Manzanar Free Press


Page 14	Manzanar Free Press	September 10, 1943

MANZANAR ON FURLOUGH

A small crowd gathers as busses pull up at the police station were to take on Manzanar's share of furlough workers. With hands clasped behind him, Mr. Hidesuke Yamamoto, yard cleaner in block 1, stands in the center foreground critically contemplating cigarette stub throwers and gum wrapper droppers.

Going as close as the sign permits, a few isseis watch the loading of furlough workers' baggage. Making sure, perhaps, that their son's grip containing the long underwear is not forgotten.

Sugar Land Lures Press Newshound

Unpainted and impartial, this is the story of a Manzanar Free Press reporter who exchanged his typewriter for a hoe and left the security of a center for freedom and heartbreaking experiences in Idaho as a farmer.

Bill Kitayama who packed his dreams in his suitcases reached Idaho Falls, Idaho in early May, 1943, only to find that the contract he had in Manzanar was given to another party.

He writes: "When Japanese-Americans residing in relocation centers answered the appeal to save the nation's vital sugar supply, their actions were prompted, not only by patriotism but by a two-fold purpose—relocation and financial rewards. Their efforts were temporarily thwarted when their rightfully earned wages were decreased... This was contrary to the Secretary of Agriculture's decision and the sugar beet contract which reads: 'The farmer agrees whenever feasible to employ at prevailing wages'."

One instance presents a case where an evacuee refused to thin beets for the $8.25 he was recruited for. The farmer then hired Mexican laborers who demanded and received $10.00 per acre, the prevailing wage.

The sugar beet contracts failed to account for weeds which brought up to 50 cents extra for Mexican laborers. Too, it failed to mention the usage of segregated seeds, which does not pay as much as the regular seeds.

It cannot be overlooked, however, that there was good with the bad.

TWO ISSUES

Two issues await the actions of the War Relocation Authority. First, this issue of thinning weeded areas by evacuees who failed to receive the sum allowed by the new ruling passed by the Secretary of Agriculture. Second, the problem of getting back pay for those who are subject to receive the difference between $8.25 and $10.00.

Whatever be the outcome, evacuee beet workers will never again repeat the bitter experience of physical hardships and mental strain. They will demand a more stable agreement, a more secure contract, which is backed, not only by man-made laws, but by the laws of human decency and righteousness. For, after all, the Japanese-Americans are asking and willing to shoulder their share in winning the war, on the home front as well as the fighting front.

WORKERS SATISFIED

Leave Officer Walter A. Heath states that, "In the fall of 1942, over 1,000 men from Manzanar went to the beet fields. Of those who returned, nearly all voiced their satisfaction with community acceptance but complained of one or more conditions of employment or housing.

"Many complaints are almost childish in that they have to do with lack of electricity or the necessity to heat bath water on a cook stove. Many others are fully justified but nearly all have to do with unchangeable circumstances. Housing provided to beet laborers has never been good and probably never will be. Just as most evacuees are good workers, so too are most farmers fair and decent people. Neither group is 100%.

"Dissatisfied men are usually poor workers and do little to help the reputation of Japanese-Americans. It is hoped that in the future no one will listen to the pleasant voice of a sugar company recruiter unless he is willing to accept rather primitive living conditions, wage rates that are not always completely fair, and an occasional shylock farmer. More pleasant jobs are available for those with a patriotic urge."

Responding to the frantic call for workers in the Idaho-Montana region were many evacuees. This is one contingent which left on furlough to help harvest the vital sugar beet crops.

NOT ALL HARD WORK FOR FURLOUGH IN IDAHO

Pouncing upon a furlough worker who was returning to Idaho after a two-week visit here, this reporter was convinced that some furlough boys are enjoying something else besides blistered hands and broken backs. "We were fortunate in landing a swell contract in Idaho," stated Bill Kakatsuki, member of the Sierra Padres gang working on the Paul Scott farm near Pocatello.

Their contract includes harvesting of 110 acres of potatoes and 47 acres of beets. He described thinning as the most back-breaking task involved in preparing future sugar cubes.

A typical day starts at 5:30 in the morning as the "Come and get it!" shout of the chef awakens the workers in the midst of their dreams. Rationing does not seriously affect them since most vegetables and milk are obtainable right on the farm and prices of other foodstuffs are fairly reasonable.

Sunday is the day for relaxation. Into town for some bowling or perhaps the theater...maybe a round of golf...Sometimes they are lucky enough to have the boss take them on a fishing trip. One can understand why they call this state "scenic Idaho" and the limit of trout taken within two hours is enough incentive for any fisherman.

After such a colorful and intriguing picture portrayed, even a hardened ex-furlougher is tempted to throw caution to the winds and take a chance.

All out for a better crop this season the people are tending their Victory Garden between the firebreak 11 and 17. These gardens are property of the residents and mess halls. Women, men and children work the garden.

Biography of a Manzanar Carrot

Following days of basking under the shimmery summery sun, the healthy vegetables raised for the center's consumption are harvested and transferred to the huge refrigerator for "cooling off" while awaiting their turn for delivery to various dining halls in the center. Protruding from three to seven inches into Ma Nature's rich soil ever since retaining their secondary stage, the countless rows of carrots in the field are accorded frequent thirst quenchers and soil loosening by the farmers. Many were the occasions when the helpless green tops were nibbled at by envious long-eared creatures passing by.

Grouped into bunches of four to five, the carrots are placed into crates and legally brought into camp for either salad ingredients for Manzanites, or "relocation" to other centers. Those that are labeled for local usage are washed counted and confined to cold storage until requisition is made for their release. Those that are destined for outside consumption are given a send-off at the farmers' warehouse.

Wednesday evening's menu calls for the usage of the eagerly awaited carrots so on Monday the long fellows are warned of their release through the head steward. Once again they are loaded upon the trucks and distributed to the thirty-seven mess halls of the center. Then the cooks undertake the task of slicing and dicing 'til the carrots are beyond recognition. With the ringin' of the mess halls that eve, we discover beyond doubt that those once fresh appearing bunch of greentops are cooked for good along with the poor lambs to form a delicious dish of lamb stew.

Leisure Time Farmers Grow For Fun

On meatless days, what goes good with "ochazuke?" Why, tsukemono of course! These Japanese pickles are derived from the products of the victory gardens situated in firebreaks throughout the camp.

Arising long before the break of dawn, the garden enthusiasts commence tilling their patches. Although a few of these farmers have been the frequent victims of "borrowers," they stoically continue production. Some also grow flowers to add color to their green plots of vegetables.

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