The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-04-28
TELLS or WHAT
AWAITED THEM
SAN FRANCISCO PAPER DE.
sonTBEs "Ar.AsKA oANNBRv
PRrsoNs."

played by the San Francisco press In
regard 70 the cruise Of tho s. 8. Sena.
tor, and the comments on It have all
been in favor Of Hawaii. The follow
ing extracts from San Francisco
Bulletin article show that Frisco has an
appreciation Of the Alaska eanneries;
"The men have been standing out
against present injustice Of the com
pany in refusing 10 bind itself to the
terms that were promised them in the
islands. But what they do not know,
except as it has been told them by men
of their own race, is that contract or
no contract, they win be little better
off than poems. The demands of the
AlaskS canneries are urgent, but
enough idle labor is to be found in San
Francisco if the packers would only
pay fair wage for the work. But
they have undertaken to go into the
Orient for the men to run the eanneries.
Rugged Prison.
con the rugged coast of Alaska the
packing crews are as effectually i'm
prisoned as in stockade. For if they
should try to escape there is nowhere
to 90. The canneries only exist on that
part of the coast and there the Chinese
bosses drive the men for all that they
can endure The days task begins at
three O'Clock in the morning and ends
at nine at night. The Chinese con
tractors are supposed to feed them, but
the willy Celestial knows that he is not
expected to take his contract at loss
and he gives his men as little TO eat
as possible. And if that were not
enough there is a 300 per cent profit to
be made on the food which the men
have to buy in order to exc out the
scanty fare at the company tables.
An illustration is given that can Of
condensed milk costing here about
seven cents wholesale is sold at the
fishing grounds for twenty-five or
thirty cents.
AS result. tits said the men of the
canneries generally come back to port
with no wages due them after their
bills at the stores are deducted. Yet
the laborers from the islands declared
they would take passage for Alaska If
only they were guaranteed the fulfill
ment of the hard terms of their verbal
agreements.
On Blackbirding Cruise.
cit was for the purpose of convey
ing these men to San Francisco that
the Senator slipped out of port 9, few
weeks ago on a. mysterious missio9 that
aroused rumors of war, but turned out
to be little better than a blackbirding
expedition upon the Pacific. Hel
cabins had been made over TO accom-
modate thousand men, but only las
came back, and the Chinese contractors
who engaged to get the hands for the
Alaska canneries have lost thousands
of dollars on their venture.
Had Definite Kick.
"The mntineers declared that they
were perfectly willing to go to Alaska
if they could be sure that their agree
ments with the company would be full
filed None of them had ever beer
away from the Hawaiian Islands an'
they did not know the hardships o
the northern canneries. Agents hat
como among tn M in Hawaii and mad
allurinp promises of good pay and com
Portable working conditions. But oil
the trip over their dissatisfaction ha'
grown because of the fare, which con
sisted chiefly of rice and potatoes
When port was finally reached the
were prepared to resist to the last an
effort to put them aboard the Alask
boats without written contracts.
Chinese are Contractors.
"Chinese contractors are said to b
the promoters behind the enterprise
recruit laborers from Hawaii. The
undertake for stated sums to furnls
part of the 5000 men that are needle
for the salmon season at Bristol Ba,
Kagayon, Luckanuck and Larsen Bal
For chartering the Senator 100000
said to have been the contract priC
that would have brought 1000 labore1
to the canneries. On these the whit
labor leaders who were subeontracto
for the Cinnamon have made $40
head. total of $4,000. But here II
Senator has but las men instead
1000. and another 100000 for fare an
expenses will be added to the loss
$12, 500 that is said to have been !
Cured on the shipment of mem WI
mutinied ON the Korea and broke avn
from the docks.
Labor Agents in Control.
'sThe Senator was turned over e
tirely TO the labor agents and the
ficers had nothing to say of their carr
from Honolulu. Captain George J.
Zeh did not care to be interviewed, :
word being given out that all he had
do was to run the ship and leave Z
passengers to be taken care of by the
employers.
dThe cruise of the Senator win pre-
ably be the last blackbirdiHg expe'
ton of the Pacific" concludes
Bulletin. ''foE the planters of the j
wailan Islands have had laws pass
prohibiting the recruiting Of thi
iahorers by outsiders, and y. y, era
Bells partner, Is still held IN HonolI
To answer a charge Of soliciting imi
grants without q license.
WHERE rs LusK7
Where Is Link Mecandlesa Il
onestion that Il troubling the minis