The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1920-08-12
LOCAL JAPANESE
PROBLEM STUDIED

N at liotL Hdllu IONdl NOllhIllUllSs ne WH
Y accompanied by the following: X. I
n Bonham, in charge of the Portland in
migration office, /. Oyama, secretar
/ of the japanese Association of Oregon
and ID. Takeoka, Portland Japanes
broker. He interviewed Geo. r. vii
bur, Roy d. Smith, r. f. Scott an
NJ Yasui.
There are in Oregon 3493 adult Jar
anese who own 28l5 acres of land an,
lease 1911 acres more, according to al
article in the Oregonian last week
Business investments of japanese il
the state have a value of $3.50, 600
Since 1913 there has been a nomina
decrease in realty holdings of the Jap
anese of 875 acres.
Such are the figures compiled by the
Japanese association of Oregon and
submitted to the congressional commit.
tee on immigration and naturalization,
which has been holding investigations
in California and Washington dealing
with the problem of admission and
land tenancy of Orientals. The Japan
ese association report is said to have
been corrected up to June of this year.
With but minor omissions, the de-
tailed report of the association, of
which r. Abe, of Portland, is presi-
dent, is here quoted:
Men, 1851; women, 862; boys under
16 years of age, 487; girls under I6
years of age, 504. AS the result Of
the working of the gentlemen's agree
ment the number of japanese men in
this state has greatly decreased within
the past 10 years, and it is was only
! by the increase of women and children
that the Japanese population has main
tanned its size, without substantial de-
crease.
Japanese farm hands are paid at
present SIS per day on an average,
some of the m receiving as high as &c.
In all these lines japanese laborers are
paid the same wages as those of other
nationalities, and in certain instances
they receive higher wages than white
labo1ers.
The total amount of capital invested
by Japanese in various lines of busi-
ness, including stores, hotel and room
ing houses, bath houses, aundries, res
taurants, barber shops, ETC., is esti-
mated as $3.50. 900, while the total.gross
receipts during the year 1919 are
placed at 5000. 600.
The status of japanese farmers in
Oregon follows: Number of farms,
230; land owned (a) 2l85 acres land |
leased (b) 1911 acres; Cal includes the |
lands bought on contract for which |
only part of the purchase price has |
been paid and (b) includes lands cult
waited on shares with the owners of |
same.
AS to the land recently purchased in
central Oregon jointly by Americans
and California japanese, its acreage is
not obtainable and is not included in
the above figures.
The statistics taken at the close of
the year 1918 give the figures of the
land owned by Oregon Japanese as
}060 acres and. compared with those
igures of the present statistics, the
Japanese holdings of land insthis state
show a decrease of S75 acres.
This is due to the fact that during
he past few years, while there have
been a number of new purchases by
Japanese on one hand, several large
.racts held by japanese residents on
he other hand. were at different times
sold to American farmers as follows:
Wheat land in Wasco county, 1910
icres hop ranch in Marion county, l65
Icres; in Willamette valley, 135 acres;
n Hood River, so acres.
Total value of crop raised by Japan :
se farmers in this state during the !,
ear 1919 is approximately 500, 600 and 9
he total amount invested by Japanese
armers IN stock, cattle and horses, 3
automobiles, trucks, farm implements, =
tc.. is estimated at $638, 900. !
In the Hood River valley there are ;
bout 70 japanese farmers who own !
bout 1900 acres, of which consider .
bic part is still in timber or rough :
and and held under leases or on a :
hare basis with the owners about.
The reason why the Japanese hold
lgs in Hood River are comparatively
Irger than those in other parts of the }
ate is said to be that originally the n
apanese were invited to come there /
Y American land owners who were b
iger to see their land cleared and, as S
le result, in many cases, Japanese t
ere given the tracts they now hold
exchange for their labor. Il
In certain districts in the Hood Riv- h
: valley, japanese went first into the lN
arts where very few farms existed. r.
he lands were mostly either logged u
| or brush lands, and it was after e.
ears of incessant hard labor that they Il
ICceeded in clearing these tracts and Il
'oduced many farms on which white m
rmers later settled and now outnum- cl
n the japanese.
In other parts of the state where
lpanese own the farm land, large er
Irts of such lands are still in timber Il
brush, which need to be cleared by l.
cir labor. n,
OF the lands, whether owned or 10
ased, now cultivated by japanese is
rmers, nine -tenths are devoted to pi
getables and berries. These crops re
quire STOPPING posture on the part ed
the workers, and while such work is VI
{ favored by white farmers, the jap st
ese are particularly adapted to il on do
count of their short stature. pl
For certain kinds of farm work jan ps
ese farmers obtain white farm hands Il,
d during the harvest season manv WI
lite persons are employed on MANY ";
panese farms. 70
Charges are sometimes made that MI
2 dwellings occupied by Japanese stl
-mers are ?, o. and unsightly. IL is LEI
Ie in certain instances: but the
me for such conditions cannot be
ICED entirely on the japanese farm 49,
!, because especially in the case of sp'
sed lands, they have TO take as. their vi, oli
ellings those that are built by the S0i 03i
dlord on the premises. vi vi
However, Japanese farmers desire re-
improve their conditions of living as ~ IA
as circumstances allow; a great Le
erence is noticeable betW cen the e+ ~
ditions existing among them ten
rs ago and those now found there. ,
spanese births and deaths in Ore ,Ia.
are as follows: 80
zoo - ~ o5i 1ils' % ueaths' wear Ho
\ - ~ ~ sns, % oea'us year 1917, Ret
.ss' se ~ .L-.., uaeiis, ,a5s sr i9i', iSo ten
-, - = &e,a 80 20 100 DlrIhs, ten