The Hawaiian gazette., 1913-01-28
Aavk

the Harbor made no OBJECTIONS, but in
the case of Thompson, we do not be-
iieve that the company has a right to
discharge man who has spent TWEEN
ty years in its service without giving
reasons for the dismissal If the COM
pany has good reasons for its action
why doesn't it make them public7 The
Harbor is not afraid to have them pub
lished, and neither is Captain Thomp-
son. -
Letter to Advertiser.
The Harbor also directed its pub
LEFTY committee to send the following
communication to The Advertiser:
Editor Advertiser:-If you will kind
ly allow us space in the columns of
your paper, we viii attempt to respond
to your editorial appearing in the issue
of January %, which starts out as
though intended to be fair, quoting
the vital interest of the general pub.
lie, which neither the company nor the
men can afford to ignore, and, after
advising the public not to decide off
hand without hearing both sides, in the
very next paragraph we are practical
ly condemned by you.
that our letter to Mr.. Kennedy was
couched in irritating language, his at
titude toward us at all times has been
worse than irritating; and, Mr.. Editor,
when you say that our calm assump-
ton of the right to name our own
committee to try our members, is al
most enough to make the ordinary
thinking man gasp. What have you
to say in regard to the working man,
the man with family to support, who
has served this company for twenty
odd years, without ever an inkling of
complaint against him, who is sum-
marily discharged by vindictive man
ager, who refuses to give him a rea-
SON for his discharged If we may be
classed among thinking men, We would
say that he, too, would gasp.
No Conflict of Ideas.
There is no conflict of ideas in.
solar as we are concerned Captain
Thompson has been ordered discharged,
the reason for which he does not know
to the present day, and when he was
refused by the management to be
given one, he appealed to us to obtain
it for him. The only reasons given
have already been published. Would
for Mr.. Kennedy to have written Cap
tain Thompson his dismissal. giving
his reasons therein, and to have set.
tied the matter right there and then9
But no; our experience with Mr.. Ken
nedy is this: he will never commit him
self to writing if he can avoid it.
1t is the same with all his dealings.
In the event of something going
wrong, for instance, the minute Mr..
Kennedy hears of it, he is off like a
flash, gets into hiding until others have
Strengthened matters out and then he
is there for the "glory."
Our members, each and every one
of them, have no desire to discom-
mode the public, and it will be with
profound and sincere regret if we
are forced to participate in any action
that will hamper the traffic or business
of these Islands,
Harbor Seeks Publicity.
AS for publicity: we have already
submitted our side of the case, readily
and willingly; but how about the com.
panyi They have not only refused to
publish their side, but have gone SO
far as to even refuse to discuss it.
Please bear in mind that the com
instance. Mr.. Kennedy has gone about
this piece of trickery like demon In
the dark, and if it were not for our
publicity in the matter, throwing him
into the hmelight, the unsuspecting
public would have had no warning
until his scheme was ready to be
Matched, and then our association would
be held responsible.
We mite agree with Won Mr. Editor
+, in that compulsory arbitration fire.
| quently fails to settle satisfactorily,
but compulsory publicity rarely does,
and the sooner you bring the company
to time on the publicity question, the
sooner the public will be able to judge
and express its unbiased opinion.
Respectfully yours,
PUBLICITY COMMITTEE,
HONOLULU HARBoR NO. "a.
uono1nl,, Tan1orx, Ia1o