Ka Hoku o Hawaii, Volume XXXI, Number 49, 21 April 1937 — Committee Opens First Of Hearings In Sakakihara Case [ARTICLE]

Committee Opens First Of Hearings In Sakakihara Case

"DUJ Mies Otn 'ar«p)>t tlu* nso-1 ney?" "Nu," Asked' If he kmnv why,| Mr. T;irl\vo n Mīr- Ota N\oulti iicoi>i>t it only froiri t!if ehalmian him>■;<>}F. "What <lid you do \vith the money?" Kemp asked. Mr. tashiro'sai(l he ha<l reti;rned it to Mr. Ariznmi later. "Were yo}i requested to get. (lip money aiul return it to Miss Ot Judge ĪKemp usked.' Happened Apnl 2. "This happened 011 Aprīl 2." said Mr. Tashira "On the evening of April 1. after the acoounts committee had had a conference with Judge Kemp. one of the membci> who had been at the meetir»g suggested to mc that the best"plan for qusushing llie whole matter wouki be for Mr. Sakakihara to reiurn thc money to Miss Ota and resign a chairman ot t-he lands committoe. "On the followmg morning. Apri _ 2, the same -«iember mdicated t: me that the speaker of the houst migb.t he aa"cea'olo to the plan.-Ful-3owing ilu> suggesaon. I went to th{ hotel (the Yamashiro hotel, whcrc Mr. Sakakihara was living) ane •;pokv 10 Tommv about U. and ht -;aicl ho hael lumeei the money ovei to his brother in law. | "I ca!led the brother in law ane ' he and I called at the office of thc lands committee. wit-h Mr. Gomes to see Miss Ota." Mr. Tashiro said lie had nevei seen Mr. Arizumi in the legislativr ! halls. during the present session. He was asked if he cared t.o givc the investigating committ.ee th( na-me of the house member who liad suggested that Mr. Sakakihara retuin Lhe money and resign a.s chairman of thc lands commitlee. Refuses To Give N'ame "I prefer not to divulge his name that is. imless the member voluntarily makes a statement t " Mr. Tashiro rephed. No \ oluntary siatement \va> mad. I by any house member at fchis point ! <i i won't inslst on it." said Judg< ) Kemp. "I will leave the matter u\ j to the special commīttee. j do no. j beUeve, ho\vever, n is of any ma-

lei'iai value." "Was it your understanding." a.sked Chairman Woolley, "that thi proppsition was a definit« one?" ;Tt was not a definite proposiUon," Mr. Tasiiiro replied. • but ī j was made in such a manner lhat 1 felt it niiglit be accepted." ! "Did this membcv reroni-' I mend th'at Sakakihara resign?" i "The recommendation was madto me as pcssiblv the best way out , j I imrely iold Mr. Sakakihi\ra whai , I had learned." said Mr. Tasliiro. ; He added that as far a.s he kneu ! the money he had offerod Miss Ota I had eome from Mr. Sakakihara's I brother in law. j "He gave it to me lo give to Miss j Oia," he said. I I Mr. Tashiro said thai onee oi iwiee he saw Mr. Arizumi doing > some work at the Yamashiro hotel I presumably for Mr. Sakakihara. H>: ! i said he thought it was correspond- ; enee. i * I

j Mrs. Bent Testifies i Mrs, Gladys Bent, clerk ane j stenographei- in the olliee ol Atiar- [ ney E, J. Botts, and who. aecord- ! m« t<> Miss OtU"s aiU: ies \ w.. ■ , }k u! r:. Mi i.vtvaMiui»i iiaa i-vkt nei' wai te* ceiving 50 per eem of Miss Ota': pay, toid the coimnittee sine ha; never received a eeni from Mr. kaklhftra. Asked if had done any \vork fv>r Mr Sakakihara as rhaini;an ol the iandfe eommiUoe sho n>p!iod m liie nffirfnathi>. *'OiV Apri! 1 I piX'iH\rek:i Jour re poiiA iw him." s.he said * That \vas two d«ys be:ore M;\ SakakUi;ua tesigned Ui a kou>e iue;n-

i S£T. Did Xot Get rald Askod iī i-he iuui U - ;he wek Mi: Bert rep;»< h.u »U»V. -II She Mr. hae fome lu lu; oiiU* A\nū \ ar.u i in i ii slse wa.-. \viiii!;s: :<.* brevtn* »''"rk of :hc »a»ui< <\»imm:;^. Hf t>e w.»- ihmk!.-: ot riisihar«sng Miv Ol« l*\\\ i-- ī i! \.a> tW» * "Mh 1U «,: '• ' WhUe he ',\.s■ >-.a M(,vs Oia <3einrW( .; to:,' s i u , 45 V ,t:sivīo Uie I < : :vi •: - v t 4Ct t ihl J nol ihīs»k > ,;\i, ;n<. MK Htn\ iarrlU«r«| Mīv. i- wi , m ..*,i ku Mr nm* ai iht oi* il*df H*nr laiul t

mitloo work there. Bcfore mal;inc the idcntitlcatlon; hpweVcr, she asked that Mrs. 6c»t 'remove her hat. whleh the latter d(d. '*T-tdld Mr, Saka?cihara that slnce. Mr. Botts was ott the mainlanel I would agree to dō tfte committec w<irk. but on!y when he needod mo as I would not be able to devotc thc entire day to it," Mrs. Bent said. She said she had never gotten an official notification to go to wcrk as cierk of the committee. Mrs. Bent added that pno r t/ April 1 she had done no wcrk for Mr. Sakakihara. and that she had māde no arrangements before the opening of the legislative session to do any. . "Mr. Sakakihara told me I woulel receive $10 a day if I acceptod the appointment as committee clerk,' f Mrs. Bent said. t I Vitousek Testifies Speaker Vitousek testified prin--lpally tc- matters set forth in the* -,tatement in whieh he presentcd 1 he chargrs against Mr, Sakakihara | L o the house recently. H<> said' that when he had fir.st -aken iip the matter of the puri ported misconduct with Mr. ttakak.ihara, the latter had said Mi.** 3ta was not able to do the vork. iha' he had known it frcm Lhe bejinnmg and that he had employcd vīrs. Benl to do part of the work. He added. Mr. Vitousek said, that V[rs. Bent was tō pay the unemjlayment reli<rf tax on the clerkship pay. "I asked him: "What would you ohink if I told you Mrs. Bent has stated she had never gotten any money from you?" Mr. Sakakihara hung his head and said nothing: "I then asked him: 'Did you get

any of the money?' and he replied I got part.'" "Then I asked him: Tsn't it a "act that yōu got part of the money md used it yourself?' and he an;wered 'Yes, I did.''' Akina Testifies Hep. Arthur A. Akina. ehaimian >f the house lands commitīee. who vas present when Speaker Vitousek iad this conversation wHh Mr. Saeakihai'a, later testified in the fore-

;oing respect. I Miss Ota's testimony was an ela- 1 joration of her leflgthy sworn statenent filed with the house at tbe ime charges against Mr. Sakaki,iara were presented to the memjers. She said Mr. Sakakiliara had ini rormed her she would have to give '■iim half of her pay ko thnt he eouM j some one else to holp do thē \ vork. *" She testified he told he>- he had •mployod Mrs. Bent. but sho a>s:n-t--d she had personaliy done all of he eommittee work. and Mr. Saku- j <ihara's correspondenee. a!id had i tept eopif»s of al! of her work. j She indicated that the fact siie was only receiving $5 a day had 'oeeome known when she was asked to contribute half hcr salary, $5, oward a house employes" luau. and iad told Sam Paulo. the i\ead janior. who was colleeting the money. vhiit she was only getting $5 a day uvd therefore should >nlv $2 50. Mr Pauto te®tified he iiad told Miss ota to S 'say nothiu>; about and had taken ihe maiter up ,vith Rep. James Ako of Hawau. Ot!iers wlu» tos:ituu weie 1 ,i\:i <. e:em.»k\;'.c K\;m' ;-v ■ t.ea;;t-at-mns. who taid he had been *n enveiope cont-ainlng §34 65 by Miss Ot» wiih instruetions to give t to Mr. Sakakihara. whu li he <iui; and H«rry Abe. house h«d oneo had a wumnn e&>hed i'or Miss Ota «nd v\ho >a;d he *usI :old by her s»he getth\g only $5 i day ivn<i that Mrs Bent w&i ge> .uig the oUu r $3. "ialie vvAnU\l lo kliow whu iieut Mt AUe te>tUie<i. The \uU hulā Aj«Mher twartng 730 Uii> u Ute iiou>e.