Fair employment hearings in Los Angeles and chapter installations

Vol. 46, No. 3, January 17, 1958. 8 pages. View this issue

Fair employment was the main subject of this eight-page issue. JACL testified in favor of a Fair Employment Practices Act in Los Angeles, and the City Council’s 7-7 tie vote left the measure pending. Dr. Roy Nishikawa’s President’s Corner took up the hearings, and a story on page 7 told of a county ordinance to be pressed before the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 4. Mike Masaoka’s Washington Newsletter looked at the new session of Congress, and New York City’s Mayor Robert Wagner signed a law banning bias in private housing.

Much of the paper covered chapter life: installations in Pasadena, Sequoia, San Luis Obispo, Pocatello, Chicago and Gresham-Troutdale, plus a Washington, D.C. officer profile. Columns by Bill Hosokawa, Harry K. Honda, Elmer Ogawa and Henry Mori fill out the pages, along with a Pocatello shipment of clothing to a Korean orphanage.

What’s in this issue

Community

  • Need of FEPC in Los Angeles repeated, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL urged passage of a Fair Employment Practices Act in Los Angeles at City Council hearings, arguing equal opportunity is a moral necessity. The council’s 7-7 tie vote leaves the measure pending, and Nisei voters are urged to press for its passage.
  • 30th Anniversary Celebration of San Francisco JACL Planned, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Francisco JACL is planning a 30th anniversary banquet during the NC-WNDC session, with past presidents and civic leaders invited as guests. The new chapter officers, including re-elected president Jack Kusaba, will be installed at the event.
  • Matsudaira’s new home in N.Y. suburb adds new wrinkles on Tom Hayashi’s brow, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Japan’s UN ambassador Koto Matsudaira bought a house in Pondfield Crossways, and a dispute arose over whether it lies within the 15-mile tax-exempt zone of UN Headquarters. Attorneys Zalk and Hayashi are pressing the Mission’s claim for tax exemption.
  • Japanese Canadian loses alderman post by 3 votes, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Y. Sugimoto of Grand Forks, B.C., narrowly lost his bid for alderman to incumbent Alfred Downey by three votes. It was his second close defeat after losing by 17 votes two years earlier.
  • 136 Japanese admitted into Canada during ’57, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Canadian immigration statistics show 136 persons of Japanese origin immigrated to Canada in the first nine months of 1957. That is a considerable increase over the corresponding period of 1956.
  • Wife of Wisconsin doctor dies in crash, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Mieko Kurotsuchi, wife of rural Wisconsin physician Roy Kurotsuchi, was killed when their car crashed head-on into a truck while returning home from Christmas in Chicago. Roy was reported in fair condition.
  • PSWDC prepares for Feb. 9 chapter clinic, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Pacific Southwest District Council will hold its chapter clinic Feb. 9 at the Harbor Japanese Community Center, hosted by Long Beach-Harbor JACL. Sessions will cover chapter program planning, public relations, and membership and finance, with a proposal to include the Pacific Citizen in national membership on the agenda.
  • PNDC chairman Kato joined JACL first in ’36 at Portland, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Henry T. Kato, newly elected chairman of the Pacific Northwest District Council, has been a JACL member since 1936 and helped organize the Gresham-Troutdale chapter in 1950. A berry and vegetable farmer, he has served the district council in numerous posts over the years.
  • Colorado FEPC holds 1st hearing, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two Negro women testified that Littleton school officials refused to hire them as teachers because of their race, in the first public hearing under Colorado’s new Fair Employment Practices Act. The state commission took the case under advisement.
  • Shipments of clothes and shoes sent to Korea orphanage by JACL chapter, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Pocatello JACL chapter sent over 28 packages of warm clothing and shoes to the Do Bong Orphanage near Seoul, Korea, after an Army officer described the children’s needs. Chapter members filled the boxes and shipments were sent in August and November.
  • Both Japanese banks declare $1.50 dividends, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The Bank of Tokyo of California and the Sumitomo Bank of California each plan their first dividend declaration of $1.50 per share. Both banks opened in 1953 and have since increased their capitalization and added branches.
  • Pasadenans to dine before installation hop, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Old and new Pasadena JACL officers will meet for dinner before the joint Los Angeles County JACL chapters installation dance on Jan. 25. The chapter also planned its membership campaign at a recent cabinet meeting.
  • Mr. and Mrs. Matsutaro Takano celebrate 65th anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Friends and relatives of Matsutaro and Tsune Takano of San Jose honored the Issei couple on their 65th wedding anniversary. The couple, both born in Kumamoto in 1876, have three children and several grandchildren.
  • 150 enjoy sixth annual Fowler JACL Christmas program, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Close to 150 children attended the sixth annual Fowler JACL Christmas program, organized by co-chairmen Thomas Toyama and Hideo Kikuta. Committee members handled refreshments, movies, and other program details.
  • Chicago Christmas party raises funds for CARE, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Chicago JACL Christmas party netted a profit of $78, which was turned over to the local CARE office. The accompanying letter asked that the funds benefit Asian children.
  • Pasadena JACL installation, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Pasadena JACL officers held a dinner before the joint installation dance at Park Manor. The chapter also planned its membership campaign for the coming year.
  • Personality sketches of Washington D.C. JACL chapter officers for 1958, by Washington JACL, page 4. The Washington, D.C. JACL introduces its 1958 chapter officers, including president Jack Hirose, a commercial artist, and treasurer Sab Kitagawa, a 100th Battalion and 442nd veteran. Each officer’s professional background and community involvement are briefly described.
  • Tom Yamane elected Sequoia president, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Tom Yamane, a jeweler from East Palo Alto, was elected president of the Sequoia JACL, succeeding Peter Nakahara. A slate of officers was named to assist him for 1958.
  • Fred Takata: At San Luis Obispo, by Fred Takata, page 4. Fred Takata describes attending the San Luis Obispo JACL installation at Pismo Beach, where he inducted the new officers led by Akio Hayashi. He also recounts a visit to Morro Bay with the Kishiyama family.
  • 1000ers of PNDC, by Henry Kato, page 4. Henry Kato reports on the Pacific Northwest District Council convention in Seattle, where 1000 Club life members were presented their pins. Gresham-Troutdale chapter received the Chapter of the Biennium honor.
  • Elect Tom Yamane Sequoia president, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Tom Yamane, a jeweler, was elected president of the Sequoia JACL, succeeding Peter Nakahara. Officers and an installation date of Jan. 25 at El Rancho are announced.
  • Introducing the Washington D.C. chapter officers for 1958, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Washington D.C. JACL introduces its 1958 officers with brief personality sketches. Jack Hirose, Hisako Sakata, Sab Kitagawa, and Mary Fukuyama are among those profiled.
  • Salt Lake City JACL 1958 convention queen contest, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Salt Lake City JACL announced details of its contest for Miss National JACL 1958, with the finals staged at the Feb. 8 queen’s dance. Qualifications and judging criteria are set out for candidates from across the district council.
  • Pocatello judge installs JACL cabinet, praises Japanese Americans in speech, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Probate Judge W.H. Jensen installed the 1958 Pocatello JACL and JACLyns cabinets at a dinner-dance, praising the local Japanese American community’s clean juvenile court record. Novo Kato was re-elected chapter president.
  • Social security law affecting agriculture to be explained to Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 5. A San Jose JACL meeting will feature Social Security field representative Fred Morgan explaining procedures of special interest to farmers. Yoneo Bepp will translate for Issei attendees.
  • LA JACL Coordinating Council sixth annual installation ball, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Five Los Angeles-area JACL chapters will hold a joint installation dance at Park Manor on Jan. 25, featuring Kenny Zwern’s orchestra. Officers for 1958 will be installed at the event.
  • ‘Fearless Four’ debut at San Jose installation, by P.C. Staff, page 5. San Jose JACL’s installation dinner-dance at Hotel De Anza features national director Masao Satow as installing officer and speaker. The Fearless Foursome vocal group makes its debut during the entertainment program.
  • Jack Ouchida heads Gresham-Troutdale, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Jack Ouchida was elected president of the Gresham-Troutdale JACL, with a full slate of officers named for 1958. The chapter also serves as the subject of recognition for its strong 1957 program.
  • PSWDC proposal and Chapter of Year committee, by P.C. Staff, page 6. PSWDC chapters are being queried on their past year’s activities for the 1957 Chapter of the Year award, to be announced at the February clinic dinner. A committee led by Sue Joe is studying the proposal to include the Pacific Citizen with national membership.
  • Los Angeles Newsletter, by Henry Mori, page 6. Henry Mori recounts his bout with Asian flu, including a sudden faint on his bathroom floor after returning to work. He also notes the arrival of the Toyopet, Japan’s best-selling car, at a Los Angeles auto show.
  • Chicago JACL board chairman Dr. Frank Sakamoto accepts third term, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Dr. Frank Sakamoto accepted an unprecedented third term as Chicago JACL board chairman for 1958. The chapter also launched a membership drive and announced a record credit union dividend and scholarship fund.
  • FEPC to be fired on Feb. 4 in Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, by P.C. Staff, page 7. After the City Council’s 7-7 tie vote, the Committee for Equal Employment Opportunity urged community support for a county FEP ordinance before the Board of Supervisors. Opponents’ referendum proposal was opposed by committee members who wanted the legislative bodies to take responsibility.
  • Washington Newsletter: New Congress, by Mike Masaoka, page 8. Mike Masaoka assesses the second session of the 85th Congress, which convened amid Cold War setbacks including Little Rock and Soviet satellite launches. He reviews President Eisenhower’s State of the Union message emphasizing total peace and scientific cooperation.
  • Mayor Wagner signs law banning housing bias, by P.C. Staff, page 8. New York City Mayor Robert Wagner signed the nation’s first city ordinance banning discrimination in private housing, effective April 1. The law aims to help Negroes and other minorities move out of congested districts.

Commentary

  • Where do they come from?, by Bill Hosokawa, page 2. Hosokawa recounts the Mile-Hi JACL New Year’s Eve dinner in Denver, which drew a standing-room-only crowd of Nisei and Sansei. He wonders where so many local Nisei came from and suggests a census of the community.
  • Ken Adachi reviews books for Toronto Star, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Former New Canadian editor Ken Adachi has begun writing bi-monthly book reviews for The Toronto Star. His first review covered Nathaniel Burt’s novel Make My Bed.
  • Very Truly Yours: ‘Without Warning’, by Harry K. Honda, page 5. Harry Honda reflects on Col. Rudolph Duncan’s American Legion Magazine article refuting wartime rumors of Japanese American sabotage in Hawaii. He compares the rumors to those depicted in the film Air Force and praises the loyalty of Hawaii’s Japanese community.
  • President’s Corner: From the Front Page, by Dr. Roy Nishikawa, page 5. JACL president Nishikawa comments on the Los Angeles City Council FEP hearings, noting opponents’ resort to Communist smears. He urges constant vigilance and unified action in support of equal opportunity.
  • The Northwest Picture: Portrait of Hatred, by Elmer Ogawa, page 6. Elmer Ogawa recounts a hospital ward encounter with a bigoted older man who mocked his Japanese surname and dominated conversation. Ogawa reflects on the persistence of such hatred and how such personalities influence others.

Military & Veterans

  • Mercy parcels for the war orphans in Korea, by P.C. Staff, page 2. A Pocatello JACL project sent warm clothing to Korean war orphans after a letter from an Army adviser described their plight. Members of the chapter, led by Novo Kato, filled 28 packages.
  • Redeployment of U.S. troops from Japan affects Japanese faculty at Monterey Presidio, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Japanese instructor corps at the U.S. Army Language School in Monterey has dwindled from about 60 teachers to 17, with further reductions planned. Morale among the remaining instructors is reportedly low as the school’s size shrinks.

Thank you for exploring the Pacific Citizen archive. The title, introduction and contents on this page were written by an AI model from scans of the printed issue, so they may contain mistakes. If you spot one, we would be grateful if you let us know.

More from Issue archive