The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-12

money Making an allowance for the
| forty-eight runaway men, his loss was
about $1,000
Dam-Where did you get the money to
lose, as you lost the year before and had
nothing to start with?
Sato-I owe the storekeepers in Pleas
anton, Mr.. Ahrendt and Mr.. Kolb, about
| $720. The storekeepers said they would
trust me until next year. They know they
will get their money when this season S
| hop and beet crops are harvested.
While Sato seemed satisfied with his
! answer, the Commissioners failed to grasp
the idea.
| The next contract was made last Febru-
airy. He agreed with Downing and Lilien-
thai to work the hop ana beet fields.
| Downing stands good for all the bills con-
tracted at the stores in town.
| Stenographer Williamson looked over
the notes of Ahrendt's testimony taken in
PIeasanton, and found that Ahrendt had
stated that Sato did not owe anything at
| his store. On being confronted with this
| fact, Sato changed his statement and said
| that it was Downing and not himself who
owed Ahrendt and Kolb the $720.
All the men except three went away at
| Christmas time. There are now 119 men
at Pleasanton who came from Chico, Sac
mento and Oregon.
Sato stated that in February of this year
he and A. r. Downing contracted to fur
nish laborers to work Lilienthals hop
yards. He is to cultivate or "start" 900
acres for SIS an acre. Sixty men were put
to work, and the work will not be done I'M
til August l.
The fields will be worked on shares. A
copy of the contract was read to Sato show
ing that he had signed away his right to
collect by law, under the mechanics lien
acc, the money due him for the season s
work. He was much annoyed at that and
greatly incensed that his bookkeeper,
Yamamoto, had said that Sato was hard
break Yamamoto's head for saying such
| things about him.
! By figuring out the terms of the contract
it was shown that the laborers make only
| "a cents day for their work after paying
their board, which amounts to 20 cents.
Sato denied that the men pay him 10cents
a day to hold their job, or a like sum to
Downing for the same purpose.
did A. G.. Plat ever ask you to get help
from Japan?' Dam asked.
"He never did"
ibid you ever propose to Mr.. Plat to go
into a partnership with him and import
men from Japan for the Pleasanton yards
and other placesY
mo, [ never did"
Mr.. Platt's testimony, taken last Friday,
was read to Sato. 1t was as follows:
Odd you have any conversation with
| Sato relative TO importing Japanese last year,
Ayes. Himself and Downing were farm.
ing, or rather share renting, and he told me
| that he was going to use them for the harvest
! ing or cultivation OF beets; that he made 6
contract with them. L think he paid them
| 81 % ton-no, 81 so a ton. He put Sato tt
| oversee the ranch and said that he had made
| contract
Q.-Do you know if sato in furnishing the
contracts waited for the steamer to come in?
| Al don't know. l understood he would
| come to the City to get them.
Q.-Do you know if he got them off the
steamers when they came in?
Q.-You have no knowledge of any mer
coming over at particular time to fill {
contract?
A.-Sato wanted to take hold of the work O.
| the ranch. He wanted me to go in with hin
| and get the men from Japan, that he was max
ing only 81 or 50 day.
! Q.-That was Sato?
A.-That was Sato. That was in the early
Odd he ask you for any stated sum o.
A.-No; it was very brief conversation. He
said to me, INT. Platt, / propose that we gel
plenty japanese from Japan; but they got nc
him did not want anything of that business
Q-The proposition made you was not only
for the cultivation OF your ranch, but for gen.
| eral purposes?
| Ayes, to bring them here, and he was go
| ing to take contracts.
Odd he tell you about the profit in it?
A.-te OILY IOlu Ine ABOUT Lne prices OF labor
| in Japan, and said that al advance would have
TO be made for the passage. We would have 8
mortgage on them.
| Q.EThe idea was that you should take hold
| of the financial end and he the labor?
! Ave did not get TO that. He simply said
that we could make lot of money. He said
| 81 go to Japan" l said, "Sato, l am not into
| that business"
Sato denied that he ever had such a con.
versation with Mr.. Platt and he boldly as.
serted that Mr.. Platt was stretching the
truth. He denied ever having asked any.
one for money for the purpose of import
ing coolies. The Commissioners told him
that they believed Mr.. Plat and Mr.. Kolh