The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-02-01
TROUBLE AT HANk
ENEARH&AAtAD
Contractors Are Returning 10
Work In Numbers and Nor
NAL Conditions Coming

Labor troubles at HAND. Maui; seem
to be nearing an end, according to the
adyices received by letter yesterday by
Theo. II. Davies . Co., agents for the
plantation. This letter said the, men
were going back TO work and the larger
number had already returned. 1t was
expected conditions would be normal
within short time.
The labor troubles at Hama resulted
from the demands Of Japanese contrae.
tors for a new contract, and the reply
Of the management II was impossible to
enter upon new contracts at time like
this, when conditions were abnormal,
likely to change at any time and gen.
orally uncertain and unstable.
The contractors drove on the Filipino
laborers who were sent to do the work
which the Japanese refused to do, it n
said. There were fumes broken, and
the sheriff and five deputies went over
and restored order.
The side Of the contractors is told by
Eugene Murphy, whom the contractors
retained to represent them in a signed
statement published in the Maui News,
which said:
GAS attorney Of the Cane Contrac.
tors Assoc alton Of Hama, comprised of
one hundred and forty members, with
less than six exceptions Japanese, L
have the honor to submit their claim TO
yon, and that their reasons for their
present action. 3k me- VI
Previous to the year 1915, and in
the year 1915, the members of the asso-
soiation entered into q contract With
the Kealaka Sugar Company to raise
cane for the sum Of $3.25 per ton, the
contractors to furnish their fertilizer,
which was to be furnished by the plan
'tation and to be charged against them
at cost plus ten percent for handling;
the plantation also to advance $l2 per
month for each man who worked a.
given number Of days per month; the
plantation to charge interest at the.
rate Of ten percent for the period Of
seiRhteen months for such money adj
xaneed. In ahdition to the foreging,,
the plantations agreed TO furnish q phys
ieian and surgeon for the care. Of men.
.engaged in plantation work and their
families in al ordinary cases, and also,
10 furnish camp houses, Ia which the
/ families were to, live.
~. After the 1915 crop was harvested,
In the middle, of the year 1916. the cane
growers OF contractors were tnld by the
smanager, Mr.. Chalmers, to continue asi
they had IN the past, and that in view
. of the fact that fertilizers had jumped
ienoFmoualy in price, acrnngements to,
inject such cost would be- made before
their erop maturcd. Tha men, TRUSTING
Manager Chalmers, continued in their
work, but for roasons, requested of Mr..
Chalmers that he agree with them (this,
lin October, 1910, that the price Of
senhe be advanced per ton, the contrac-
ifbrs to staud the advanced cost of fer.
tilizer. Upon this request being made,
Mr. Chalmers ordered the men from his,
1oiIlee and. denied that he had any CON
itraet with the cane contractors what
asoever. The cane contractors there
Upon sought legal advice and demanded
iof MIR. Chalmers that he live up TO
what they considered was their CON
tract when they were induced, TO eulti-
svatsy and grow cane They also de-
manded that Mr.. Chalmers eease charg-
ling thsm ten cents per ton for every
ton of cane grown by them and that he
repay TO, them ten cents per ton for
cane grown by them under their 1913
contract, saying that there was no
sense in HIS agreeing TO pay $3.25. per.
ton and after they had grown the cane
taking Ten cents OFF for no, reason what.
soeser. They also demanded that Mr.,
Chalmers pay to them one,half Of the
cost Of the repairs Of the buildings in,
which they lived and which he was re-
qnired TO make by the board of health,
as he informed them, and to which they
had not agreed; that he also repay to
them the cost of whitewashing the.
houses in which they lived, which Mr.!
Chalmers also Informed them was Or
dered by tho board Of health, and to.
which they had not agreed. They also
demanded that Mr., Chalmers cease
charging them four cents per ton for
what he termed a bond for cutting
cane grown by them, not understanding
what IL was, and feeling that he, after
having had the cane grown by them,
was cutting their price from 1925 per
ton TO $3,l1 per ton. y t8 I;
'tMr. Chalmers refused to listen 10
the men at all. He also insisted upon,
putting large numbers Of men in the
fields Of the contractors to work when
ever he could find no other place to put,
them and, would charge the contractors
-$1l0 per day, although he paid those
men only II cents per day, this whether
or not the men were necessary. 2 n
1.-THE cane contractors then organ
lied and told Mr.. Chalmers to take no
cane from their fields which they had
under lease until he had stipulated as.
he had agreed Mr.. Chalmers told them
there was no agreement wbatsoever in
writing, and what he would pay them
after he, had cut the cane was none OF
their business. H.. -.- 8#I
2 w "Yours truly, 49,. ulE
y.., EUGENE MURPHY