The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-13
CAL|FORN|ANS ARE
 WORRIED ABOUT TIE
 JAPANESE MENACE
Visiting Rinbow Men Dis tribute Literature Bear ing Upon Their Great
 Problem

California Rainbow veteran visitors are the growing seriousness of the Japanese problem in their state. They are dis tributing literature on the subject, in cluding the following which is written from Fl Centre in the Imperial Valley:
 With the publication of figures by State Controller Chambers, giving the estimated number of Japanese in Im- perial Valley as 1000 and the number of acres owned by them as 400, Imperial Valley is awakening to the seriousness Of the Japanese situation.
 An anti-Japanese campaign, which has been carried on for the past few weeks in a somewhat haphazard manner, has suddenly received a fresh impetus and the movement for some action against the Japanese is growing rapidly in all parts of the valley.
 LEASING QUESTION FIRST
 The most serious part of the Japanese problem received no recognition in the figures given out at Sacramento, and all Imperial Valley agrees that the leasing question is the one to be settled first. In the valley at the present time the Jap anese have leased, according to con- scrvative estimates, somewhere between 35 GOO and 50000 acres of the finest land.
 WINTER CROPS CONTROLLED
 The winter vegetable industry, which within the last two years has sprung from an experiment to one which em- ployes thousands of workers and uses tens of thusands of acres of land, is largely in their hands, and they are gradually gaining control of the small remaining part in the hands of Ameri- cans
 Last years cantaloupe acreage, ap- proximately 14,00, was three-fourth Tn the hands of the Japanese, and the greatest cantaloupe acreage in the hs- tory of the valley for the coming year, estimated at between 22,000 and 26,oV' acres, will also be largely dominated oy them
 Not content with the raising of canta- lcupes the Japanese this year Will mar ket through their own marketing or ganization.
 Whether this organization will handle the bulk of the anticipated crop re- mains to be seen, but this Is the first year in which they have attempted to do their own marketing.
 Discomfort and ill-feeling was appar- ent last year among the Japanese, who thought that the commission houses were making money which they might just as well have, and the Japanese marKetihS organization is the result.
 The Japanese Farmers Association, with headouarters at Brawley, is in complete control of the Japanese situ- alton, and practically dictates poth 10 the American distributors what they shall pay the Japanese as aovance guarantees and to the lessee what he shall receive for his lands.
 The situation, while repugnant to the large land holders, has. in com bination with the shortage of white labor. put them up against a grave dilemma-that of leasing to the Jap anese or of letting their lands lie fal" low and unproductive, thereby con tributing to the shortage of foodstu11s and to yet higher prices.
 "It is next to impossible to get men to farm this land" said one of the largest land holders in the valley TT it is not leased to the Japanese 1t must lie idle-a big loss to us and to the community at large through dimin- ished production. What IS 10 De done about it?"
 ASK HIGH GUARANTEE
 The craftiness of the Japanese is seen by the fact that within the past two years they have raised the guar antee per acre on cantaloupes from 60 cents to $1 crate, and this year want more.
 The campaign against the Japanese is being conducted under the auspices of the imperial county IarIH puredu.
 It was also brought out that the Japanese are purchasing land for their babies and children from one to five years of age. the father acting as guar dian and farming the land. This, 1t was stated is an evasion of the law.
 The inability of American farmers to compete with the Japanese is shown by the rentals paid by the Japanese. As big as $50 an acre is readily of- fered by them for good cantaloupe or tomato land, and this figure cannot be met by Americans. In fact. when an American and a Japanese are bidding against each other. the Japanese in- variably outbids the American. no mat ter what price the latter offers
 CONTROL STORES
 During the past year the Japanese have further strengthened their hold on Brawley.
 The Japanese have their own mer- chants and trade with no others. Braw : ley people do not take kindly to this. and there has been movement to oust them, with the result that many Jap anese this fall moved southward to- wards Fl Centro and CaleXico.