" as one labor leader express
| ed it. And yet in the end it is a
| question whether the law will materi-
| ally benefit even them for whom it was
I framed.
The manufactures in San Francisco,
almost controlled by Union Labor
help, can scarcely call his business his
own. He has been forced to pay
! higher wages, his laborers have re-
stricted their output to such an extent
in some cases that even Mayor Nc
Carthy has had to come out in open
protest. The number of apprentices in
most trades is limited-the employer
therefore has no field to draw from
there can be no competitive work
and with these handicaps he must
compete with outside firms who gel
cheap labor, plenty of it, and who are
In many instances willing and GLAD
: to extend the eight hour day. AND
now on top of this comes the law pro-
hibiting women from working more
than eight hours.
Manufacturers say that they will be
forced to abandon the Saturday half
holiday many of them give. Merchants
say they don't feel that they can give
one or two weeks holiday a year OF
full pay for faithful work performed
And yet it remains to be seen whether
the employees, backed up by the
unions, would not fight TO the las
ditch the suspension Of half holiday
or vacations on pay. Verify the lot o
the supposedly prosperous business
man is no dream of bliss.
At present writing it is more thai
likely that the Governor will sign tn
>. bill which has already passed the leg
: islature. Merchants and manufactul
ers the length of the state are protest
= ing, not against the spirit of the bill
but against it's radical parts. Shout
It become law however, small manu-
facturers will undoubtedly be force
out of some lines Of business With
the confines of the state.