The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-03-31
SENATOR IS NOT
COMING FOR CRAIG
REoEU1TER SAYS IT Is UP TO
PLANTERS TO SEE hrs
RAISE" or QUIT.
tFrom wednesdayls Advertlser.l

From Wednesdays Advertiser.)
A cablegram was received yesterday
evening that the Senator, an American
steamship Of 1880 tons, which formerly
was in the passenger service between
San Francisco and Puget Sound ports,
cleared yesterday from San Francisco
on mysterious voyage to Honolulu. It
is suspected that she is coming to help
transport to the mainland the laborers
recruited by some of the labor agents
who have recently been operating in
this Territory.
Seventy-five Of these laborers are al
ready in quarantine booked for passage
on the Wilhelmina today. One hun
dred and forty are scheduled to depart
on the Sierra, and two hundred and
fifty are expected to leave on the Korea
on Friday.
In order to arrive at the exact status
of affairs in this matter of recruiting
labor for the mainland and to endeavor
to determine what has been done and
what is likely to be done, representa-
tive of The Advertiser called upon
Frank B. Craig, the labor recruiting
agent in Honolulu, and was given the
| first interview given to any newspaper
in the city
oabled for information.
In the first place Mr.. Craig disclaim-
ed any other knowledge of the mission
of the Senator than he CLEANED from
the columns of an evening newspaper,
which he said seemed to know more
about it than he. He stated that he
had eabled his principals for informa-
tion concerning the steamer.
Mx~Craig very frankly said that he
was here recruiting labor for the sal
man canneries Of Alaska, and that he
/ had come here for the reason that he
and his principals had understood from
articles emanating from the press of
Honolulu and residents here that the
planters association was much dissat-
isfied with the Filipino laborers; that
they were sorry that these laborers had
ever been imported and would be very
| glad to get rid of them. It was also
| his understanding, he said, that large
number of Filipino laborers were idle.
In this connection, Mr.. Craig called
attention to the fact that the represent
tative from Hilo has introduced in the
house a bill to bar further Filipino i'm
migration. AS this class of laborers
did not seem to be desired on the Is
lands and would serve the purposes of
the canneries, he came here for the pur-
pose of offering them inducements to
go'to Alaska.
.'see the Raise,
From the point of view of the labor
agent he is here on perfectly legitl-
mate business. The proposition is very
simple and eleareut. 1t is simply this:
| The salmon canneries offer better in
ducements to laborers than are offered
by the plantations and they are per-
fectly within their rights in doing So.
| The way to meet this competition is for
4 the plantations to "see the raise. -
| When he came here Mr.. Craig says
he was told that the people would hang
leis about his neck when he left on ac-
count of being the means of Kidding
| the Islands of class whom he under
stood were not wanted here. On the
| contrary he feels he has not been given
a 'tfair deal'' and that wrong motives
have been imputed to him.
No Contracts.
On his arrival here, Mr.. Craig says,
he was first introduced to Deputy
Sheriff Rose and that Rose introduced
him to a Filipino who gave him the in
formation he was seeking. This Fill
Pine he instructed to make inquiries
among his countrymen and find out
how they would receive propositions to
60 to Alaska, but the man was in
structed to make no agreements or con-
tracts with them. In fact, no con-
tracts have even now been made with
any of the men who have agreed to
go. They have been offered better in
d1cements than are offered them here
and the agreements made orally, Mr..
Craig says, will be complied with.
Soon after his arrival here Mr.. Craig
was advised that he must obtain a IL
cense as labor agent. He went to the
city treasurer and paid in the amount
demanded for license and obtained s
receipt therefor and was instructed to
return in a couple of hours, when his
license would be ready. On his re-
turn he was Informed that they could
not Issue the license; that it was the
function Of the territorial treasurer.
His money was therefore returned to
him. Then, he said, he went to the
Office of the treasurer of the Territory
and applied for and received his
license.
After the license was issued he began
his campaign to obtain Filipinos. He
states that he especially endeavored to
enlist those men who were not doing
Ianything.
Doesn't Know ogawa.
Mr.. Craig denied any knowledge of
another labor agent, Japanese named
Ogawa, and that he is absolutely GER
tain that this man is not working for
his principals although ogawa's license
was issued on the same day or the day
after he received his authority to re-
cruit men. He states that he has seen
Ogawa only once and would not have
recognized him then had he not been
pointed out to him, and that he has
never spoken to the japanese; neither,
he says. does he know nor has he any
connection with Lorrin Andrews.
cathcart Consulted.
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