The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-11-28
TOO MUCH MONEY
TURNS HEADS Of .
PLANTATION men
Bonus Payments Bringing About
Results Not Expected BY
the Planters
BIG EXODUS TO COAST
IS THE FIRST RESULT
Paper Money Disguised Some oil
the Fi!ipinos, Who Tore
the Bills Up

HILO, November 22-Unoficially IL
is stated taht the Hawaiian SuC) .
Planters Association will soon arrange
to make its disbursements of the bonus
TO it's plantation lsborcrs in some other
way than the method now in force Of
the ayment of this bonus. which Is
twenty per cent each month and the
balance once a year.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars
were paid out last week to laborers
IN this Island Of Hawaii in bonuses.
Never had these FiGpnos, japanese,
Porto RicanS, Portuguese, Spaniards,
Russians and Chinese seen so much
money ut one time before Hundreds of
them acted as though they had gone
crazy.
Almost continuously during Friday
Saturday and Sunday there was n pro.
;ession Of automobiles headed into Hilo
rom all parts of the island filed with
men, women and children. Many of
'hesc, it Is stated will fail to return ia
heir work. on the various plantations,
Steamer Tickets First
Hilo merchants, especially those IN
he Oriental part of the city, are reap,
ng harvest from the laborers, some
# whom have not visited the city be.
fore in mouths and years. A great
many of them have already left the
sland without any intention of re-
urning.
When the Muuna Kea sailed from
Hilo last Friday she earn led about one
hundred and sixty laborers, with their
rockets full Of money ITO, Honolulu
Many OF these will go to the Coast
On Monday last it was the Same. =
At the local Office of the Matsor
Navigation Company, with C. Brewer
q Co., they we're standing in line al
times waiting to book passag g. to the
On one plantation in Kau II is re-
ported that practically every Filipin,
employed there quit work as soon a.
they received their bonus and came
INTO HilO on their way home or to Cali
fornia.
Many other plantations, it is stated
have lost nearly half their workinr
'orce. One Of the plantations whief
has suffered considerably is Hakalau
Nearly all the Hamakua plantations
have lost many laborers, both mill ant
field workers.
One Spanish family at Hakalau j,
aid to have received altogether in DO
muses. about $1,000. They will au go t.
California on the next Matson boat
number of Portuguese are also, leav
Ing. Most of them will be very gla(
o get back again to where bonuses ar,
paid.
Restlessness Prevails
restlessness seems to pervade thu
"hor"rs on most of the plantations OF
this island. So far there has beer
cry little trouble, in spite of the great
influx of strangers to this city
During the last few days of the weel
md on Sunday forty-six men were ar
'"stcd on charges of gambling in HilC
alone. This is said to be record fol
the time. Nearly all of these mel
quickly put up ten dollars apiece al
mil, which was promptly forfeited
Twenty men, were arrested, on Sunda,
md $l20 was taken in as forfeited bal
money in the local district court Mon
lay morning.
No savvy This Kind
''oHt CACttulHRly funny btOTleS art
going the rounds regarding the actionr
If some of the laborers, especially Fill
ninos, when they received their extri
paY. Most of the bonus money wa
oaid to the men in paper money, eacl
nan receiving an envelope with thu
money in it. In quite number of in
stances the men did not know wha
he paper money was and tore it up
Large numbers of these torn bills
nasted together, have been presented
It the First Bank of Hilo for exchange
In other cases the men receiving tn,
paper money thought they might b.
orders for payment and went to tn,
plantation stores to get the real none!
in gold and silver in exchange. Yer,
few japanese, however, are reported Il
have made any mistakes in this regard
One Porto Rican at Hakalau j
stated to have received an enyelop
containing SOL and some cents. HI
kept the one dollar and change in sill
yer and threw away two tYenty.dolla
bills and one for ten dollars, 49,
1t is now believed that it will tax
| nearly a month before the labor prob
lens of the local plantations will agai
be solved, especially as many worker
will change from one plantation t
Al l. L.