Old-age aid for Issei and a call for lower tariffs, 1955

Vol. 40, No. 4, January 28, 1955. 8 pages. View this issue

A California bill to grant old-age assistance to Issei who could not pass citizenship examinations because of age and health led this eight-page issue. Assemblyman S.C. Masterson introduced AB 2255, and JACL backed it as a remedy for those penalized by past discriminatory law. Mike Masaoka explained the February 8, 1955 deadline for vested property claims, and the front page also covered President Eisenhower’s call for lower tariffs and the plan to combine Hawaii and Alaska statehood bills.

Elsewhere are Harry K. Honda on political science and Bill Hosokawa on whether Home Again could become a film. Larry Tajiri wrote of how the wartime evacuation still stung for some Nisei, and Tats Kushida remembered Issei bachelors in Santa Clara Valley. Chapter installations, the Long Beach bowling tournament and Nisei adoptions of Japanese war orphans also appear.

What’s in this issue

National

• California Old-Age Assistance Bill Filed for Issei, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Assemblyman S.C. Masterson introduced AB 2255 to grant old-age assistance to Issei unable to pass citizenship examinations due to age and health. The bill’s co-authors and JACL support frame it as a remedy for Issei penalized by past discriminatory law.
• Eisenhower’s Call for Lower Tariff Endorsed by U.S. Businessmen in Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan endorsed President Eisenhower’s call for lowered tariffs between the United States and Japan. Secretary of State Dulles told Congress that success in the fight against communism may depend on lower tariffs and expanded trade.
• Estimate 400,000 Japanese Residing in Brazil, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Unofficial reports estimate 400,000 persons of Japanese ancestry live in Brazil, about 70 percent in Sao Paulo and Parana. Recent Japanese immigrants have increasingly moved into the Amazon river area as colonists.
• Hawaii Statehood Combined with Alaska Bill for Committee Action, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Statehood bills for Hawaii and Alaska were combined into single bills in both houses of Congress, with committee action expected. Committee chairmen anticipated approval after brief formal hearings, though majority leaders in both houses opposed the measure.
• Committee Assignments Shape Congressional Policy, by P.C. Staff, page 2. The 84th Congress made its committee assignments, with Democrats gaining control and reassigning many Republicans. The article argues that committee membership largely determines legislative outcomes, with Southern Democrats holding most key chairmanships.

Community

• Family of Nine Children Awaits Arrival of Another GI War Orphan from Japan, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Schuette family of Ukiah is awaiting the arrival of six-year-old Thomas, a Japanese-American orphan, from Our Lady of Lourdes orphanage in Yokohama. The family decided one more child would fit their large household after reading about orphaned children of servicemen.
• Produce Farmer Named to County Grand Jury, by P.C. Staff, page 1. George K. Nishita of San Juan Bautista was named to the San Benito County grand jury panel. He is a longtime farmer-produce shipper and a charter member of the San Benito County JACL chapter.
• Recent Arrival of GI War Orphans Stirs Nisei Interest in Adoptions, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Nisei couples have inquired about adopting Japanese orphans following the arrival of five refugee youngsters, according to the International Institute and Pan American Airways. Adoption requires compliance with the 1953 Refugee Relief Act and the adoption laws of the prospective parents’ state.
• Fate Plays Delightful Trick on U.S.-Japan Pen Pals, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 2. A pen-pal correspondence between Salt Lake City’s Alice Kasai and Japanese teacher Shota Kusuda revealed they were second cousins. The article recounts how the friendship developed after World War II through letters and exchanged drawings.
• Hawaii Nisei Attorneys Strengthen Statehood Case, by Tom Hirashima, page 3. Eleven Nisei are among 24 newly admitted attorneys in Hawaii, many trained at top mainland law schools. The article notes law has become a major pathway for Nisei into public life and politics in Hawaii.
• Santa Barbara County’s Largest Naturalization Class Includes 430 Citizens, by Tom Hirashima, page 4. Thirty Issei were among 293 new citizens sworn in at Santa Barbara County’s largest single naturalization ceremony. Rev. Masayoshi Ohmura served as interpreter for 67 Issei who took their oath in Japanese.
• Nisei Heads Three-Day Farmers’ Institute in Colorado, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Robert Y. Sakata chairs the Brighton Agricultural Institute, a Feb. 1-3 event bringing farmers and businessmen together to discuss agricultural developments. The goal is to build community cooperation and wider interest in local projects.
• Chicago JACL Credit Union Annual Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 4. The Chicago JACL credit union held its eighth annual meeting, thanking its volunteer board of directors and electing new members. The newsletter also covers various Chicago community items.
• Sequoia JACL Installs 1955 Cabinet and Honors New Issei Citizens, by Tak Kadani, page 5. The Sequoia JACL installed its 1955 officers at a banquet also honoring recently naturalized Issei, with Stanford dean J. Hugh Jackson as guest speaker. The article lists the new cabinet officers headed by president Hiroji Kariya.
• Feb. 6 in Turlock: Northern California Quarterly Meeting, by P.C. Staff, page 5. The Livingston-Merced JACL will host the first quarterly meeting of the NC-WNDC in Turlock on February 6. The program includes registration, business sessions, a banquet, and a dance, with National JACL president George Inagaki expected to attend.
• Scenes from the Golden Gate: New Officers Installed, by Harry K. Honda, page 5. The author describes installation ceremonies for several Northern California JACL chapters, including Berkeley, Sequoia, and Sonoma County. He highlights the officers installed and the new Issei citizens honored at the events.
• Seabrook Visitor Reports Latest on New Jersey Community, by P.C. Staff, page 6. A visitor reported that Seabrook, New Jersey, remains a thriving community of about 700 Japanese Americans working at Seabrook Farms. The article notes Nisei hold technical roles there and that the local JACL chapter has become a leading unit in the Eastern District.
• Lil Tokio Twister, by Henry Mori, page 7. A small cyclone damaged a brick enclosure at Maryknoll School in Los Angeles, though no pupils were hurt. The column also reports the Japanese American Democratic Club became the first Nisei political group to receive a state charter.
• Los Angeles Newsletter: Nisei Students Win Student Body Offices, by Henry Mori, page 7. Iwao and Kanji Mochidome of Wilmington were both elected student body president at Banning High School in successive terms. Stephen Akira Kobayashi also became the second Japanese American to lead the student body at Gardena High School.

Incarceration & Redress

• Explain Filing of Vested Property Claims Refers to ‘File’ Only, Not Yen Debts, by Mike Masaoka, page 1. The February 8, 1955 deadline for filing vested property claims with the Office of Alien Property applies to title claims rather than debt claims, according to Mike Masaoka. Masaoka explained the final bar date is unlikely to be extended again and that postmarks do not establish timely filing.

Commentary

• About ‘Poli Sei’, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. Harry Honda encourages a young man in his shop to take a political science course, arguing it explains how government works and how individual voters can shape the future. He notes the course mirrors the civics studied by Issei preparing for naturalization and touches on California’s legislative session.
• Issei Bachelors Deserve Some Memorial, by Tats Kushida, page 6. The column recalls the Issei bachelors the author worked alongside during fruit transport days in Santa Clara Valley. It argues these aging pioneers, who contributed substantially to California agriculture, deserve some form of recognition or memorial.
• Editorial: Formosa Declaration, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial responds to President Eisenhower’s message to Congress on defending Formosa and the Pescadores amid tensions over Yikiangshan. It endorses the stand against Communist expansion while warning that the Far East situation requires careful thought from all parties.
• From the Frying Pan: Home Again as Film, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Bill Hosokawa discusses James Edmiston’s novel Home Again and whether it could be adapted into a film that tells the untold story of Japanese Americans’ wartime evacuation. He contrasts it with MGM’s Go for Broke!, which focused on the 442nd Combat Team.
• Vagaries: Slow Burn Glows, by Larry Tajiri, page 8. Larry Tajiri reflects on how the wartime evacuation remains painful for some Nisei, citing his roommate’s reluctance to read Home Again or see films touching on it. He also mourns the recent deaths of Galen Fisher, Albert W. Palmer, and Katherine W. Garman, longtime friends of the Nisei.

JACL

• Membership Expected to Grow in 1955, Satow Says, by P.C. Staff, page 5. National JACL Director Masao Satow recounted the organization’s 25 years of work at the San Francisco chapter installation banquet. He noted membership peaked at 18,000 in 1942 and has grown back to 13,000, with headquarters anticipating further growth in 1955.

Sports

• Long Beach Prepares for Ninth National JACL Bowling Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The ninth annual JACL National Bowling Tournament will be held in Long Beach from March 3 through 6 with an estimated $6,000 in cash prizes. The article details event formats, entry fees, and the deadline for entries.

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