The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-10-23
STRIKE or FISHING !.
| BOATS IS'BROkEN
Committee 81 Food lcoAmIssion
Hears Of Trouble Between
Sampan and Bait Owners

The strike of the aku boats has been
broken by some of the Pacific fishing
company, whose four boats win 40 out
this morning as usual. This was
brought out at meeting Of the fish
committee yesterday morning, at which
representatives Of the fishing companies
and the captain Of the aku boats were
present. IT E..AF
The strike was a sympathetic one,
and the cause of il the fact that Kida,
the man present at the meetin1. was
unable to get any bait for fishing. The
bait used for aku is a small fish known
az nehu, which can be caught ONLY
close to shore, With this nehu the aku
il caught, which in turn supplies the
bait for deep-sea fishing. A continued
tie-up Of the aku boats would mean
that no more deep.sea fsh would be
brought into the Honolulu markets.
Kida Is captain of one of the akin
boats, Of which there are seven. He
has been twice arrested at the instance
Of Walter Macfarlane for trespassinR
ON his so-ealled fishing rights, and has
been forbidden to enter them at any
time.
The Honolulu fishing company, for
which Kida works, could not supply
him with bait, and he was unable to Sc.
cure II elsewhere. There is none for
sale in the open market, as each com.
pany has not enough to supply theis
own captains at all times, according to
their statements yesterday. N
Calls strike
Upon finding himself unable to get
bait Kida called strike Of all the
aku boats. This Is the strike which
caused the session of the fish commit,
tee in, the endeavor to find out the
cause and TO safeguard the public iron,
any shortage of fish in the marke cts. 7,
1t was charged by Charles Chilling
worth that Kida had threatened t.
prevent Walter Macfarlane's akp
boats from operating unless he were
allowed to fish for bait in Macfarlane .
fishing rights. Macfarlane also stated
that at one time when he found Kida q
boat trespassing and boarded il to put
the captain under arrest one of the
crew attempted to stab him. 800
Richard IvSJs suggested that an
amicable arrangement could probably
be made between the fishing companies
as TO the supplying af bait for their
aku boats so that none need be tied
up at the wharf. He said that il was
the duty; of the fish committee to pros
teet the public, and that if it were, ne.
cessary for the public interest to take
legal action 10 prevent FISH scarcity, il
would be done without hesitation. {.
V II seemed to be the desire, of the
Guhi farr 81 -, L A..
in O friendly manner as quickly as
possible. Their revenues are cut into
deeply when the lack of aku for bait
creates a scarcity Of deep-sea fish IN
the market They expressed their bet
lief that with the breaking of the
strike, which has already come to pass
the matter would adjust itself at once.
The fact was brought out at the
meeting that the number of aku boats
has been kept down by the fishing
companies on account of their fear that
the fishing grounds would be entirely
cleaned of nehu were there a larger
number of boats in the aku trade. Mr..
Ivers stated that rs long as this was
the case arrangements should be made
between the companies by which the
boats could be supplied with bait SO
that they would not be kept from the
fishing grounds. Xix. .,...s
When asked what would be done
about the new aku boats now in course
of construction. the fish committeeman
stated that the new boats were an en-!
tirely different proposition, and if they
could not secure bait by arrangements
with the boats already in the trade II
would not be the place of the commit
tee to insist that they should be sup
piled. The fish committee is only in.
terested in seeing that none of the
boats now engaged in aku fishing arc
laid off for long enough periods to ere.
ate serious shortage at the fishmarket
whereby the public would suffer.