The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1916-10-27
.|NTERlSLAND men
make NODEMANDS
HakuoIe Says Two Hundred win
Sign Petition Sunday Ask
ing More Pay

A petition signed by one hundred
to two hundred sailors employed in
Inter Island vessels, asking a general
raise of twenty-five cents day in
wnges and twenty-five cents overtime,
is to be presented to officials of that
company Monday.
This statement was made yesterday
by James H. Hakuole, assistant dis
trict court clerk, who says he has been
asked by large number of the Inter,
Island sailors to represent them. The
men have no intention of quitting
their jobs or striking, and the PROPOSE
tion which he intends submitting to
the Inter.Island officers will not be q
demand, but simply a request.
"Since some publicity has been
given to the affair" Hakuole said yes
terday, ~ may as well explain the sit
uation, that there may be no confusion
or Misunderstanding, on the part of
the men, the Inter.Island, or the pub
lie. e..
az was called from home by a teleA
phone request on Sunday afternoon to
interpret for a meeting of Hawaiian
and Japanese sailors, in King street
near Desha lane. found eighty to a
hundred men assembled in q tent at
that place, and when I arrived they
/ asked me to represent them in present
ing requests to their employers, the
Inter.I Island officials, for higher pay.
awe discussed the subject from
every angle. l informed them, and
will stick to the decision, that I will
not countenance any strike. I will
not represent them if they talk of any
such experiment.
No Intention To Strike
"But there is no danger of walk
out, for most of the. men have no de-
sire to quit, as means of enforcing
Recognition of their claims. And they
have agreed that they will not demand,
but ask for better wages.
"They wanted me to undertake
negotiations with the company the
following day, but demurred, believ-
! ing haSty action unwise. / have now
prepared a petition, setting forth the
men s arguments, why they think they
are entitled to more pay. They have
agreed to hold another meeting Sun
day afternoon at two O'Clock, at the
same place, to hear and discuss this
petition, and if it suits them, to sign it..
They have assured me that most of
the men employed in the entire Inter
Island feet, or about two hundred, will
be present. Practically all will sign
the petition, and on the following day
1 will present it to the company's Off
GERS.
that l am merely a paid employee of
these sailors, and that my share in the
negotiations, if there are such, will be
as the paid representative of the men.
Their Treatment Satisfactory
"There is no kick against treatment
accorded the sailors by the company;
possibly they want somewhat better
food, but in the main they are satisfied
with the present treatment in every
thing except pay.
"They recently. received an increase
of twenty five cents a day, giving them
present wage Of $l.75. They want
two dollars a day, and overtime pay of
twenty-five cents an hour when they
work between the hours of one and
seven O. clock in the morning, 1t is the
invariable rule on the boats when call
ing at the other islands for the men to
start work early in the morning, usu-
ally somewhere from ten, at night to
two in the morning, and continue at
hard labor the remainder Of that morn
ing, ali day and possibly into the sec
ond night.
Long Hours, Small Wages
"They often put in twelve to
eighteen hours at the hardest kind of
labor, with no relief except for meals,
in a single day. They tell me that in
many instances their weekly wage
amounts to only nine to twelve dollars
This, together with The Increased
cost Of hvingais the gist Of their argu,
meRt." YER
Hdkuole admitted that the subject
has not been placed before the Inter
Island officials yet. His own part in
it is due to his facility in. Interpreting
in English, Hawaiian and japanese
languages. Members of the crews said
yesterday that there is talk of asking
for more wages, but mono seemed t.
know whether definite action was
planned.