Camp Harmony News Letter

Vol. 1 No. 2 -- Puyallup, Wash. -- May 7, 1942

Page 1

AREA GROWS...

With the arrival of 575 new evacuees from Seattle tomorrow, the population of the area will pass the 2,600 mark. The capacity of the area is 2,700.

This morning, the population was raised to the 2,027 figure with the arrival of 26 Alaskan Japanese from Petersburg.

ON RELOCATION...

All families whose applications to change quarters within the area were approved are requested by the relocation officers George Inoya, Toru Araki and George Kakehashi, to complete their moving by 12 noon Friday.

Those who wish to join their friends in the other areas may do so after settlement of the camp is completed, relocation officers also announced.

RECREATION SURVEY

A recreation survey will be conducted Saturday, Mrs. Michi Watanabe, morale and recreation officer announced, today. To facilitate the handling of the survey, Mrs Watanabe said her committee will meet tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at her apartment.

WOMEN'S SANITATION

Warning was issued today to the women of this area that they will be ordered to clean their lavatories and shower-rooms by themselves, unless they are kept in better sanitary conditions.

The warning came from Sparky Kono, Area Sanitation Supervisor, who expressed dissatisfaction with present sanitation standards among area women. Kono declared that sanitation squad duties, now completely assumed by men, will have to be shared by women, should conditions in their lavatories and washrooms fail to improve after today's warning.

MANZANAR GROWS...

Within 3 days druing the past week the Manzanar reception center doubled its population from 3,309 to 7,181, according to figures released through the Manzanar Free Press.

On three consecutive afternoons, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday caravans of busses brought new settlers in groups of 927, 973 and 1972.

Classification, registration and assignment of quarters started immediately as busses began unloading.

There was no waiting or confusion. the long line of evacuees moved out of the other end within a few minutes.

Guided by voluntary workers who carried their bedding for them, the new arrivals were given maximum assistance in finding their new [rest of sentence missing]

Bus after bus emptied its occupants and all were handled in efficient style.

The personnel division and voluntary helpers corps, profiting from past experiences, avoided all possible bottlenecks. They were organized so that approximately 350 individuals were registered each hour.

Reception center administration officials were loud in their praise of the work of the volunteer crews.

"The wholesome, patient cooperation of Manzanar residents, who turned out by the hundreds to assist in the registration work, was commended by Harry L. Black, assistant camp manager.

EDITORIAL

Most of us have been here but a week but in that week's time cannot failed to have been impressed with the relative smooth functioning of those charged with the operation of this camp.

That this camp shall be allowed to retain local autonomous government and the greatest measure of freedom allowable under the circumstances is entirely dependent upon each individual within this camp. It is, therefore, highly important that everyone cooperate to his fullest extent, with officials, with his neighbors, so that the army will not be forced to take over the administration of Camp Harmony.

With the influx of additional evacuees tomorrow and Saturday, the various labor corps will be overworked. In view of the situation everyone is asked to aid in keeping confusion down to a minimum by complying with official orders.

Only through such compliance and whole-hearted cooperation can we show army officials we are capable of handling of our own affairs.

Page Two

DEWITT INSPECTS MANZANAR

Full steam ahead for the rapid completion of a 150-bed hospital for the Manzanar reception center was ordered by Lieut. General John L. DeWitt last week.

General DeWitt inspected the present 10-bed hospital during his brief visit to the center.

Stating his approval of present efforts of the medical administration General DeWitt said that all efforts should be made for the early realization of this permanent large medical center.

MANZANAR,

In response to inquiries about the possibility of leaving Manzanar to take up job offers in the interior areas, assistant camp manager, H.L. Black, stated that under army orders, no Japanese may leave this camp, once he has come in from a restricted area.

Explaining that this is not a regulation of the camp management but a decree handed down from the Fourth Army Command under which Manzanar is operated, he stated that no provision had been made for any individual reallocation to new work areas.

However, in due time, Milton C. Eisenhower, who has been put in charge of further resettlement is expected to make arrangements for the transfer of workers to needed areas in adequately authorized employment.

POLICE ORDERS...

Everybody, excepting those working, must stay off the roads and remain in their quarters when the new group of Seattleites arrive tomorrow afternoon Tad Fujioka, Area Police Chief, declared. The order will be enforced to expedite location of new arrivals.

LOST & FOUND...

LOST -- Alligator-Skin purse, tan lady's jacket, man's heavy green overcoat, one koori (by G.I. Watanabe). Finders please turn in above items to the postoffice.

FOUND -- One pr. gloves, one school torch pin, one pocket knife, two pocket watches, two sun glasses, one bracelet, one dinner ring (Black Diamond), two fountain pens. Owners may retrieve same at postoffice.

FIRST AID STATION

A temporary first aid station has been opened this week at 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

MEDICAL NOTES...

All pneumo-thorax cases are asked to report to Head Nurse Teru Uno at the Medical Center tomorrow from 10 a.m.

Miss Uno reiterated that medical examinations are compulsory, and strongly urged those who have not yet taken them to do so at once.

DON'T HOARD...

Don't hoard wood was the appeal made by area officials this week. Tats Hayasaka, in charge of the wood crew, reported 35 loads of wood were delivered to the area earlier this week

Your NEWS LETTER, for the time being, is merely a newspaper-to-be. We hope however, that it will shortly begin to assume all the physical characteristics of a full-grown, although mimeographed, community press. Manzanar has its eight-page "Free Press." Santa Anita has its "Pace-Maker." Puyallup and Camp Harmony will not be far behind. And to make good this resolve, you readers must help. Somebody get married. Have a baby. Get something. Make NEWS.

CHURCH PROGRAM FOR THIS SUNDAY

9 a.m. -- Sunday School in Mess Hall #3

2 p.m. -- Issei worship services at Mess Hall #4. Speaker will be the Rev. Kodiare of the Seattle Presbyterian Church.

3 p.m. -- Nisei union worship service at Mess Hall #3. Speaker will be the Rev. Lormimer of the Seattle Plymouth Congregational Church.

The leadership training course this Sunday for all Sunday school teachers and all those who are interested, with the time being from 9-11 a.m. and from 2-4 p.m. The place as yet has not been designated.

The course, sponsored by the inter-denominational groups in the area will be conducted by a special group of religious education experts from Seattle.

FIREMEN [rest of headline unclear]

Fire Marshall Kaz Tamura announced this week that he had sent in a requisition for fire-fighting equipment including a "cart & ladder" and hoses.

When the equipment will arrive Kaz has no idea as the orders are being accepted in Philadelphia, the only place in the country where "carts and ladders" are still manufactured.

EDITORIAL BOARD

Dick Takeuchi, Kenji Tani, Dyke Miyagawa, Toichiro Kitamura.
Staff members: Dorothy Suguro, Amy Okabe, Daiki Miyagawa, Martha Inouye, George Arakawa.

Page Three

EVACUATION TEMPO SPEEDED

Approximately 2,200 Japanese will begin registering today at Civil Control Stations in Northern California and Oregon in preparation for evacuation from military areas of the West Coast.

Latest exclusion orders issued by Lieut. Gen. J.L. DeWitt affect the counties of Kings and Tulare in the State of California, and the Oregon counties of Clackamas and Multnomah.

Civilian Exclusion Order No. 44 affects approximately 900 persons in portions of the County of Tulare.

Evacuees from this area will be moved to the Fresno Assembly Center. Movement will begin Sunday, May 10 and will be completed by noon, Wednesday, May 13.

Civilian Exclusion Order No. 46 affects approximately 700 persons in portions of Oregon.

Evacuees from this area will be moved to the Portland Assembly Center. Movement will begin Monday, May 11 and will be completed by noon, Tuesday, May 12.

Reports of conflicting rumors reaching Army officials made it necessary to reiterate again today that evacuation of Japanese from the Pacific Coast will go ahead of schedule notwithstanding the effect on agricultural production.

"Evacuation will go forward at an uninterrupted pace. Military necessity is an unrelenting taskmaster, and the harvesting of crops or other agricultural tasks cannot be allowed to retard the evacuation program," Col. Karl R. Bendetsen, Assistant Chief of Staff, Civil Affairs Division, said.

The Colonel remarked that the recent wholesale evacuation orders which now number 32, should convince everyone of the falsity of statements made by uninformed persons to the contrary. "At the present moment there are either evacuated or in the immediate process of evacuation more than 35,000 Japanese. The machinery for undertaking an orderly evacuation with the minimum of economic dislocation and hardship has not been easy to build, but now that it is completed, the tempo of the program will steadily increase until completed," he said.

KENT

A branch office of the Farm Security Administration, working under the Army's Wartime Civil Control Administration, was established in Kent yesterday in a far reaching move to aid Valley Japanese in making arrangements to have their farms taken over by new operators when the exclusion orders are issued.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT--1

All camp members, not assigned to duties, are ordered to stay on the barrack side of the Burma Road from 2:30 to 4:45 p.m. Friday and keep away from the playground area which will be utilized for handling of baggage. The order was promulgated through the chief of police, Tad Fujioka, earlier this afternoon.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT--2

IMMIGRATION CHECK-UP

Immigration authorities from Seattle are scheduled to visit the area 9:30 a.m. Monday for a check-up of the inhabitants, Area Director William Mimbu declared today.

Mimbu advised all heads of each family and single persons to remain in their quarters Monday when told to do so by their respective section leaders.

The officials will require from each person, 16 years old or over, the following papers: from aliens--registration card and book and passport. The American-born will need only birth certificates.

(Editor's Note: Due to the lateness of this announcement, we were unable to include it in the Japanese section. Nisei are therefore requested to advise their parents of the above announcement.)

UNCLAIMED MAIL

The following persons are asked by Postmaster Kameo Nakamura to come to the postoffice to claim their mail:

Midori Sakamoto, Mrs. K. Nakata, K. Murakami, F. Fujino, Takao Mori, Ken Yasuda, Joe Shinyeda, Mr. Otsuji, Mr. Fusa Haramatsu, Sad and Suke Sumara, Yuri Uchida, Mr. K. Ishii and Henry Nakata.

"THIRSTY PALATES"

A total of 1,200 ice cream confectionery went by the board in two hours yesterday as the area's youngsters thronged the army's canteen to relieve their parched throats.

NOTE TO WORKMEN

Timekeeper Al Ouchi emphasizes all who work on labor crews check in with him in the morning and again check out at the end of the day. To facilitate matters, Al has his two assistants Takayoshi Okamoto and Johnny Kawaguchi also checking time every two hours.

Al also declared that from now on there will be no more shifting around of workment (sic). Instead they will be operated under definite work crews.