Evening star., 1942-05-04
Moving Japs Out May
Cut Coasts Truck
Crops 10 Per Cent
Shifting 100, 900 Persons
Gives Federal Agency
Knotty Problem
BY Wide World News.

SAN FRANCISCO, May 4.-The
War Relocation Authority has in
herited perhaps the knottiest prob
lem of its kind on record in moving
100000 Pacific Seaboard japanese to
inland America.
Unlike other great instances in
! which humanity was uprooted en-
masse, the w. R. A. has undertaken
to look after not only the welfare
of the evacuees but also to minimize
the effects on the communities into
which they are being moved.
The W. R. A. is trying to re-estab-
lish these people in self-sustaining
communicate be largely agricul-
tural. because nearly half the Japa-
nese are farmers and this fits them
into the food for victory" program.
However, vigorous objections to
one or another aspect of Japanese
resettlement have been expressed by
officialdom in Colorado, Utah, Idaho,
New Mexico, Arizona and Texas.
At first the Government encour-
aged the japanese to settle them
selves voluntarily. Several thousand
we're reported to have left the for
bidden coast areas quickly.
Colorado Mayor Protests.
In groups ranging from one or two
families to organizations of 5000
or more persons they sought loca-
tions in the Rocky Mountain or
Middle Western areas.
Then protests began. Mayor L. l..
Williamson of Greeley, Colo, op-
posing reported plans of rs Japa-
nese to locate there, said, When
we begin to get casualty lists that
include the names of local boys,
there might be trouble"
Colorado's Governor, Ralph L.
Carr, asserted the safety OF the
Japanese would be threatened If
anything should develop which
might create an emotional ex-
plosion"
At least one higher educational
institution, Utah State Agriculture,
declined to accept japanese students
who might want to continue their
education. Fifteen Japanese went
ahead with plans to establish them
selves in Dallas, Tex, even though
police told them they were unwel-
come
Voluntary colonization in large
numbers also was opposed, in one
instance even by japanese already
settled near Ogden, Utah, who as
serted that new arrivals might "en-
danger" their good reputation.
Governors Object.
Gov. Carr and Senator johnson
of Colorado, Gov. Chase A. Clark OF
Idaho, Gov. John E. Miles of New
Mexico and other officials opposed
uncontrolled resettlement and asked
that the Government retain hold
upon any japanese moved into
their States.
So the w. r. A.. confronted with
a maze of complications, stopped
voluntary resettlement and has
asked Washington what to do about
japanese already re-established en-
private property.
Meanwhile the rest of the Jap
anese are being moved to great
fertile areas of public domain in
three inland California places and
in one Arizona and one Idaho loca-
ton. These camps will provide liv-
ing quarters for 10000 to 10000 per-
sons each and probably will make
available more land than the $50 900
acres the japanese farmers left
behind.
The Federal Reserve Bank, which
has the job of protecting japanese
property rights, quotes estimates OF
agricultural authorities that the
evacuation possibly will result In
loss of as high as 10 per cent of
the coasts total truck crop produc-
ton.
Crops May Be Curtailed.
This in turn may create a re-
duced national supply, because the
coast output accounts for 25 TO 80
per cent of the total United States
production of canning tomatoes, 95
per cent of the asparagus. and lesser
proportions of other products such
as celery, spinach, caulifloWer and
snap beans.
Official surveys show that while
the japanese operated only 2 per
cent of all agricultural land in Cali
fornia, Oregon and Washington. this
constituted about one-third of the
three State truck crop acreage, and
from it the Nipponese harvested an
estimated SO to 85 per cent of the
coast output of vegetables
Farmers generally have been US
ing more and more machinery and
less labor, but the japanese farmer
has been growing crops with similar
efficiency, says the Reserve Bank,
by working his women and children
as we'll as himself and his ma
chimes.
They were willing to toll long
hours for low pay on jobs unwant-
ed by others. OF the 1851 gain
fully employed among the 10000
coast japanese. As per cent were
in agriculture and 1882 were listed
as unpaid family workers.
The efficiency of the system shows
up on the banks statistics. The
average Japanese farm is A acres
and is worth 1873. The aver
age of all coast States farms is
231 acres, worth s11 200. The Jap
anese cultivated 76 per cent of
their acreage, compared with only
20 per cent for three-State farms
as a whole.
Jap Families Supplied Muscle.
With family muscle power and
/ stoop labor, California japanese
alone last year produced about IS
per cent of the total national out
put of canning and fresh tomatoes
combined, the Department of Agri-
! culture estimates.
California virtually monopoliZes
| the Nations commercial asparagus
/ production and the Japanese are
listed as growing about one fourth