The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-06-18
THOUSAND POOEAS
PRESENT REQUEST
. FOR RAISE IN PAY
NJ Threat Of a Strike Is Made,
/. Because Such Action Would
Injure Nation
SHIPPING BOARD WILL
PASS ON THE DEMAND
StevedoreS Say Increased Cost
OF Living Makes Increase
Necessary


Differing distinctly from former sue
reasfhl demands for wage increases,
with no threat of a strike included, be-
cause it is war time, the thousand or
more stevcdorcs of Honolulu have
made n formal request to McCabe,
Hamilton & Kenny that their present
pay he Increased from thirty FIVE cents
to forty five cents an hour.
As ultimately the increased cost of
handling freight in Honolulu, caused
l,y the granting Of the wage increase,
would have 70 be paid by the United
States government, it is explained that
while the request of the pOOlas is in
Sstrnt no strike or tic up Of shipping
is imminent if the stevPdOres request
is not Immediately granted. 1t is be
cause most Of the ships calling at Ho-
nolulu are under the cOUtrOl and opera
ton Of the United States Shipping
Board that the ultimate cost of a wage
increase would fall on the government.
The Honolulu shipping and steVedor-
ing interests to whom the request of
representatives Of the waterfront
workers realize that any strike and tie
up Of vessels Mt this time would in reah-
ty be a war blow at the United States
government because Of it's need of
shipping, and because it must pay most
of the increased wage demand. The ste
lrdOres, it is said, base their claim
alone on the admitted fact of the in
creased cost Of living, which they hope
to rqualiZr 10y Il consequent increase
in wages earned.
Because Of the shipping operations
brought about by the war, in which
many vessels came under the operation
of'thc government, it IL peculiar fact
that the requ, st Of the Honolulu steve
dOrrS may be eventually denied or ap-
proved by the officials in Washington.
Luras Act For Men
No organization, it is said, present
rl the stcvrdorcs' wage increase de-
mand, but Iunas in charge of the vari-
GUS gangs Of pOoIas acted for the men
under them, and four or five days ago
the formal request was made to Nc
Cahr, Hamilton 4 Kenny, their princi-
pal employer in Honolulu for more
pay.
This firm passed the request of the
stevedores up to the heads of the Ho-
noluu shipping agencies, who after a
conference, decided also to pass it up
TO higher authority for decision. The
shipping agency men have referred it
to the Honolulu shipping adjustment
commission, which is composed Of f.
". Trnnrv, president Of the MatsOn
Navigation Company, Colonel SrhOfeld,
uunrtrrmastPr department, and the
president Of the Honolulu StevedOring
AssoclHtiun.
Mr.. Trnnrv represents the shipping
firms Interested, Colonel SchOfell tho
United States government, and tie
p"olas president, the interests Of the
strVrdurrH.
Action hv this commission on the
strvrdores request has been delayed
'nr IL few DAVIS because Of the absence
Of President Trnney, but he is expected
in Honolulu today and it is thought
that tomorrow or Thursday the com
mission will meet and try to come to
some agreement.
Loo al Board To Decide
If an agreement il reached, recon-
mrnIutioms Will then hr made to the
shipping board representatives in San
Francisco, and then perhaps later tC
the head shipping board officials III
Washington. However, it il asserted
that there is little doubt but that the
san Francisco and Washington officials
viii follow whatever rerOmmcndat lions
are made by the local adjustment
luard if unanimous agreement is
reached.
What will Nsult if an unanimous
agreement il not reached by the al
justmrnt commission is a matter OF
speculation to both the stevedOres anl
tn" Honolulu shipping men.
The present request Of the HOnolu
III stcvedOrrs is the third one made il
less than two years for more wages
In September 1915, the stevedores were
out ON strike for about two weeks, af
fer which their pay was raised from
two dollars "A day to $40. In June
l9l7, another demand for more pay
WAS made but compromise waS
reached before strike was called. BY
this compromise the wage basis of 4
nine hour day at $40 "A dav wa,
changed to an hourly basis, and thir
" five cents an hour allowed the steve
duR't. Now AN increase Of ten cents
an hour is asked.
While there probably are not more
than 400 men stradlly employed on the
Honolulu waterfront as stevedores
there are at present 1850 waterfront
frdrrul passes out, which are held hS
men who work all or part of the time
at s'rN rdormg.
There is no race distinction in the
Nng" increase request Of the poolus
~ ia" extra pay is asked for the Hn