The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-08-07
POOR FOOD AND
WORSE QUARTERS

Editor Call-Sir: In this mornings
Call read an editorial on statement
made by John P. Irish that more Ash
attic farm labor was needed in Califor-
MIA. Mr.. Irish says that white ranch
labor is unreliable and unsatisfactory.
If Mr. Irish knew the conditions under
which white farm labor lived he might
change his views. Here is the expert
ence of one who has worked on Cali
fornia ranches from Red I. Bluff to
Riverside. together with the names of
owners and location of the ranches:
Four miles from Red Bluff is the
Cone ranch of several thousand acres.
1 went there in the fruit season. The
temperature ranged from 80 to lis in
the shade. Among the trees the heat
was sitting. The food was poor half
cooked, freshly killed mutton, soggy
bread, tea and coffee without milk.
some other things much the same and
an insulting Chinese TO wait on table
and a sitting hot room to- eat in. We
complained to Mr.. Ramsey, the superin-
tendent. and after telling us of his
! inability to get good cooks told US If
we didn't like it we might quit. An
open well was surrounded with Stops
from the kitchen.
At the Won Loben Sells ranch at Bor-
den in. Sacramento county I went in
winter. Here the food was of the
poorest kind. The surface tule water
tasted like I've; tea and coffee had the
same taste. The bunk house was
overcrowded, all sleeping in one room.
When 1 complained about the grub 1
was told to complain at the Office. At
the office I called for my time. knew
that's what 1 would get any way.
To the Levi ranch on Roberts island
went by boat. This ranch consisted
of some 1000 or 1000 acres. Mr.. Levi
owned wholesale grocery in the city
At the landing 1 met the foreman. 1
asked him where 1 would sleep. He
said almost anywhere, for 1 believe
the hunks are all taken" They were
all taken-f1ve of them under a water
tank. There were five times that
many men working there. 1 didn't
stay. He said he needed men.
Four miles from OakdaIe is the
1000 acre ranch OF Thomas Snedigar
Mr.. Snedigar is a stock holder of a
bank in Oakdale. On the Snedigar
ranch the worst building was the bunk
house. Great holes in the walls and
roof. In place of glass in the windows
we nailed on boards, for it was cold
and windy. Before the faIl.rains every
building on the place was repaired ex-
cepting the bunk house.
Right beside this bunk house was the
COW corral. in which were turned every
night cows just separated from their
young calves. The cows beloved all
night and it actually seemed as if
every COW had head in door or win
dow. Half past four o'clock was the
hour to arise, sleep or no sleep. Mr..
Snediar said the bunk house was in
use for 90 years and didn't see the
need of a change.
At Perris, in Riverside county, went
to work for William Newport. owner of
$4,000 acres. Mr.. Newport has a con-
tract with a livery man in PERKS to-
take the men to the ranch. The livery
man is doing good business It's nine
miles and walk back. Here was the
same indigestible stuff to eat, cooked
by an Indifferent Japanese who did as
he pleased. The bunk house here was
of the open air variety also and the
desert winds of Perris at New Years
are cold. The windows were closed
with unny sacks and the open floor was
weed grown.
Four o'clock is the hour to get nm
with an hour in the stable; breakfast
at 5; seven hours till dinner; supper
at Z, then work on the stock an hour.
Mr.. Newport needed men badly.
Close to the city of Los Angeles I
went to work for Joe Starr, a dairy
man. A big rain came one night and
we were soon soaking wet. We got
out of wet blankets at 4:s0 and it
rained all day. Wet blankets again
that night. The next day quit. Mr..
Starr wanted me to stay.
From there 1 went to Tehachapi to
work on large ranch owned by
United States Senator Jones of Nevada.
Here was a small, one roomed bunk
house filed tight and sitting hot from
a big fire. l camped in the barn with
about so head of horses. My bed was
in hay filed with stickers and fox tail.
The blankets and my underclothes were
filed with those stickers and made life
miserable. Weather on Tehachapi in
March is cold and windy and 1 pretty
nearly froze in the open barn.
On some of those farms are Chinese
or japanese camps with houses fur
nished to suit their needs and they live