Appointed Personnel

The Appointed Personnel Department headed by Assistant Personnel Officer Mrs. Elsie M. Eades, takes charge of all selections, appointments, assignments, attendance records, leave procedures and keeps the records of all persons on the employment list of the appointed personnel.

The expansion of the department began in December of last year and at the end of February, the 130 on the list increased to 225. A large scale recruitment took place for teachers, new appointments were made and are still anticipated. .

With the 48 hour week in effect, all appointed personnel work on a full schedule with overtime pay.

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Fire Department

A record hard to match by any community is the rightfully proud boast of the Manzanar Fire Department. Fire loss for the past year has been less than $25. This is attributed to the department's fire prevention measures and residents' fine cooperation.

With one piece of apparatus borrowed from the U. S. Forestry Service, the Fire Department was organized on March 23. On April 1, Ralph D. Feil was appointed as Fire Chief and he secured the apparatus now in use. In August, Feil was transferred to the Public Works Division and Frank E. Hon was appointed by the WRA. Ira L. Carpenter later joined him as assistant. Both men arrived here from the Los Angeles Fire Department, each having more than 20 years' experience.

The two Fire Protection Officers are ably assisted by Fire Chief Robert A. Kubota, Assistant Chief Mas Hondo; captains, Tom Kamachi, Sam Matsuda and Hideo Nakashimo; assistant captains and engineers, Paul Tanaka, Barry Tamura; assistant captain, Tom Takahashi; engineer Takaji Goto, assistant engineers, George Matsuda, Mas Kikuta, Mas Tanibata; Matao Toyoda, maintenance.

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Fiscal

One of the most difficult to handle as well as the most important departments both to the WRA as well as to the residents is the Budget and Finance Division. Taking care of all budgetary and fiscal matters, which include the all-important cash allowances, the department has to figure accurately all monetary matters.

Headed by R. C. Boczkiewicz, principal fiscal accountant, the staff includes: Joseph W. Carney, auditor; George Weber, budget officer; Roland J. Sanger, junior fiscal accountant; Arthur J. Muir, cost-accountant; Clyde R. Berriman, junior cost accountant; Illene Hetzel, payroll clerk; Thomas Higa, auditor of evacuee payroll; Mary Kakoi, payroll clerk; Peggy Tsuchiya, paymaster; Fred Fujimoto, head timekeeper.

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Guayule

Guayule project has come a long way since April, 1942, when the waste cuttings and seedling culls arrived from the Salinas nurseries. Since then, lath house and propagating beds have been built at the southwest corner of camp, chemical laboratory in Ironing Room 6, cytogenetics laboratory in the hospital, field plots located at various points in and around camp, and Ironing Room 35 is being converted into a breeding laboratory.

Experiments are being made on the extraction of rubber from guayule cryptostegia, and other less promising rubber bearing plants by a new and rapid method developed here. Samples of these tested rubbers have been vulcanized in Los Angeles, and proved to be of good quality. Valuable results of more technical nature have also been obtained.

Through experimentation it was found that Salinas strains of guayule are capable of surviving winter at Manzanar, but Texas strains proved to be hardier. Evidence up to the present time indicates that under climatic conditions at Manzanar, Texas strains are superior to Salinas strains in rubber formation.

Dr. Robert Emerson, of California Institute of Technology, is one of the leading workers. Dr. Genevieve Carter, local superintendent of education, recognized in the guayule project a chance to develop scientific work and educational opportunities for the Japanese here.

Scientists from Stanford University, University of California at Los Angeles, and Berkeley, and California Institute of Technology, have been visiting the guayule project in increasing numbers.

Under the direction of Dr. Kenji Nozaki, the scientific work on guayule is being carried out along with the nursery propagation and field work supervised by Walter T. Watanabe, while breeding and flower biology is led by Masuo Kodani, experienced geneticist and cytologist.

Hospital

Since the inception of the emergency unit, the Hospital has served as the fountain head for the welfare of the community. The growth of this department has reflected the growth of the center and the manifold services the personnel renders, springs from the WRA policy that each evacuee shall receive the best of medical care.

On March 21, Dr. James Goto, Fumiko Gohata, R.N., and Administrative Assistant Frank Chuman, were appointed by the United States Public Health Service with instructions to set up an emergency Hospital unit to care for the welfare of the evacuees under the WCCA. One bare room in block 1, building 2, was furnished with five hospital beds, and operating table, instruments and drugs. There were no toilet facilities, wash basins or sterilizing equipment. The three evacuees were joined by Dr. Yoshiye Togasaki and Mrs. Terue Yabuki, R.N., on the 25th and Aiko Hamaguchi and Setsuko Hachisuka, undergraduate nurses on the 31st.

Nine patients and 251 out-patients were treated before the end of March and the medical staff was augmented by the arrival of Dr. Masako Kusayanagi, Yone Akita, R.N., Yaeko Munemori, T.N., and four undergraduate nurses. Dr. Y. Kikuchi took care of emergency dental cases with only a few available instruments. From its two apartment quarters, the hospital moved into one barrack which was partitioned into an operating room, pharmacy, laboratory, X-ray room, sterilizing room, ten-bed unit and equipment room. Then four more barracks were acquired to care for contagious disease cases and in-patients. By the end of April, there were 954 out-patients, 70 in-patients and surgical cases.

Public Health operation began and inspectors saw that the barracks were properly cared for by the evacuees and everyone given instructions on sanitation.

While working in cramped quarters in May, the Hospital personnel was assured by Lieut. Gen. John L. DeWitt and Colonel Bendetson, that the construction of the 250-bed hospital would be speeded up. Carloads of equipment and supplies arrived, were carefully checked and placed in the proper places. Then on July 22, the entire department transferred to its new location, in the vicinity of Blocks 29 and 34. Since all details were planned beforehand, the movement was completed in one day and all work functioned without trouble. With the arrival of Doctors Teiji Takahashi and Tom Watanabe, the heavy load of the first doctors was relieved to a certain extent.

In October, Dr. Morse Little arrived to take charge as Project Medical Officer with Nursing Director, Gertrude Wetzel and three others to increase the personnel which, up until this time, was all Japanese. A Crippled Children's Conference was held with Orthopedic specialists to examine the children for skeletal and muscular deformities; courses for nurse's aides and orderlies were held and lectures given to undergraduate nurses preparing for examinations.

The new hospital covers a floor space of 57,087 square feet, with an administrative building, doctors' and nurses' quarters, seven wards, kitchen, laundry and boiler rooms and a morgue. The administrative building includes the ear, nose, throat clinic, surgery, laboratory, pharmacy, X-ray and business offices. With eight employees in March, the list has grown to 402 at the end of January of this year.

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Dental Clinic

Even with the rationing of sugar and the shortages of candy, cakes, and chocolates in the center, the residents of Manzanar have had to keep that date with their dentist. He may not be welcome when their teeth are not aching, but the gremlins of pain and suffering keep them trotting to the Dental Clinic, often enough to keep the staff constantly on the run.

The main Dental Clinic is located at the Hospital with the branch at 7-8-1. The staff has taken care of 13,402 cases, many of them two or more visits. Cases treated were extractions, incision of abscesses, gum treatment for pyorrhea and fillings.

The personnel consists of Dr. Yoriyuki Kikuchi, department head, and doctors Y. Nakamura, F. Iwamizu, C. K. Nagao, Y. Nakaji, T. T. Okuno and dental technician, Toizumi.

Housing

Contributing an important and essential factor to the operation and organization of the center, the Housing Section began operation on the very first day of inception.

From that day in March when the first volunteer group reached Manzanar to the latter part of May when the last group arrived from Florin and Elk Grove districts, the department was busily occupied at all inductions of the evacuees, assigning living quarters, issuing blankets, cots and straw mattresses.

Between inductions they were instrumental in effecting the adjustments in living quarters necessitated by family and personal conflicts. The Lodging Crew, part of the Housing Section, was kept busy helping in the moving of personal properties. The Barrack Checkers, another department, was also busy checking daily to ascertain that all residents were accounted. They also had to take inventories of government property.

One of the hardest assignments completed by the Section was the adjustments of the sizes of the apartments to enable all families and persons to be given equitable amount of living space. This was accomplished to the satisfaction of the majority of the residents despite criticisms and opposition presented by a small minority.

Among the regular routine of the department is the daily check on the population, the issuance of moving permits when it is justified and space available, transfers of personal property, issuance, pick-ups, and exchange of government issues.

Under Edward G. Chester, superintendent, are the following: Shigeru Kobayashi, assistant, Taizo Inazu, manager of deputies; Erich Hayashi, manager of supplies and distribution; Roy Osajima, foreman of lodging crew; Shotaro Matsumura, foreman of mattress factory; Kiyoko Sakakihara, interviewer.

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Legal Aid

With the handling of all legal matters of the center in their hands, the office of Project Attorney and the Legal Aid Section leave a busy year behind them. The following problems received their attention and aid: insurance, divorces, guardianship, probate matters, condemnation proceedings, old-age insurance, law suits, leases, contracts, assignments, wills, power of attorney, judicial committee hearings and wage claims, due and owing.

Robert B. Throckmorton is Project Attorney, Henry J. Tsurutani, Director of Legal Aid; Yoshio Marumoto and Hanaye Ichiyasu, supervising clerks.

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Mail Delivery

Unsung heroes, they may well be called, for they are the ones to whom residents look forward each day. Despite ferocious winds, winter's cold or summer's heat, these mail carriers and the personnel of the mail delivery department untiringly expend their energies, to insure the safe delivery of mail to the Manzanar residents, day in and day out. They bring good news and bad, parcels and money, lifting or lowering the spirits of those who have little to do but wait for news from the outside and other centers.

Established on April 1st, the Manzanar branch postoffice was given the stamp of approval with the visit of Mrs. Mary D. Briggs. During the first days the six employees on the staff were taxed to the utmost, with an average of 3,000 outgoing and incoming letters, and $400 to $900 maney orders per day. Parcels averaged 20 sacks. The residents stood in line for hours to receive their mail since no policy was set concerning the carriers.

Then on April 23, Neeno was named Mail Co-ordinator and all persons on the outside were instructed to include block, building and apartment numbers on mail to Manzanar. Unaddressed letters and magazines flooded the office; carriers were taxed to the limit.

At the present time, the daily distribution of letters amounts to 1500, parcels 350, registered letters, 10; money orders (outgoing) $500.00.

John Hanamura is present head, assisted by Harry Fujino.

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Maintenance

The largest section in the number of sub-departments and employing the greatest number of workers, over 500, is the Maintenance section. Although their work is mainly routine and unspectacular, the everyday job of keeping the community running smoothly is in their hands. From the unappreciated garbage and latrine details, the oil crews and the boiler engineers, the ground and rake gangs to the custodians and janitors, all stem from this section.

With Herbert F. Thorne in charge of the section and Fred Stiegelmeier, assisting, their field covers the following departments:

Electrical, Ralph D. Feil, chief electrician; carpenters, Katsumi Nishikawa and Akio Ujihara, foremen; boilers, Harry Hayashi, foreman; machinists, Frank Nishioka, field foreman; Homer Kimura, shop foreman; steam plant, Matoshi Sakamato, senior operator.

Stove crew, Hideo Suenaka, Roy Tashiro, Yoichi Iwamasa, Harvey Akie, foremen; oil crews, Hisayuki Ogimachi and Joe Nakai, foremen; tin shop, Masao G. Ikeda, tinsmith; plumbers, Gunichi J. Watanabe, foreman; grease crew, Kametaro Mizumoto, foreman.

Garbage, Naoyoshi Adachi, A. Sekine, foremen; trash, Gengoro Yamada, Yuzo Ohno, Frank Nakagawa, Minoru Tanaka, foremen; ground and yard maintenance, Henry K. Yoshinaga, foreman; sewage, Jiro Matsuyama, sanitary engineer; rake crew, Yutaro Kaku, Iwao Matsumoto, Misao Ishikawa, foremen.

Water, Katsunori Kawaguchi, foreman; custodians, George Numasa, foreman; emergency, Seigora Murakami, Tanzo Fujita, foremen; water barrels, Frank Nishimura, foreman; office, Geo. T. Ono, chief clerk.

Manufacture and Industrial

The manufacturing division headed by H. R. Haberle, superintendent, not only takes charge of the industrial end in the center but it has done much in training the evacuees in the different projects now in production.

The first factory to get under way was the garment factory. Its purpose is to produce all types of clothing that are in demand in Manzanar as well as in other centers. It is doing its share in teaching the personnel the various phases of garment production. It was begun in warehouse 23 in May with approximately 10 persons who did all the sewing on small portable machines or by hand. Warehouses 30 and 31 were acquired in September and reconditioned, then machinery was set up. Since the official opening which was on November 1st, aprons, towels, camouflage masks, shirts, pants, blouses, uniforms and coats were produced.

In charge as floorlady is Taye Jow, designer is Fumiko Hayashi, cutter Bert Miura and stock clerk, Toshimasa Nagao. There are 38 power machine operators.

"Shoyu," or soy sauce, a necessary commodity of the Japanese began production in November to supply the center and other centers in the future. Since production began, 2000 gallons per month has been the total but since January this has been increased to 5,000 gallons. Foreman of this project is Nobutaro Nakamura.

The bean sprout project was begun the latter part of October with production averaging 1600 pounds weekly. The foreman is Shigeji Tomita.

With most of the tools and machinery installed, the Woodcraft project is about ready for production. Samples of toys have been made and machine tests are in progress. As soon as more tools, machine parts and raw materials arrive, the shop will begin to function. The project has for its purpose, producing toys and novelties, as well as training men in the use of wood working machinery. Henry T. Murakami is foreman, Albert R. Nozaki, senior craft designer, Ray Komai, craft designer, Harumi Komai and Lorna Nozaki, painters.

Other departments include sewing machine repair with Carl Kurata, supervisor; typewriter repair, Carl Kondo, supervisor; machine machinists, Hidekichi Hiroshima, supervisor; alteration and special orders, Yone Sawa, supervisor.

Projects contemplated are the ceramics with George Stanicci as foreman; "tofu" project with Henry Toda, foreman; and the "miso" project.

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Mess Division

Primary requisite of all human beings, that of simple, everyday eating, is the problem faced by the Mess Division. Handicapped by an exact budget the problem of feeding 10,000 people daily is complicated still further by shortages and rationing. To meet all these and still give the people a well-balanced, nourishing diet is the responsibility handled by J. R. Winchester, chief steward, and his staff.

The opening of the first kitchen in March marked the first step of a series of difficult assignments. As fast as buildings and equipment were available other kitchens were readied until the completion of the present organization was accomplished on October 18.

Helping Winchester in the smooth functioning of the division are: M. L. Harbach and E. A. Prentice, associate stewards; R. F. Geweher, butcher; Masao Takigawa and Masao Hagihara, personnel superintendents; Ben Yamada, steward; Shigeto Matsuda, assistant; James Tanigawa, chief supply clerk.

Kitchen chefs include: Temachi Ichijo, 1; Tetsugi Takeuchi, 2; Bunjiro Yamada, 3; Eikichi Takahashi, 4; Teruichi Inukai, 5; Tsugio Tateoka, 6; Shinichi Asanuma, 8; Sannosuke Yamashita, 9; Songo Koda, 10; Ichiji Tanaka, 11; Naosuke Kamigoshi, 12; Kaname Tokaji, 13; Uichi Izumi, 14; Eihachi Shigemori, 15.

Katsuye Cho, 16; Joe T. Tanaka, 17; Alfred Adachi, 18; Nobuzo Fujimoto, 19; Janji Yamamoto, 20; Kiichi Sakai, 21; Kenichi Ikeda, 22; Yoshito Yonemori, 23; Tsuneichi Nakaji, 24; Masunaga Middo, 25; Otoichi Fukushima, 26; Jack Isotani, 27; Kijiro Kirino, 28; George Ishimaru, 29; Yonekuzu Matsumoto, 30.

Saichi Yamamoto, 31; Eikichi Motooka, 32; Mack Fujii, 33; ToKuzo Nakane, 34; Kenzo Nagano, 35; Tomio Naito, 36; Saburo Hagiwara, butcher; Shizuo Mitsuhata, charge of vegetables; Takashi Momiyama, hospital; Rinzo Yamada administration; Kansuke Uraguchi, relief.

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