Liquor licenses restored and a fishing fee cut: the July 21, 1951 issue

Vol. 33, No. 2, July 21, 1951. 8 pages. View this issue

California Governor Earl Warren signed two bills affecting Japanese Americans, and both led this eight-page issue. One restored liquor sales licenses to people whose permits were revoked after World War II began, an act Warren called “simple justice.” The other, sponsored by JACL ADC, cut the alien sports fishing fee from $25 to $10. On the claims program, a House committee criticized the Justice Department, and a ruling on community property losses was welcomed by JACL ADC. Columns by Bill Hosokawa, Togo Tanaka, Larry Tajiri, Mary Oyama and Elmer R. Smith filled the commentary pages.

Also inside: Nisei casualties and a Bronze Star for Korea, a Go For Broke film showing in Chicago, and a page of sports news, including Wally Yonamine joining the Tokyo Giants. Editorials took up the Cicero, Illinois mob attack on a Black family.

What’s in this issue

National

• California Governor Signs Bill to Lower Alien Sports Fishing Fee, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Governor Earl Warren signed the JACL ADC-sponsored bill reducing the sports fishing license fee for aliens from $25 to $10. The measure, introduced by Assemblyman August Hawkins, was intended to benefit Issei sports fishermen.
• Warren Action Restores Liquor Licenses to Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Governor Warren signed a bill restoring liquor sales licenses to Japanese Americans whose permits were revoked after World War II began. The governor called it an act of simple justice to rectify a summary action taken without cause.
• Sugar Contract Negotiations Will Affect Thousands of Japanese-American Workers, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. Contract negotiations began in Honolulu covering 18,500 sugar plantation workers, many of Japanese ancestry. The ILWU is demanding a $1 hourly base wage, union shop, and other changes, with a possible strike if talks fail by August 31.
• Disallow Expenses for Moving Within Coast Military Area, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Justice Department disallowed transportation expenses incurred by a claimant moving within Military Area One before formal evacuation orders. Some other items in the claim were nonetheless paid under the statute.
• Defendant in Suit Over Highway Crash, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Shiro Hayashi of San Jose was sued for $105,450 in damages by motorcyclist Manuel Simas following a collision on July 7. Simas remains in critical condition at a hospital.

Community

• Northern California Council Will Meet on UC Campus, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Northern California-Western Nevada District Council biennial convention will be held November 24-25 at the International House on the UC Berkeley campus. The event is a dress rehearsal for the 1952 national convention in San Francisco.
• Texans Donate to JACL ADC Fund Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Persons of Japanese ancestry in Houston and San Antonio contributed $605 to the national JACL ADC financial campaign. Mountain Plains regional director Min Yasui also reported total regional contributions reaching $5,131.50.
• Denver Member Appointed to Substandardcy Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Toshio Ando, former Denver JACL president, was appointed to the Denver Committee on Substandardcy, part of the city’s urban redevelopment program. A preliminary survey of substandard housing was completed by two Nisei participants.
• Eastern Young Buddhists Hold Annual Convention in Chicago, by P.C. Staff, page 3. More than 150 delegates attended the sixth annual Eastern Young Buddhist League convention in Chicago. Yosh Fujitani was elected president and new officers were installed.
• Wyoming Sisters Win Scholastic Laurels, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Nakamura sisters of Kirby, Wyoming earned academic and leadership honors including university honorary membership and Future Homemakers of America offices. Matsua, Haruye, and Mieko were each recognized for achievements.
• Cleveland Community Picnic Raises Funds to Aid JACL ADC Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The annual Japanese American community picnic in Cleveland raised funds for the JACL ADC drive through games, door prizes, and concessions. Den Nakagima and Ken Asakura were co-chairmen.
• Orange County Chapter Plans District Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Pacific Southwest JACL district council convention will be held November 17-18 in Santa Ana with delegates from seventeen chapters. The Orange County chapter is also running a fishing derby and ADC fund drive.
• Sumi Hiramoto Named Eastern Young Buddhist Officer, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Officers and executive board members of the Eastern Young Buddhist League were elected at its sixth annual convention in Chicago. Awards for Bussei of the Year were also presented.
• Chicago Sets Goal for ADC Campaign, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The 1951 Chicago JACL ADC drive has set a goal of $8,000 under chairman Yoriaki Nakagawa. The campaign is now underway.
• Toshio Ando Named to Denver Committee, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Toshio Ando, former Denver JACL president, was appointed to the Denver Committee on Substandardcy under the city’s urban redevelopment program. He was among those chosen to oversee the survey of substandard housing.
• Placer JACL Drops League Game on Last-Inning Homer, by Homer Y. Takahashi, page 7. Roseville’s Gene McNulty hit a ninth-inning homer to defeat the Placer JACL 4-3 in Placer-Nevada League play. Pitcher George Goto struck out eight batters in relief for the all-star team.
• Placer-Nevada Team Wins All-Star Game, by Homer Y. Takahashi, page 7. Three Nisei from the Placer JACL, George Goto, Bobo Hayashida, and Jim Yokota, helped the Placer-Nevada All-Star team defeat the Sacramento Rural League 9-2. Goto struck out eight batters in three innings.
• Chicago Chapter Distributes 4,000 Tickets for 442nd Film, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The Chicago JACL distributed about 4,000 tickets for the first-run showing of Go For Broke at the State-Lake Theater through churches, organizations, and Nisei businesses. Profits will fund a community project.
• Salt Lake City Cherry Tree Story Will Have Happy Ending, by P.C. Staff, page 8. A fund drive repaid Tamotsu Murayama for the freight bill on Japanese cherry trees sent to Salt Lake City by Tokyo Boy Scouts. Mayor Earl Glade announced plans to use the donations for trees at the International Peace Garden and photographic equipment for Tokyo Boy Scouts.

Military & Veterans

• Two Nisei Troops Dead in Korea, Casualties Reported, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Department of Defense reported eight more Nisei casualties in Korea, including killed, died of wounds, missing and wounded soldiers. Names and hometowns in Hawaii and California were listed.
• Madera Sergeant Wins Bronze Star for Korea Heroism, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Sgt. Shigeru Yoshioka of Madera received the Bronze Star with V device for leading an intelligence team deep into enemy territory near Wonsan, North Korea. He returned with essential information after three days over hazardous trails.
• Gilroy Legion Post to Honor Veterans of Nisei Unit, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Fourteen Japanese American veterans of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team will be honored by the Gilroy American Legion post at a premiere of Go For Broke. Scrolls listing 42 additional Nisei veterans will also be presented.
• Nisei Veteran of Korea War Home on Rotation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Corp. Teruo Imori, a California-born Nisei who served as an interpreter in Korea, returned to the United States on the Army rotation plan. He had spent 12 years in Japan before volunteering for the U.S. Army in 1948.
• Japanese Canadian Soldier Cited for Bravery in Korea, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pvt. Masao Kawanami of Hamilton, Ontario became the first Canadian soldier of Japanese ancestry to win an award for action since World War I. He was cited for entering a minefield to rescue injured Korean refugees.
• Nisei Veteran Heads Parlier Legion Post, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Tak Yorizane was installed as commander of the Parlier Raisin Post No. 36 of the American Legion. He is a Nisei veteran.
• Nisei Strandees Ask Return of Citizen Rights, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Two Nisei strandees in Japan, Noboru Kanbara and Hiroshi Matsubara, face trial over whether they lost U.S. citizenship through Japanese military service and government employment. Both were permitted to return to the United States as witnesses.

Incarceration & Redress

• House Appropriations Group Criticizes Justice Department Handling of Claims Program, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A House committee criticized the Justice Department for deficiencies in administering the evacuation claims program, recommending $725,000 for fiscal 1952. JACL ADC’s Mike Masaoka said the Department has approved far less than $200,000 in claims over the past year.
• Community Property Losses Held Payable in Claims Ruling, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Attorney General ruled that community property losses are compensable under the Evacuation Claims Law where no causal relationship exists between the husband’s internment as an enemy alien and the losses. The ruling was hailed by JACL ADC as vindicating its contention.
• Report Most Claims Do Not Need Heavy Documentation, by P.C. Staff, page 8. San Francisco evacuation claims office head William Jacobs said 95 to 98 percent of Japanese evacuation claims are processed without heavily documented evidence. He also deplored budgetary restrictions that slow claim processing.

Arts & Entertainment

• Nisei Student Given Scholarship by Trade Union, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mary Okawa, a 17-year-old high school graduate, was awarded a $750 Charles Hardy memorial scholarship from the Building Service Employees Union. The scholarship is intended for children of union members.
• Noted Tokyo Soprano Will Give Concert for JACL ADC Drive, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Japanese soprano Michiko Sunahara will give a single Los Angeles concert on July 28 benefiting the JACL ADC campaign. She has toured Hawaii and Australia and has been selected to study opera in New York and possibly Paris.
• His Camera to the World, by Larry Tajiri, page 5. Larry Tajiri profiles documentary filmmaker Toge Fujihira, who with Alan Shilin produces films for church groups and Old Gold cigarettes. Their work includes films on Indians, missionary work, and Eskimo life, and two films recently won awards at the Cleveland Film Festival.

Commentary

• Minority Group Americans in Seattle Learn Prejudice Does Not End with Death, by Byron Fish, page 2. Seattle cemeteries continue to restrict burial of nonwhites through Caucasians-only clauses in sales contracts, despite court rulings against racially exclusive covenants. The author argues these restrictions contradict democratic and religious principles.
• Only a Skeleton Program, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The $225,000 administrative budget approved for the Justice Department’s evacuee claims program offers little hope of speeding the program. The editorial notes that similar funding last year processed only a small share of 23,000 claims.
• A Singular Kind of Courage, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial praises Negro bus driver Harvey Clark for pursuing his right to move into his Cicero, Illinois apartment despite a violent mob attack. It describes the personal risks he faces in challenging racial hatred.
• A Change in Attitude, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The editorial welcomes California’s liquor license restoration bill as a sign of changing attitudes toward Japanese Americans. It argues the State Board of Equalization’s revocations were purely discriminatory and punitive.
• Hunger Breeds Communism, by Bill Hosokawa, page 5. Bill Hosokawa argues that Communism grows from economic hardship rather than political ideology, citing contrasting conditions in Japan, western Germany, and the Soviet-controlled eastern zone. He also notes differing German and Japanese attitudes toward American prosperity.
• Races and Cultures, by Elmer R. Smith, page 5. Anthropologist Elmer Smith argues that cultural differences among peoples result from historical contact and experience rather than inherited racial inferiority. He concludes that claims of racial superiority are rooted in emotion rather than scientific evidence.
• Report of Housing Prejudice Recalls Jefferson Park Issue, by Togo Tanaka, page 5. Togo Tanaka compares a current Los Angeles housing dispute involving a Nisei family with the Jefferson Park controversy of eleven years earlier. He also describes the Cicero, Illinois mob attack on a Negro family as a parallel example of racial hostility.
• The Evacuation on Film, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The editorial laments that no documentary record exists of the mass evacuation of 1942 and the camp life that followed. It notes that official films avoided the evacuees’ bitter experience and that even today depictions of the evacuation are discouraged.
• People and Places, by Mary Oyama, page 5. Mary Oyama reports on author Beatrice Griffith’s recovery from paralysis and describes a visit to author Ward Moore’s home in Topanga Canyon. The column also mentions Nisei writer Al Miyadi’s column antics.

JACL

• Cal-Neva Credit Union Holds Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Board of Directors of the Cal-Neva JACL Credit Union met to approve new members and reported steady membership growth. The credit union offers savings and loan services to members.

Sports

• Tominaga Hurls in Canadian Ball League, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Henry Tominaga, Springfield College pitcher, is playing semi-pro baseball in Canada this summer after turning down pro offers. Other Nisei sports news is also covered in this roundup.
• Honolulu Braves Cancel Mainland Tour, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Honolulu Braves cancelled their trip to the National Baseball Congress in Wichita after the Hawaii Red Sox and Honolulu Asahis scheduled a Japan tour that drew away players. The Braves had placed third in last year’s tournament.
• Denver Bowlers Plan for JACL Tourney, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Denver Nisei bowlers made preliminary plans for the 1952 National JACL bowling tournament to be held at Bowl-Mor lanes in March. Several high series by Nisei bowlers were also reported.
• Yonamine Makes Outfield of Tokyo Giants, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Wally Yonamine became the first U.S. player signed by a Japanese pro team since the war, joining the Tokyo Giants after SCAP approval. His success may determine whether other Nisei players sign with Japanese pro clubs.
• The Chips Are Down in Detroit Swim Meet, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hawaiian Nisei swimmer Ford Hiroshi Konno is expected to compete in the National AAU swimming championships in Detroit, where he may challenge Yale’s John Marshall. Konno is considered a strong Olympic prospect.
• Fresno Nisei Win Over Coalinga Team, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Fresno Nisei defeated the Coalinga Oilers 6-2, with pitcher Johnny Niizawa allowing only four hits. The win extended their undefeated streak against semi-pro competition.
• Fresno State Wins 4th Game of Hawaii Tour, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Fresno State Bulldogs have won four of five games against Hawaii Baseball League teams, including victories over the Honolulu Asahi and Hawaii Red Sox. Their most unusual win was a 4-3 victory over the Asahis in which Fresno pitchers walked home three runs.

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