Bowling records, Idaho’s land law repeal and the Hillings claims bill

Vol. 40, No. 10, March 11, 1955. 8 pages. View this issue

Three records fell at the ninth annual National JACL Bowling Tournament in Long Beach, where more than 500 bowlers rolled. Chiyo Tashima and John Kasano set new marks, and the Coffee’s Strawberries squad took the men’s team title. The same issue reported that Idaho Governor Robert E. Smylie signed SB 42, repealing the state’s 1923 alien land laws. Rep. Patrick J. Hillings introduced a bill to speed up and liberalize evacuation claims, and Mike Masaoka cautioned that introduction did not guarantee passage.

In California, Assembly committees advanced AB 2255, an old age assistance bill for Issei, and AB 842, a bill to repeal the 1913 alien land law. Haruo Ishimaru reported on both. Mike Masaoka wrote about Japan’s election and about James Edmiston’s novel Home Again. Bill Hosokawa profiled Colorado farmer Kiyoshi Otsuka, and Larry Tajiri recalled Pearl Buck.

What’s in this issue

Community

• Three Bowling Records Broken at 9th Annual National JACL Tournament, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Three records fell at the ninth annual National JACL Bowling Tournament in Long Beach, with more than 500 bowlers competing. Chiyo Tashima, John Kasano, and the Coffee’s Strawberries squad set new marks, and the 1956 and 1957 tournaments were awarded to Salt Lake City and Oakland.
• Canadian Buddhists Authorized Change in Scout Oath, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A Buddhist church in Kelowna, B.C. sponsored the first Boy Scout troop of its kind in Canada, receiving its charter in a televised ceremony. Special permission was granted to adjust the Scout Promise to refer to religion rather than God.
• Berkeley to Host 2nd NC-WNDC Quarterly, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The second quarterly session of the NC-WNDC will be hosted by the Berkeley JACL chapter on May 15, with a district council bowling tournament held in conjunction. Chapter president Ben Fukutome made the announcement.
• San Francisco JACL Membership Hits 350, by P.C. Staff, page 1. San Francisco JACL membership reached 350 for 1955, according to campaign chairman Sumi Honnami. Seven teams of recruiters are contacting Issei and Nisei for renewals and new members.
• Calif. Assembly Committees OK Issei Pension, Land Law Repeal Bills, by Haruo Ishimaru, page 3. Assembly committees advanced AB 2255, an old age assistance bill for Issei unable to pass naturalization exams, and AB 842, a bill to repeal the 1913 alien land law. JACL representative Haruo Ishimaru testified at the State Capitol in support of both measures.
• Yellowstone CL Fetes New Citizens, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Yellowstone JACL chapter honored 19 naturalized Issei at a banquet in St. Anthony, Idaho. Speakers urged active civic participation, and retiring president Haruo Yamasaki received a recognition award.
• Coachella Valley JACL Elects Charles Shibata as President, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Coachella Valley JACL elected Charles Shibata as its 1955 president, with the new cabinet to be installed March 12. The article lists the full slate of officers.
• Chicago Corner, by Smoky Sakurada, page 4. Sakurada previews an exhibit of approximately 350 Japanese prints from the Art Institute of Chicago’s permanent collection, running March 10 to April 17. The collection is considered one of the two finest in the world.
• Dr. Nishikawa to Sit at Nat’l CSO Confab Panel, by P.C. Staff, page 4. New York JACL cabinet officers are preparing for the EDC-MDC convention in Washington, D.C. The article notes early banquet reservations from newly naturalized citizens.
• Senator Magnuson Introduces Bill to Ban Flower Air Shipment Discrimination, by P.C. Staff, page 5. Sen. Warren Magnuson introduced a bill to amend the Civil Aeronautics Act so that agricultural and floral products shipped by non-profit associations receive the same air transport rights as in truck and rail shipping. The bill was requested by Mike Masaoka on behalf of JACL and two California flower associations.
• Bowling Follow-Up, by Tats Kushida, page 6. Kushida praises the Long Beach chapter and Easy Fujimoto for smoothly hosting the national JACL bowling tournament. He credits committee members and volunteers for the program booklet, awards dinner, and other activities.
• Edmiston Interviewed, by Henry Mori, page 7. Mori reports on author James Edmiston’s Los Angeles visit and television interview about his novel Home Again, which depicts the wartime removal of Japanese Americans. Edmiston said the novel’s incidents are true and that a film version is being negotiated.
• Li’l Tokio Nisei Week Plans, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Plans for the 1955 Nisei Week Festival have been settled with Li’l Tokio merchants again sponsoring the August celebration alone after a proposed co-sponsorship arrangement with Nisei organizations fell through. Financial risk made it difficult for clubs to share the costs.
• Dean Hoshide Opens New Real Estate Office, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Dean A. Hoshide opened Rafu Realty Co. at 3760 S. Norton in the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles, offering homes and income properties to the Japanese community. George Ito, an experienced real estate agent, is associated with the firm.

JACL

• Dr. Nishikawa to Sit at Nat’l CSO Confab Panel, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL national treasurer Dr. Roy M. Nishikawa will join a panel at the second national convention of the Community Service Organization in Los Angeles. The CSO, largely Mexican American and modeled partly on the JACL, was founded under former WRA official Fred Ross.

National

• Rep. Walter to Address EDC-MDC Banquet Mar. 26, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Francis E. Walter and Sen. Warren G. Magnuson will be guest speakers at the JACL Eastern and Midwestern District Councils banquet in Washington, D.C. Walter is recognized as a leading legislative champion for persons of Japanese ancestry.
• Idaho Governor Signs Legislation Repealing 30-Year-Old Alien Land Law, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Idaho Governor Robert E. Smylie signed SB 42, removing the 1923 alien land laws from the state statutes. The bill passed the state senate without dissent and was pushed through the House by Rep. Chas. Donaldson.
• Hillings Bill Introduced in 84th Congress, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Rep. Patrick J. Hillings introduced legislation amending the 1948 Evacuation Claims Act to speed final determination of claims and liberalize many provisions. JACL representative Mike Masaoka warned that introduction does not guarantee passage and that the bill may be altered.
• Ask Gov’t to Review Rejected Refugee Applications, by Mike Masaoka, page 1. Revised Refugee Relief Act regulations may allow visas for refugee applicants in Japan, and JACL Washington representative Mike Masaoka has asked the RRA Administration to review rejected applications. Masaoka hopes the new definitions will help correct the slow progress of the program in Japan.
• Japan’s Election Results, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka reports that Hatoyama’s Democratic Party won the largest share of seats in Japan’s recent election, assuring a pro-western government. He details seat totals across parties and the platforms of the four major parties.
• Congressman Walter Honored for Legislative Service to Japanese Americans, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Rep. Francis Walter is profiled as the only member of Congress to receive the JACL gold medallion and as the author of key legislation including the Evacuation Claims Act and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. He chairs the House Un-American Activities Committee and the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Naturalization.
• Hillings Bill Introduced (continued), by Mike Masaoka, page 4. Masaoka comments that the Hillings Bill is worded to favor claimants and warns that the Justice Department or Congress may weaken it. COJAEC pledges to secure the most generous bill possible.

Military & Veterans

• Nisei Airman Shaken Up in Crash Landing, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A/1c Sumio Yasukawa of Santa Clara was severely shaken when a C-47 transport crash-landed on an alfalfa field near Spokane after running low on gas during a snowstorm. The incident occurred February 26.
• Permit Double Amputee to Stay Permanently, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Private bill HR-1979 was reintroduced by Rep. Byron G. Rogers to allow double amputee Chokichi Iraha, who contracted tuberculosis while employed by the U.S. Army in Okinawa, to remain permanently. Iraha has shown artistic talent and has the support of a Seventh Day Adventist church and the Mountain-Plains JACL.

Commentary

• Japan Elections, by Tamotsu Murayama, page 2. Murayama analyzes Japan’s 27th general election, in which Prime Minister Hatoyama’s Democratic Party won a landslide over Yoshida’s Liberals. He notes the difficulty of amending the constitution and rearming given the strength of Socialists and Communists in the Diet.
• Juvenile Delinquency, by Harry K. Honda, page 2. Honda continues his series on juvenile delinquency by praising the Has-Beens, a group of young Nisei businessmen who quietly mentor and fund needy youth through athletics. He urges other community members, including elder Nisei, to serve as big brothers and sisters.
• Epic in Democracy: A Must for Nisei, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka urges every Nisei to read James Edmiston’s novel Home Again, which he calls an epic of democracy depicting the Japanese American experience. He encourages readers to request copies from bookstores to persuade Doubleday to promote the book more widely.
• Active Volcanoes, by Lawrence Nakatsuka, page 3. Nakatsuka describes a volcanic eruption in Puna, Hawaii, the first in that district in 115 years, which drew sightseers and forced about 300 residents of Kapoho to evacuate. He reflects on Hawaii’s volcanoes and the wasteful nature of lava.
• Sacramento Report, by Haruo Ishimaru, page 5. Ishimaru reviews the Assembly committee hearings on AB 2255 and AB 842, listing sponsors and committee members. He explains that the JACL’s principal legislative objectives are the Issei old age assistance bill and removal of the alien land laws.
• Kish of Sedgwick, by Bill Hosokawa, page 8. Hosokawa profiles Kiyoshi ‘Kish’ Otsuka, a respected Nisei farmer in Sedgwick, Colorado, who leads numerous community and agricultural organizations. Kish runs a diversified farm with his brothers and is a five-time Five Star beet grower.
• A Girl Understands, by Larry Tajiri, page 8. Tajiri recounts Pearl Buck’s childhood experience in China during the Boxer Rebellion, when she was shunned by friends for being white, and her later wartime speech defending Japanese Americans. He describes her as a great advocate for understanding between peoples.
• Editorials: IDC Achievement, by P.C. Staff, page 8. The editorial praises the Intermountain District Council for successfully eliminating Idaho’s alien land law, emphasizing the value of regional organization in the League. It also notes that JACL chapters in California are working to remove a similar law.

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