| 12017/36337 and 36342
pp 16-20
In re: Application of TUNG LIN Leong for return
|
February
19, 1929
F. O. Seidle, Inspector in Charge. B. G. Barber, Stenographer, Mrs. Agnes Haviland, Acting Int'p (Duly Sworn). |
SWORN STATEMENT OF MANAGER: (Testifies in English)
Q. What is your
name?
A. Chan Tai Oy,
I only have the one name.
Q. How old are
you and when were you born?
A. 41, born on
January 21, 1888 Chinese calendar.
Q. Where were you
born?
A. In China.
Q. When did you
first come to the United States?
A. 1905.
Q. Have you ever
testified in any immigration cases since you have been in the United States?
A. Yes.
| NOTE: | (File pertaining to Mr. Oy is not at hand. It appears that is was inadvertently over-looked when papers were being transmitted to this office in connection with the present case.) |
Q. Did you ever
apply for a certificate of identity?
A. No.
Q. Are you married?
A. Yes.
Q. When and where
were you married?
A. May 14, 1912,
in San Francisco.
Q. Describe your
family?
A. I have a wife
and five children, my wife's name is Tung Lin Leong, she is residing with
me at 2215 - 15th St., Sacramento. My children are Edward Chan or
Chan Shue Kee, age 16, and Daniel Chan or Chan Shue Dunn, age 14; Chan
Shue Mei or Marjorie Chan, age 12; Chan Shue Tong and Thomas S. Chan, age
10; Chan Shue Too or William Chan, age seven. That is all.
All my children were born in Sacramento.
Q. What is your
present occupation and address?
A. I am manager
of the Tong Sun & Company at 916 - 3rd St., Sacramento, California.
Q. For what purpose
are you appearing here today?
A. To testify
in behalf of my partner Chen Kuei Mei, and for myself, and in connection
with my wife's application.
Q. In what kind
of business are you engaged?
A. Fish and product.
Q. How large a
stock do you carry on hand?
A. From $10,000
to $15,000.
Q. Is the applicant
a member of the firm in Sacramento?
A. Yes sir.
Q. How long has
he been a member of the firm in Sacramento?
A. He has been
in partners since 1908.
Q. Has he been
located here in Sacramento all the time with that company?
A. No.
Q. Where has he
been?
A. In Reno, Nevada.
Q. Now when you
say the company carries a stock of goods on hand amounting to $10,000 to
$15,000 are you including the Reno stock.
A. No.
Q. How many branch
stores do you have?
A. Two.
Q. Where are they
located?
A. One is at 16th
and North B Streets, one at Reno and the other one is the main store at
916 - 3rd St.
Q. Has the applicant
been in Sacramento duing the past twelve months?
A. No, he has
been here only about three months.
Q. Where was he
before that?
A. In Reno.
Q. How large a
stock of goods do you carry on hand at Reno?
A. A little over
$1,000.
Q. What is the
annual business done by our firm including all of its branches annually?
A. About $450,000
or $460,000.
Q. What is the
capitalization of your firm?
A. $16,000.
Q. How many partners
are there in the firm including the main store and the two branches?
A. There are altogether
sixteen partners. Ten in this country and six in China.
Q. How many active
partners are in the main store at 916 - 3rd St?
A. Eight.
Q. How many partners
are there in the branch store in Reno?
A. Two.
Q. How many active
partners at the 16th and B Streets?
A. We open up
in the early morning and close up again. No one there all the time,
we take men over there.
Q. Then you don't
have any active partners located there all the time?
A. No, not at
16th and B Streets.
Q. Approximately
what is the annual business done by your branch store in Reno?
A. Last year a
little over $90,000.
Q. How long was
the applicant located in Reno?
A. Since the store
started in November, 1926, he went there as manager.
Q. Where was he
located before going to Reno?
A. In Sacramento
at 916 - 3rd St.
Q. When did he
become a member of your firm?
A. In 1908.
Q. What was his
position in the Sacramento store before going to Reno?
A. Bookkeeper.
Q. Name the partners
of your firm giving their ;positions and amounts of interest?
A. Myself, Chan
Tai Oy, manager,
$1,000.
Chen
Kuei Mei, manager, Reno Store $1,000.
Chin
Tai Yuen, salesman, Reno Store $1,000.
Hee
Fook Yuen, Bookkeeper,
$1,000.
Lee
Tai King, Buyer,
$1,000.
Leong
Chock Chong, salesman,
$1,000.
Chan
Gin Chew, salesman,
$1,000.
Chin
Bing Yuen, salesman,
$1,000.
Lee
Quock Chuck, Bookkeeper,
$1,000.
Leong
Chong Lee, salesman,
$1,000.
Those are all the active
partners. The silent partners who are in China all have $1,000 interest.
There names are Ding Moon Hee, Chan Moon Tong, Sum Lum Tai, Chin Wing Yee,
Ching Hing and Chin Gin Fai.
Q. Who is manager
of your Reno store at this time?
A. Chin Tai Yuen.
Q. How many employees
do you have in your Reno store?
A. Four now.
Q. How many were
there while the applicant was manager?
A. When we first
started the store we had seven, last year we had but six. Now we
have four.
Q. You state that
you have two active partners in the Reno store, what are their names?
A. Chen Kuei Mei,
and Chin Tai Yuen.
Q. How long has
Chin Tai Yuen been in the Reno store?
A. Chen Kuei Mei
and Chin Tau Yuen when there at the same time when the store was opened
in 1926.
Q. Do you have
two active partners there now?
A. Only one now.
Q. What are the
names of the employees that you now have in the Reno store who were there
while the applicant was manager?
A. LeeGim Sing,
William Lee and one white man, Grant, another fellow called Ding, I forget
the rest of his name, he has four employees there now.
Q. How long as
Mr. Grant been in your employ in Reno?
A. Over a year.
Q. Who hired him?
A. Chen Kuei Mei,
the applicant.
Q. Why did the
applicant leave the Reno store to come to Sacramento?
A. He wanted to
go back to China.
Q. Why did he not
remain in Reno and have his case heard there?
A. We have two
stores and lots of times we ship the men from one store to another.
Q. What has the
applicant been doing since he came to your store in Sacramento?
A. He has been
checking up on the books and he has been staying around the store waiting
to have his case heard.
Q. When did he
come over here form Reno?
A. Last November.
Q. Has he been
actively engaged here in the store since he came here to Sacramento from
Reno?
A. He has been
in the store everyday, he eats and sleeps in our store.
Q. And what has
been his particular duties in the sotre since he came here from Reno in
November?
A. He has no particular
duties, he checks up on the books and he has been working in the office.
Q. Has he been
absent from the store in Sacramento since coming here from Reno?
A. Yes for a couple
of weeks.
Q. When was that?
A. Last December.
Q. Has he been
receiving a salary all the time since coming from Reno to Sacramento?
A. No he hasn't
received any salary.
Q. Has he been
devoting his time to the store here in Sacramento since coming from Reno
without compensation?
A. Yes, he has
been devoting most of this time to settling up bills and straightening
up an accumulation of busness transactions for the firm which occurred
while he was manager of the firm in Reno.
Q. While the applicant
was manager of the firm in Reno was he authorized to draw checks on your
firm?
A. Yes.
Q. Under what name
did he draw checks for your firm in Reno?
A. Under the name
of K. M. Chem.
Q. Have you any
documentary evidence which you can present to show that he drew checks
on Tong Sun & Company while he was manager in Reno?
A. Yes.
| NOTE: | (Exhibits a number of checks on the Tong Sun & Company drawn in favor of a number of business houses and individuals also checks in favor of the Telephone Company in Reno which checks are signed by Tong Sun Company per K. M. Chem.) |
Q. Have you any
documentary evidence that you could present showing that he is an active
member of your firm?
A. Yes.
| NOTE: | (Presents partnership book which shows that Chen Kuei Mei is a partner of the firm which partnership book has attached to it notice appearing in a Sacramento paper listing the members of the firm of the Tong Sun Company at the time a list of the partners was filed with the County Clerk as required by the State Law of California among which names appears that of the applicant Chen Kuei Mei. Also presents income return for the past fiscal year which shows the applicant to be a partner of the Tong Sun Co.) |
Q. Who are to be
your witnesses other than Chinese?
A. Mr. J. C. Powers
and Mr. Willi.
Q. What does Mr.
Powers do?
A. He is Public
Accountant.
Q. When did you
first become acquainted with him?
A. Since 1924.
Q. During the past
twelve months how often has he called at your firm?
A. Pretty nearly
every week.
Q. For what purpose?
A. He is the accountant
for our firm.
Q. Have you ever
had any business dealings with him?
A. Yes, Sir.
Q. What does Mr.
Willi do?
A. He is manager
of the Willi Produce Firm.
Q. When did you
first become acquainted with him?
A. About ten years
ago.
Q. During the past
twelve months, how often has he called at your firm?
A. About every
week.
Q. Have you ever
had any business dealings directly with him?
A. Yes, selling
and buying from him.
Q. Are you contemplating
going to China with your wife?
A. No.
Q. Where does your
wife expect to depart from the United States?
A. She is going
out at Seattle, she expects to take one of the C.P.R. Boats from Vancouver.
Q. Do you expect
to go to Vancouver with her?
A. Yes.
Q. Do you wish
to obtain a return permit as a merchant to make that trip to Vancouver?
A. Yes.
Q. Are there any
further statements you desire to make?
A. No.
I hereby certify that
the foregoing is a true and correct transcript of the testimony as taken
by me in the above described hearing.
| BK #13401 - Pg's 1-17 | 2/25/29 - Steno. B. G. Barber. |
REPORT
Applicant Mrs. Chan Tai Oy is before this service for a reentry permit as the wife of a lawfully comiciled merchant. The husband, Mr. Chan Tai Oy, is manager of the Tong Sung Company, which company ranks with the best firms of its character in this city. There are said to be sixteen partners in the firm, ten of whom are represented to be actively engaged in the conduct of the firm's affairs. The firm is said to be capitalized for $16,000; to do an annual business in the neighborhood of $450,000 and to carry a stock of merchandise on hand amounting to about $16,000. No prohibitive features were observed in connection with the firm.
Statements have been accepted from Mr. Oy and from his bookkeeper, also from two witnesses other than Chinese. Mr. Chan Tai Oy is personally known to the undersigned to be associated with the Tung Sung Company and to hold the position in the firm which he is represented to hold.
The applicant is alleged to be a native born citizen of the United States. To establish the claim there have been presented as witnesses an alleged sister, Mrs. Sun Kow, her alleged mother Mrs. Leong Yee Chong or Sun Ho and an alleged brother Quan Bing Leong who is an applicant for a return certificate as a native born citizen of the United States. Documentary evidence of the claimed nativity has been presented in the form of an affidavit prepared in behalf of the applicant when she was about nine years of age, the date of which is April 28, 1903, also birth record establishing fact of birth obtained in the Superior Court of Madera County in the year 1927.
In my opinion the evidence adduced satisfactorily establishes that the applicant was born in the United States and that she is the wife of a lawfully domiciled merchant. The application is submitted with favorable recommendation.
F. C. Seidle,
Inspector in Charge.
End