Hawaii statehood, Issei citizenship and a new Nisei cabinet member

Vol. 36, No. 13, March 27, 1953. 8 pages. View this issue

Hawaii and the road to citizenship ran through this 8-page issue. Howard K. Hiroki, a 33-year-old certified public accountant, was nominated Territorial auditor, the first Nisei in Governor Samuel Wilder King’s new Republican cabinet. The editorial welcomed House passage of the Hawaiian statehood bill by a 274-138 vote, and Harry K. Honda wrote about a 49-star flag. Reports followed Issei in Omaha, Chicago and San Jose through naturalization exams, and Mike Masaoka wrote about Dillon S. Myer’s resignation as Commissioner of Indian Affairs.

Also inside: Rep. Sidney Yates urging funds for evacuation claim payments, Bill Hosokawa’s column on a hospital stay, and Smoky Sakurada’s Chicago Corner. Sports pages covered the Sacramento JACL Stags winning the California Nisei Athletic Union title and a Canadian bowler’s perfect 450 game. Henry Mori’s newsletter looked ahead to the Nisei Week Festival in Little Tokyo.

What’s in this issue

Community

• First Nisei of new GOP cabinet in Hawaii nominated auditor by Gov. King, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 1. Howard K. Hiroki, a 33-year-old certified public accountant, was nominated by Governor Samuel Wilder King as Territorial auditor, the first Nisei in the new Republican cabinet. The nomination requires Senate confirmation, and the governor appears to favor appointees with close ties to the Japanese American community.
• Idaho Falls artist holds one-man show, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Fred Ochi, past president of the San Mateo and Idaho Falls JACL chapter, is exhibiting twenty-five water colors of local landscapes and indoor arrangements at Idaho Falls High School. The show will remain on display through the end of the month.
• Watsonville speller wins first place, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Kiyoko Yamashita, an eighth grader at E.A. Hall school, won first place in the city school elimination spelling bee by correctly spelling ‘civilization.’ She will participate in the county spelling bee.
• Eden Township CL fetes 90 graduates of citizenship class, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The first citizenship class of 90 Issei in the Hayward area was graduated and honored by the community, and a second class began at Hayward and San Lorenzo High Schools. Speakers at the ceremony included Dr. Vaughn Seidel, Superintendent of Schools for Alameda County.
• CL seeks to testify for old-age assistance bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Assemblyman Kilpatrick’s bill permitting old-age assistance to non-citizens residing continuously in the country for 25 years has been referred to the Assembly Social Welfare Committee. Haruo Ishimaru, Northern California JACL regional director, requested an opportunity to testify in support of the JACL position.
• Vets support statehood, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Nisei Veterans Association of Los Angeles unanimously adopted a resolution in favor of Hawaiian statehood, announced by chairman Steven H. Sakai. The resolution reflects the group’s support for Hawaii’s admission to the Union.
• Denver dentist reports for army duty in Texas, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Dr. Takashi Mayeda, a Denver dentist, reported for military duty at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and joined the ranks as a captain. His wife Rosa is expected to join him in Texas later.
• Chicago war brides elect 1953 club officers, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Chicago War-Brides club, formed the previous October, elected Mrs. Toshiko Misaki as president at its fourth meeting. Other officers were also named to assist her.
• 150 San Jose Issei take naturalization exams, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Naturalization examinations were conducted for 150 Issei in San Jose on a Saturday with assistance from the United Citizens League. The exams were part of the naturalization service’s effort to process applicants.
• Crown Prince Akihito to stop over in Honolulu, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Japanese Crown Prince Akihito will stop over in Honolulu for 14 hours on April 6 en route to the mainland and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. Governor Samuel Wilder King and State Department representatives are arranging security and protocol for the visit.
• Western Pioneer OK’d to push investment finance, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Officers and directors of Western Pioneer Insurance were granted permission by the California Corporation commissioner to form a million-dollar investment company. The new corporation will engage in direct loans and installment sales financing, initially serving Americans of Japanese descent.
• Arizona JACL 1953 cabinet installed, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Judge Charles Bernstein swore in the Arizona JACL’s 1953 cabinet, headed by president Masaji Inoshita. The chapter is preparing for the Pacific Southwest District Council convention in Phoenix.
• Tulare County JACL installation banquet, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Honored guests at the Tulare County JACL installation banquet in Visalia included Supervisor Ted Hiramoto and National JACL president George Inagaki. The event recognized the chapter’s new officers.
• Shipyard painter awarded Navy medal for valor, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Noboru Yoshimoto, a Pearl Harbor Shipyard painter, received the Navy’s Meritorious Civilian Service award for pulling a sailor from the water and saving him from being crushed between a dock and a barge. He is an Army veteran who began at the Shipyard in 1948.
• Placer County CL picnic slated Apr. 12, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Placer County JACL chapter is preparing its fifth annual Greater Placer community picnic on April 12 at the JACL ball grounds in Loomis. Chairman Roy Yoshida’s committees aim to outdraw the 5,000 attendees of the previous year.
• Who’s Who as Chapter Presidents: James J. Fudenna, South Alameda County JACL, by P.C. Staff, page 4. James I. Fudenna, a farmer and co-founder of Fudenna Enterprises, is profiled as president of the South Alameda County JACL chapter. He plans to promote chapter activities to the utmost.
• Honor Issei at Omaha chapter installation fete, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Eleven Issei were honored at the sixth annual Omaha JACL installation dinner under the theme ‘Future Citizens.’ Professor William T. Utley spoke on citizenship, and Jack Tamai was re-elected president.
• Oakland CLers organize chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Oakland JACL members recently organized their own chapter, formerly a constituent of the Eastbay JACL, with Takeo Tachiki as president. A membership drive is the first item on the agenda.
• Sacramento JACL Stags win California NAU cage crown, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Sacramento JACL Stags defeated the Los Angeles Nisei Trading team 64-57 in overtime to win the California Nisei Athletic Union basketball title. Jim Miyano scored 21 points for the losing Traders.
• Newsletter: Chicago and Los Angeles community notes, by Henry Mori, page 7. Henry Mori’s column reports on former President Truman’s Japanese-themed dinner aboard the President Cleveland and on preparations for the fifth postwar Nisei Week Festival in Little Tokyo. It also mentions the entertainer Chieme Eri’s American debut tour.
• Vital statistics: births, weddings, engagements, and deaths, by P.C. Staff, page 7. This section lists recent births, marriages, engagements, marriage licenses, and deaths in Japanese American communities across the West Coast and Midwest.
• TB rate rising among Japanese, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Dr. Elmer Bingham, San Joaquin County health director, reported that tuberculosis cases among Japanese Americans rose sharply after resettlement from wartime relocation centers. The increase contrasted with overall gains in the county’s fight against TB.

Incarceration & Redress

• Yates urges budget to OK funds for evacuation claim payments, by P.C. Staff, page 1. At the request of Mike Masaoka, Rep. Sidney Yates is urging the Bureau of the Budget to approve approximately $9,000,000 for payment of evacuation claims already compromised and settled. Masaoka argued that further delay is unwarranted and that Congress failed to appropriate sufficient funds last session.
• Debate on statehood fills 33 pages of Congressional Record, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The House debate on the Hawaii statehood bill on March 9 filled 33 pages of the Congressional Record, at an estimated taxpayer cost of $2,475. Another two pages reprinted 27 editorials supporting Hawaii’s admission from cities across the country.
• First Issei in Omaha passes citizenship exam, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Max Masato Hanamoto of Omaha, the first Issei to file for naturalization in that city, passed his citizenship examination. The Omaha JACL chapter has aided a number of Nebraska Issei in filing their applications.
• Former Seattleite 1st Chicago Issei to be naturalized, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Jack Kaichiro Yasutake, 62, became the first Japanese in Chicago to be naturalized, under the Walter-McCarran Act. He had lived in the United States for 45 years and was interned during the war before settling in Chicago.

National

• Dillon S. Myer resigns as Commissioner of Indian Affairs, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Dillon S. Myer resigned as Commissioner of Indian Affairs following the change in administrations, though he is regarded as one of the top administrators in government. Masaoka reflects on Myer’s leadership as director of the War Relocation Authority, crediting him with policies that supported Nisei troops and community resettlement.
• 1,000 Japanese face bleak future in Steveston, B.C., by P.C. Staff, page 2. The fishing center of Steveston, British Columbia, where nearly 1,000 Japanese Canadians live, is struggling after last year’s salmon strikes and the closing of the herring season. Labor disputes between fishermen and canners have paralyzed the town’s one industry, and a surplus of canned salmon adds to unemployment.
• First quota immigrant from Japan arrives in S.F., by P.C. Staff, page 2. Sozaburo Kujirdoka, 21, the first Japanese to receive a visa for permanent residence under the new immigration quota, arrived in San Francisco on March 18. He plans to become an American citizen as soon as the law allows.

Commentary

• Editorial tribute to Dillon S. Myer, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The editorial praises Dillon S. Myer for his humane leadership of the War Relocation Authority and his confidence in persons of Japanese ancestry. It quotes the 1946 Pacific Citizen editorial by Larry Tajiri describing the JACL’s scroll of honor presented to Myer.
• Washington Newsletter: 20 more bills introduced affecting Walter-McCarran law, by Mike Masaoka, page 3. Masaoka compiles bills introduced in the 83rd Congress between February and March concerning immigration, naturalization and deportation. The bills range from repealing the Immigration and Nationality Act to expediting naturalization for servicemen.
• Chicago Corner, by Smoky Sakurada, page 4. This column reports on Rev. Michael Yasutake’s appointment as executive secretary of Episcopal Social Service Organizations and on JACL public relations questions recommended for member opinion study. It also criticizes proposed Illinois legislation undermining public housing.
• Someone’s Grandmother, by Seiko Ogai, page 5. A poem describing a Japanese American flower seller who lost her son in the war and sells blooms to cope with her grief. It is a literary piece from the Literary Experiment section.
• Editorials: Matter of statehood, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial welcomes House passage of the Hawaiian statehood bill by a 274-138 vote and urges readers to lobby senators before the bill reaches the Senate floor. It notes concessions made to secure passage, including reducing Hawaii’s House representation to one member.
• From the Frying Pan: The Carving Bee, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Bill Hosokawa describes his first experience as a hospital patient, including surgery, painful recovery, and the nurse’s insistence on walking. He reflects with humor on the hospital bed and his lingering concerns.
• Flag with 49 Stars, by Harry K. Honda, page 8. Honda discusses patriotic proposals for a 49-star American flag in anticipation of Hawaiian statehood and the historical precedent of flag design changes. He notes that the President and Congress decide the official design.
• Fluid Frontier, by Joseph C. Harsch, page 8. This reprinted Christian Science Monitor commentary argues that Hawaiian statehood would end the stability of fixed American continental frontiers and could set a precedent for future overseas expansion. It acknowledges the strong cultural case for Hawaiian statehood.

In-Depth

• Behind Every Man, by Allan Beekman, page 5. A short story about a factory editor interviewing newly promoted supervisor John Graham, who explains how his wife’s advice on cultivating cooperation with coworkers helped his career. The story presents the value of kindness and friendliness in the workplace.

Sports

• Invite Hashizume, Suzuki to compete in annual Keo Nakama meet, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Coach Soichi Sakamoto invited Japanese Olympic swimmers Shiro Hashizume and Hiroshi Suzuki to compete in the annual Keo Nakama swim meet in Honolulu in June. Both swimmers previously competed against top American swimmers at the Olympics.
• Canadian bowler rolls perfect 450 score, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Jim Harada of Kamloops, B.C., bowled 12 consecutive strikes for a perfect 450 game, winning a $100 cash award. He is believed to be the third Nisei in Canada to bowl a perfect game.
• Tamanaha ready for T.H. marathon, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Hawaii’s first marathon was scheduled for Sunday, with runners including Norman Tamanaha and Kenneth Nagatani of the University of Hawaii. Tamanaha recently won the Hawaiian AAU 15.5-mile road race.

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