The Daily Alaska empire., 1949-06-18
JApANE5E HAVE
 CHANGED, AYERS
 EDWARD W. ALLEN
Seattle Attorney, Now in Juneau, Tells of Expert
 ing Japanese Fisheries

The Japanese are not the same
 people they were 20 years ago, ac-
 cording to Edward w. Allen, prom
 inent Seattle attorney, author. and fisheries expert who is here in the Fish Trap Tax hearing.
 One of three member team of
 visiting experts" invited by the Supreme Command of Allied Powers to make survey of Japanese fish
 cries and suggest fisheries policies
 to the military command, MT. Allen
 has recently returned from six
 weeks trip to Japan where, under
 army orders, they made complete
 survey of the fisheries situation.
 Other experts with MT. Allen
 were F. M Bundy, president of
 Gorton-Pew Company whose cod fish is known throughout the world, and Donald P. Loker, vice president of French Sardine Company, largest
 tuna canners in the United States.
 Twenty years ago Mir. Allen was in Japan studying the Japanese fisheries, but his trip at that time was not official. The psychological change in the Japanese people he found remarkable They are not as subservient as they used to be. They seem to welcome change. The younger people are anxious to take ever their country on democratic basis. Women, too, indicated gener- ally that they were supporting the democratic idea. It was only the older men who were still looking backward to the past" MT. Alien said.
 We were most favorably lm- pressed with General MacArthur. We talked to him at length, found him keen, well-informed about fish cries, cordial and friendly as could be. There was nothing obstenta- tious about him.
 The Japanese, too, have a gen. uine respect for General Macarthur and seemed quite appreciative of what the United States has done to help their country. They said after the wars end it was impos- sible for them to believe that a conquering country would not make slaves of the conquered That the conquerors should feed and help them was beyond belief"
 The fisheries experts talked to people frcm the lowliest fishermen 1 up to the high command. to Japa- !. nese government officials, company officials, cooperative officials. They ! found hundreds of fish traps in op- { eration in Japan. !.
 SOAP, the name generally used for the Supreme Command of AL l lied Powers. has set out to build up ! the Japanese domestic fisheries for ! their own consumption to save tending food from the United | States to Japan.
 Everywhere people in the Japa- nese fisheries pleaded with the | team of experts to recommend that the limitations, presently being en- forced and which prohibited the fishing on our coast, be lifted. This, | MT. Allen said. they refused to do. We were all thoroughly convinced that if restrictions were lifted, the Japanese fishermen would be right back on our coast"
 However, our relations with the Japanese were very friendly. We were all convinced that SOAP is doing the right thing to help them build up their own fisheries.
 Tn fact, in all ways, the re- action we all had was that SCAP was doing top-notch job. In addition to our very fine impress sion of General MacArthur, we thought that on a comparative ba- SIS, the SCAf perSonnel, O1 whom one hears occasional criticism here 1t home, rates high"
 A frequent visitor to Alaska over ! lcng period of years, MT. Allen expects to remain in Juneau until Sunday when he will leave for on his way south.
 His qualifications for membership 1n General MacArthur's team of experts" were not specifically bas- d on his membership on the Inter- national Fisheries Commission or he International Pacific Salmon Commission, Mir Allen said in answer to an inquiry, though of course that might have had something to do with selection Or the job.