THE
ME
W CANADIAN
An Independent Organ For Canadians 01 Japanese Origin
VOL. 15, NO. 73
SATURDAY. SEPTEMBER 13, 1952
$6 Pmt Y��r � 10 cP*r Copy
By Toyo Taicata-
When it comes to money or business matters, they say that the Japanese (including all varieties, the transplanted and those produced on non-Japanese soils) cannot or have not learned to work'together to common advan-tageY This is by their own admis* sion.
Whether this trait, is particular to the,Japanese race, or to the Issei. and Nisei, we don't know. It wontd lake an ethnic and sociological study to prove or disprove the claim.
However, it may not need to be so.
During our stay, in Chicago, we learned the existence' of. not less than five co-operative enterprises among the Niseis of that city. These groups -contain anywhere from .ten to 40 members who have banded together into business associations or syndi-.cates/-investing-;- modest sums of money into whatever comes, along that has potentials of profitable yield.
We attended a meeting of the youngest such organization in Chicago composed of 13 in embers.. This particular group included a lawyer, an engineer, production manager in a plastic plant, a florist, an optometrist and three women. Their discussion centred, around the purchase of certain speculative stocks.
The oldest9 and the largest group, although admittedly not the most successful, which has been in existence in Chicago for six years, has a; membership whose names read like.an American Nisei "Who's Who," They have- a fairly substantial capital which they invest in high-grade stocks and in short term loans.
The operations of these organizations are quite simple. They elect officers and the larger ones have even a board of directors. A general meeting is held monthly at which time each member invests an equal sum, which in the c.tsp of all of the groups, is ten dollars. The accumulated funds are either deposited a? cash or invested at the direction of the general membership, .
Xnr are these as.-'X-iaiions de-vou-d entirely :o'making.-money. Members and their families h"ld
dinners and picnics, and there' is even an annual golf tourney between two of the syndicates. Fellowship among members is an essential part of these set-ups.
Could such an organization be transplanted here ? We can't see. why. not, arid there must be a number of Xiseis who would be genuinely interested in its formation.
It's -'the., ideal way to invest and learn a b on t investment for the Nisei who is a person of modest means and who is "not�in"constant contact with the investment game, By investment, we didn't mean- strictly stocks and bonds, but also such other possibilities as real estate, a cooperative business, financing an enterprise etc.
Principally, the motive to organize is to invest for profits. But such a group has other benefits. Most of us a re u nfain i 1 i a r with the many intricacies of our financial structure.- We are unfamiliar with fiscal policies, - taxation,-civil; laws- and other pertinent data that infringe on bur daily lives; A group such as that could secure priest speakers such as a banker, a lawyer,. income tax expert, a broker and others for the purpose of membership education.
These facts are particularly useful to us, especially to those who are in. private business or practice or those who are contemplating a move in that direction.
Even an exchange of ideas among the membership itself is sometimes useful and enlightening. If it were to have Niseis from various fields of occupation or profession, that alone gives it a versatile group from which individual members can glean useful information. � .
From the investment angle, th<j sum of ten dollars per month is a paltry sum but from 20 members it adds to $200 monthly or $2,400 yearly, a nice pot to dabble in some worthwhile investment. -
There is; one group in Chicago which is interested in establishing connections should a similar group be set up here.- .
There are marly problems to organize a group here, to be sure, but we feel it's worth considering.
Dr. Scrifa Elected B. C. JCCA Prexy
VANCOUVER � Selected as president of the British Columbia JCCA at a meeting of the Vancouver JCCA Executive Council on Sept. 4 was Dr. Harold Sakae Saita who will now take over the provincial headquarters here.
Dr. -'S;�iia is regarded as being one of the few. persons capable to handle the job and has also been, doing work in the JCCA for a miinb^r of years. He is also vice-president of the Vancouver JCCA Executive Council. ' ..
Japan Ship Awaits Repairs in Vane.
VANCOUVER � Lyinjr in.th> Burrard Inlet for repairs is tlvv Nippon Yusen Kaisha's Anshu Maru. The Japanese ship had been towed into Vancouv r late last month from Campbell River when a broken shaft had been discovered just prior to departure from; the island to Japan with a cargo of iron ore.
The Anshu Maru is awaiting repairs to be made-here since it was found that a new part brought oyer from Japan would' require loo much expense.
It is regarded as fortunate for the engine trouble to have been discovered before the ship had sailed for the high seas. - G. O.
Search For Treasure Becomes Man-Hunt
... TOKYO The purported quest for "Captain Kidd's treasure" turned into a hunt for the man, who claimed he knew where the pirate's hoard was hidden.
An angry member of the Japanese House, of Councillors "grubstaked" Masahiro Yoshiji-ma for an expedition to ah uninhabited island off southwest Japan to dig up the treasure supposedly valued at $280,000,00(1. Now he is looking for the would-be explorer.
The. financial backer of the treasure hunt says he has not heard from Yoshijimi for two months.
Nisei Pilot, Nephew Killed In California Plane Crash
REEDLEY. O/if. ~ 'Torrar.e.--Minora Oi?hi. 27. aid his r.ephew. < Stanley Shirr.or.o. 0. were k'.t^ij instantly Labor Day w'r.e' j their $mau pT.ar.<? crashed :r.*.- a ; v-rrraTti afr^r -rrrcrga ^n-f--tt ; high power lrr*> which catapulted th� craft d"^n.
Wreckage was scattered over several hundred feet bat the plane did not catch fire. It bad
br-eri Travelling about I**1"' mil*1? an h^ur at th* time.
Trie in-pact <-.f rh^ plane hitting the ttw� wa? ?v> powerful that it threw b^th occupants out of \h* craft.
O-lsh. was employed a- a mech a/nc in a San Diego aircraft fac tory and had been taking bis nephew out for a ride.
Candidate For VP Recalls Evacuation
LOS ANGELES � Democratic nominee for vice-president of the United States Senator John Sparkman declared that the patriotic and cooperative attitude of Nisei leaders such as Mike Masa-oka contributed greatly toward the sympathetic government policy which motivated the War Relocation Authority.
Sen. John Sparkman, Alabama '"liberal," met a group of Nisei Democrats of ho? Angeles durinar his Labor Day weekend visit to make the statement.
**A less cooperative and more, belligerent attitude might have resulted in considerably harsher treatment and would have cauaed the loss of much goodwill which the Japanese evacuee* gained became of their heipfal spirit,"
B.C. Strike Over Price Difference Affects Japanese Canadians
VANCOUVER � in a second strike affecting more than 4,(KK> fishermen on the West Coast, including many Japanese Candians, salmon fishing was once again tied up from midnight, Sept. 6, when all negotiations between the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union and the canneries failed. The dispute is over the price of chums.
Officials reported that more than 00 per cent of the fishermen voted in favor of strike action when they cast their votes Sept. 5-0. ���
The Salmon Can no is' Operating Commit tee had offered the fishermen only 51 -i � cents per pound for chums 'in�'�comparison lo last year's prices of 11 cents in Johnstone Straits and Eraser River, 9 cents In central and northern areas, and 8 cents in the Queen Charlottes.
Poor market 'conditions' are be: Iieved to be the cause of the dispute. The UFAWU officials met with the B.C.'s Social Credit cabinet on Sept. 9 to discuss market P ro hi e m s and ask for government support in finding new markets.
The strike does not actually hit the Northern B.C. coast fishermen since they had good catcher this season but to the gill-net fishermen in the Eraser River district among which number many Japanese Canadians, the strike is a blow since they have experienced a generally poor, season with the exception of one good week. The gill-netters were expectant of good returns from September's white spring salmon season and it is a sacrifice for the fishermen to suspend fishing because of the price negotiations.
Two JC Flahermen Forced to Dump 300 lbs. of Fish
VANCOUVER Two Japa-panese Canadian gill-netters were forced to . dump about 300 pounds of fish into the Bur-rard Inlet when the boat arrived in Vancouver. Pickets established1 by the striking salmon, fishermen boarded the boat and ordered the fish to be thrown overboard.
The Japanese Canadians claimed that they were carrying fish for home consumption but United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union officials had ruled that not even fteh for this purpose can be landed.
Japanese Canadian fishermen, it is reported, are feeling quite bitter over the delay.
British Columbia's native Indian fishermen have been instructed to continue fishing by the Native Brotherhood of B. C. which is representative of the Indian fishermen.
This is the second strike since the four-day layoff in July during the peak of the season over negotiations on prices for 1952.
Over 300 Welcome War Bride At Alberta Town
MEDICINE HAT, A 1 ta. � More than .'MX) persons gathered atthe railroad station in Medicine Hat to welcome Pte. E. R. McMillan and his wife, the first Japanese war bride of a Canadian serviceman to come to Canada, when they arrived on Sept. 10.
Before the, couple were taken to the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Hashizume who are market gardeners in the area, for a Japanese dinner, the bride met her mother-in-law, Mrs. Vennc.
where the two hugged each other. The girl had sobbed, "Mam-.. Mama, Mama", as she threw herself into thearms of her husband's mother.
Prior tn reaching Medicine Hat, the Couple was'given a wrlcorr/-and gifts at the Calgary station. Fie. McMillan wa� giv^n :t white cowboy hat fmm Mayor Don Mac Way of Calgary and a salute anl handshake from Col. M. L. <if Rnw**, army commandant of th�-Calgary area.
"Caa y+n iaiagiae a staff col coel coming np and fluting a buck private?". Pie. McMillan
At ;: Brooks station, 50 miles west of Medicine Hat, several Japanese Canadians gathered at the depot and greeted the Japanese girl briefly as. the train stopped for a minute.
The couple may return to Japan agnin."unless a good opportunity can b.; found in Alberta. Home on a r,u day furlough, Pte. MeMiHar, ^aid that there were un.limit�-d opportunities in Japan for pos. ions and careers and may r�-tarn thfrf as a civilian.
Ihr- Japnnfs*- girl who speaks in a halting English, said of the < ountry -he had s*n, MSo much land, so murh. ar-1 so ft-*- people. No prop>e sepn I��o much of i�mg train ride. Oh, this Canada i.< so wonderful."
Another *oMirr, \*ir>. Tony De-mari5t wa* re^rted by h>3 sister, Mrs. Jnhn Mc^ra>iy of Medicine Hat. of marrying a Ja?a&�aegHi and believed to be coming home.
"Of th*- civil righiv- conferred; ii-.rw i ^W-arer and few *m>~\* vital than the right u� hay a home and live in it Fiatfifi raai ValJee, California AayeOate Cowt.