The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-08

leaves this part of the business to the fore
man, VINO mas an interest In the business.
Under the present market price for hops
economy In labor is very essential eie-
ment IN the production of hops.
The Commissioners are satisfied that the
Japanese boarding house keepers in this
City are as deeply interested in contracting
for cody labor as the contractors are and
that as fact the two classes are partners
IN the business. With view of learning
something upon this point several board
house Keepers were subpenaed.
keeper at 900 O Farrell street, was called to
tell what he knew about contracts for Jap
laDorers and the class of people who pat
rOn1ze his place. He came from YOkO-
hama. All of his countrymen from his
district patronize his house. He supposes
tnat the reason for their going to his house
Is because OF his former patrons telling
business cards TO Japan by those who re-
turn to their homes, and this is the way
the immigrants know of his boarding
house.
The young boys who come to study re-
main with him, but those who come to
work are taken into the country by people
who call for them.
the contractors from the country the wit
ness suddenly lost his memory. He
evaded the questions in a very shrewd
manner, saying that he had no means of
knowing the names of the contractors, all
OF whom are Japs. Kishi admitted that
the bosses frequently stay at his house
from week to month gathering labor
names. He contradicted himself so often
that the Commissioners threatened to send
him to jail.
In order to get.the names of the con-
tractors the Commissioners sent for the
witness book of patrons of his house.
when 1t arrived the witness said that it
contained only the names of people from
Japan and not of those who came from the
interior of this State. In this way he still
evaded the question. The witness showed
that he is fully informed upon the con-
tract law, and he took good care not to i'm
plicate himself or any of the cody con-
tractors in any illegal practices.
A.. g. Platt of 5O7 California street, for
merly an active director in the Pleasanton
Hop Company, was called and asked
where Downing and Sato secured the Japs
on the contract mentioned in the CALL.
He said that he supposed they had
rounded up the gang somewhere in the
State. He resigned active service in the
company last January, and he is not
familiar with the company's present work
ing. He said: when I first started the
the condition Of the people of Pleasanton.
It gave work for hundreds of white people,
the local whites first and the transients if
there was any work to spare. gave the
men, women and children the work and
ran buses from town out to the ranch for
the women and children. The whites are
cleaner pickers and better workers than
the Asiatics. The first crop we turned out
was the best that ever went to New York.
II never intended thatcooly labor should
be employed, and when the Pleasanton
Hop Company began to get in Chinese
and Japs l resigned. The people of that
section gave me an ovation when / left. |
saw that the introduction of cody labor
would be productive of trouble, and there
was trouble brewing on several occasions
on account of Japs being employed in the
yards.
1T does not cost any more to employ
whites than it does Japs and the work is
done much better by the former"
Judging from Mr.. Platt's remarks, the
principal reason for his giving up the
management of the Pleasanton hopyards
was because others had determined to
employ cody labor. He said while the
whites were employed the crops were har-
vested at a profit. The benefit of local
white labor to the entire community was
manifest by the fact that every one
seemed to be working for the benefit of
all, and every one had money to sped for
town and county improvements.
Whole families fifty miles away went to
the hopfelds at harvest time and cam ped
out while gathering the crop. Then har-
vesting was more like big picnic than
anything else, and men, women and chill
dren went away with money in their
pockets. When the Japs got in they be-
gan to resort to tricks. For instance, hop
pickers are paid by the pound. The Japs