A Memorandum on the Events Surrounding the Liquidation of Fishing Boats Owned by Nikkei People


Table of Contents

Part I
A Memorandum on the Events Surrounding the Liquidation of Fishing Boats Owned by Nikkei People

Photographs of Fishing Boats in the Impoundment Area

Establishment of the Committee for the Liquidation of Fishing Boats

The Appointment of Liquidation Committee Members

The Start-up of the Committee

Requesting the Appointment of Nikkei Liaison Committee Members

Inspection of the Impoundment Area

Making a Catalogue of Fishing Boats

The Appointment of Surveyors

The Advisory Committee Regarding Requisitioned Vessels

The Announcement of the Removal of All Nikkei People

Committee Decision Regarding Difficult Contracts

The Peak of the Fishing-Boat Sale

Releasing the Boats to General Demand

The Transfer of Remaining Boats

The Expense of Moving the Fishing Boats

Transferring the Committee’s Remaining Tasks to the Custodian

The Fishing Boats Dealt with by the Committee

The Breakdown of the Buyers

Monthly Sales

The Age of Vessels

Cases of Compensation for Damages

The General Accounts Report

The Number of Cases Investigated by Surveyors

The Number of People Who Looked at the Boats

Unusual and Exceptional Cases

Afterward

My Impressions

To the Second and Third Generations

(Attachment) An Example from the Fishing Boat Catalogue


Part II
The Advisory Committee on Nikkei Properties in Greater Vancouver

The Course of Events Leading up to the Establishment of the Committee

Advisory Committee on Japanese Properties, Rural Division

Clarification of Orders-in-Council and an Explanation of the Function of the Custodian

First Meeting of the Committee

Inspection of the Properties Owned by Nikkei People

List of Real Estate Owned by Nikkei People

Main Policy Decisions

Items under Deliberation

Special Deliberation Regarding Lots Next to Munitions Factory

The Liquidation of a Fraser River Farm

Drafting Real Estate Advertising

Consultation Regarding Sale Advertisements

Approval of Resignation

Recollections:

Various Anti-Nikkei Campaigns

Board of Review Report on Illegal Entry

National Registration: Report of Dr. Carrothers , etc.

Standing Committee for Special Registration of Nikkei People

The Statement of Prime Minister Mackenzie King

Special Registration of Nikkei People

The Outbreak of the Pacific War and the Removal of All Nikkei People

The Condition of Nikkei Properties in an Area Heavily Populated by Nikkei People

Comment

Attachment: Letters Advising Resignation from the Advisory Committee on Japanese Properties (Kaslo, Slocan)


Part I

A Memorandum on the Events Surrounding the Liquidation of Fishing Boats Owned by Nikkei People

Photographs of Fishing Boats in the Impoundment Area

No. 1 Impounded Vessels at Annieville Dyke on the Fraser River Prior to Reconditioning for Sale.

No. 2 Close-up of a Small Group of the Vessels Shown in Photograph No. 1, The Impoundment Scene before Lining up the Vessels.

No. 3 Vessels at North Trots near Robson Island, New Westminster in the Background.

No. 4 Vessels at South Trots near Annacis Island, North Trots in Centre Background, New Westminster in the Far Background. 

The Impoundment Scene after Lining up the Boats.

This document includes matters prohibited for release at the time by the Wartime Secrecy Act. The main section concerns matters reported exclusively to the Minister of Fisheries, Hon. J.E. Michaud, the officer responsible by an order-in-council. I shall record the events chronologically based on the memos of those days.


Establishment of the Committee for the Liquidation of Fishing Boats 

January 8, 1942:

One month after the outbreak of the Pacific War, Major J.A. Motherwell, chief supervisor of fisheries, contacted me. He urgently wanted to have a private consultation with me at the Ministry of Fisheries. He told me that the provincial government wanted to increase the food supply. They planned to promptly release impounded Nikkei fishing boats into the hands of Hakujin and Dojin fishermen so that they could go out fishing. An order-in-council was being drafted for this purpose. To facilitate the sale or rental of these boats, they were creating a special committee. A judge would be appointed as chairman, with a representative from the Ministry of Defence as another member. Mr. Motherwell was to recommend myself as a representative from the Nikkei community and urged me to accept.

The recommended sale prices for seiners and packers were clearly stated in the yearly survey report for the purpose of disaster and fire insurance. Their rental price could be easily ascertained by checking past charter contracts. However, regarding the smaller boats such as gill-netters, trollers, trawlers, and cod-fishing boats, no one placed insurance on them because insurance was limited to the total loss. Therefore, there was no price recommended in the survey report and hardly any examples of their chartering fees, making it very difficult to determine a price. So it was difficult for me to carry out my duties as a committee member.

I stated that there was a Nikkei fishermen’s organization, that Mr. Ritsu Ide had been its director for many years, and that he would be the right person for the job. The following day, on the ninth, I called Mr. Ide, and he said he had already spoken to Mr. Motherwell that morning and that he had recommended me to him. He encouraged me to accept the position, and I made it a condition that the Nikkei fishermen’s organization would support me. I promised that I would make up my mind after one day of deliberation.

I reported back to Mr. Motherwell, and he told me that the draft of the order-in-council had already been completed because of the urgency of the situation, and it would take effect on the 12th. The committee chairman and member from the Ministry of Defence had already been chosen.

Before this happened, Nikkei volunteers from Vancouver and the surrounding area had met regularly in Vancouver to discuss their wartime safety. Recalling the anti-Nikkei riots of 1907, which had occurred during peacetime, they were afraid of the current mood of the population in this time of war. There was anxiety, fear, and even hatred being directed toward them. If an incident occurred, it would be very difficult to protect women, children, and the elderly. The group had been discussing their temporary evacuation to a safe place before the threat became urgent. On the 11th of January, I visited their meeting place and summarized, to the people in the fishing industry, the conversation I had had with Mr. Motherwell. They promised to back me up whenever necessary.

Early on the morning of the 12th, there was a call from Mr. Motherwell. He persuaded me to accept the committee position, saying that both the chairman and the member from the Ministry of Defence were familiar to me.


The Appointment of Liquidation Committee Members 

January 13:

Order-in-Council PC 288 was announced, stating that the chairman of the committee would be Hon. Justice Sidney S. Smith, a justice at the BC Supreme Court and a full-time judge at the Marine Affairs Court. The representative from the Ministry of Defence was Commander Barney L. Johnson of the reserved forces. He volunteered to active duty and was an associate partner of Johnson Walton Steamship Ltd. Mr. Kishizo Kimura was also appointed to represent Nikkei people.

January 15:

There was a phone call from Justice Smith asking me to visit him in his private room at the courthouse. The content of our conversation was as follows:

  1. Once the management of the committee was on track, he wanted Mr. Johnson and me to run the committee. Should any disagreement occur, he would join the discussion.
  2. He also said that we needed to hire someone to handle the business end of things, and he wanted me to recommend someone.

I accepted the first proposal, but regarding the second I responded that the recommendation should come from Justice Smith and then Mr. Johnson will probably accept it.

January 18:

Mr. Johnson returned to Vancouver from Halifax, and on the 19th, the three of us gathered at the private courthouse room of Justice Smith for an unofficial meeting. We discussed the hiring of a deputy director. The judge recommended Mr. A.E. McMaster, the former manager of the Powell River Pulp & Paper Company, as a very able and competent person with a great personality. He also held Mr. Ginjiro Fujiwara, at Oji Paper Manufacturing Company, in high esteem. Mr. Johnson and I agreed and asked him to proceed with the hiring. We decided to have an official meeting the next day including Mr. McMaster and then discussed other necessary matters.


The Startup of the Committee. 

January 24:

In Justice Smith’s private courthouse quarters, the three of us, plus Mr. McMaster, held the first official committee meeting.

  1. We decided to name the committee “The Japanese Fishing Vessels Disposal ”
  2. We approved the appointment of Mr. McMaster as deputy director and left it to him to open the office, hire office workers, and do other necessary things, as well as writing a draft of the proposal.
  3. We established the offices in Rooms 1528, 1529, and 1530 of the Marine Building.
  4. Large fishing vessels (registered in the British Shipping Registry) could be easily chartered, but chartering the simply licensed small vessels would be another matter. Protecting the owners, the vessels had to be insured for total loss. (The insurance company did not issue partial insurance.) Also, to prepare for the event of partial damage, a deposit equivalent to the repair work would be required. (In order to make absolutely sure, an amount equal to the value of the vessel had to be deposited.) Also, Nikkei fishermen would be anxious about the maintenance standards of Hakujin and Dojin fishermen, and cases of dispute about the extent of deterioration of vessels would be confusing to settle. Considering these points, the committee decided in the end that small fishing vessels should be sold at market value.

(Note: If we adopt an instalment payment method, in the case of a total loss, the mortgage and insurance will kick in, and the insurance company will cover the remaining portion for the former owner. In the case of a partial loss, the insurance company will not cover it. The new owner must pay for the cost of rescue and repair. If these costs are too high, the new owner, who is unable to pay, will abandon the boat, and the former owner will possibly end up with an abandoned and damaged boat.)

  1. To raise office operating costs, although the amount needed was unknown, we decided to charge 1 per cent of the sale price or charter fee and pay the rest to the owner immediately.

(Note: This was enacted into law by Order-in-Council PC 987, issued on February 14. The BC Security Commission felt uneasy handing over such a huge amount of money to the fishermen, proposing instead to put the money temporarily into the hands of the Custodian, with gradual payouts to fishermen. However, it was decided eventually to pay the fishermen as the order-in-council indicated.)

  1. To prepare for eventual damage to the fishing boats, we would create a damage investigation organization. This to be comprised of insurance surveyors, Navy surveyors, and licensed civilians, who would be charged with making an appraisal report. They would examine the time of damage, its extent, and make a repair estimate.
  2. We decided to create a detailed catalogue of all the fishing boats.
  3. We created a Nikkei Liaison Committee to mediate between the owners and people wishing to purchase the boats. (Note: The work of this committee and the disposal committee was all on a volunteer basis.)
  4. We entrusted Mr. Kimura and Nikkei liaison officers with the job of making a catalogue of fishing boats (mentioned in item 7).
  5. To avoid mistakes and misunderstandings with media outlets, the announcement would be exclusively communicated through the deputy director.
  6. The committee would submit a weekly report to the minister of fisheries and an overall report when it completed its work.

After all these decisions had been made, Mr. Kimura requested the following points, with all members accepting them.

Because newspaper reports (Sun, Province, News Herald, etc.) on this matter were so brief and unclear, people had the impression that enemy Japanese fishing boats had been seized and liquidated as the spoils of war. Therefore, it was necessary to clarify the following points through the deputy director to the people hired by the committee.

  1. Boat owners are Nikkei Canadians or Canadian companies established, approved, and registered according to the Canadian Company Act. Also, some of the boats belong to Nikkei veterans who had volunteered in the Canadian armed forces at the time of the First World War.
  2. Presently, the fishing boats are impounded in an enclosed area under the control of the Ministry of the Navy. However, each owner voluntarily and lawfully entrusted their boats to the government, which ordered the impoundment of the boats by an order-in-council. Almost all the boats impounded near New Westminster were navigated there by the boat-owners from various remote places such as Skeena River, both the east and west coasts of Vancouver Island, the Fraser River, and the Port of Vancouver, following the order or request of the Ministry of the Navy.
  3. This has nothing to do with this committee directly, but the boats under the control of Mr. G.W. McPherson, authorized deputy of the secretary of state and/or Custodian, have not necessarily all been seized. With the exception of boats belonging to owners who violated the law and were interned, the remainder of the boats belonged, as I mentioned in item 1, to Nikkei companies whose stakeholders or owners happened to be in Japan when war broke out and were unable to return to Canada.

Requesting the Appointment of Nikkei Liaison Committee Members 

January 26:

The committee decided the following items:

  1. To request the following persons to be Nikkei Liaison Committee members:

Representing the first area of Fraser River: Mr. Unosuke Sakamoto and Mr. Mitsujiro Noguchi

Representing the second region, the Northern Fishing Area:

Mr. Kunisaburo Miwa

Representing the third area, the west coast of Vancouver Island Fishing Area: Mr. Kohei Nakai and Mr. Hideo Fukuyama

Representing the Cod Fishing Union: Mr. Matsunosuke Shinde and as a deputy representative Mr. Hideo Fukuyama

  1. When Liaison Committee members handle sales on behalf of the owners, a letter of attorney from the owner is required.
  2. The letter of attorney mentioned in item 2 shall be created by Mr. Roy Ginn, KC, and the cost shall be covered by the committee.
  3. In the impoundment area (Annieville Dyke Slough), a guide and a Navy barge has to be employed for the inspection of the boats. To avoid congestion, there is a need to limit the issue of inspection permits to those who have already reached some agreement with liaison personnel. However, for the inspection of canneries, a special arrangement shall be considered.
  4. Chief clerk, Mr. Alexander J. Martin, shall exclusively issue permits for boat inspections. Those without a permit are not allowed to go into the impoundment area.
  5. Vancouver Harbour officials are campaigning to convert two large fishing boats into supplemental fireboats. However, because this is not in line with the purpose of the order-in-council, it is not possible to agree to this.

Inspection of the Impoundment Area 

Hearing a rumour that many fishing boats were damaged and sunk in the impounded area, three committee members went to investigate. We got onto the Navy barge from New Westminster harbour and entered the impounded area. As we embarked on the inspection, the accompanying Navy officer told us that they were not sure about the number of damaged boats because they were still investigating. They speculated that the Fraser River had frozen and pieces of drifting ice had damaged the boats and, in time, sunk them. We went around the impounded area on a barge but could not see very well because the water was very murky. Even when we tried to see the sunken boats from directly above them, all we could see was a dim exterior shape, and we could not identify the boats. Damage was not confined to the boats impounded outside; the boats in the centre were also damaged. Some of the masts were barely above water. This impoundment area was shallow, with mud shoals, and there was a rumour that the boats leaned on their sides and ran aground at low tide and were swamped at high tide. The committee requested the Navy to investigate promptly and take appropriate action.

January 28:

A committee office was set up.

February 3:

  1. “About 900 of the impounded boats are small fishing vessels. After an initial rush of sales, the committee will be stocked with hundreds of unsold boats, which they will be unable to dispose of.”
  2. “Nikkei fishermen are purposely pricing their boats too high,” stated by a Hakujin fisherman.
  3. “Nikkei fishermen are removing all the important equipment from their boats and storing it in warehouses. Fishing boats without nets are useless.” Such talk shows a complete lack of knowledge of fishing.
  4. “Among Nikkei fishermen, some believe that if they hold on to their boats, eventually they can get a fishing licence and go fishing again.” A newspaper article gave rise to this rumour.

It seems that these three rumours had their start either with those who attempted to lower boat prices or those who believed the lies and propaganda of anti-Nikkei fanatics.

The fourth rumour was due to a newspaper article reporting on Mr. Reid, the representative from New Westminster. He declared in the Legislature that right after the Nikkei boats were impounded by the order-in-council, some fishery companies started a campaign to re-release boats to Nikkei fishermen. He was then forced to name these companies. He explicitly named a Canadian fishing company and BC Packers. Both companies refuted Mr. Reid’s claims in the newspaper.

The committee keenly recognized the need to wipe out these misunderstandings whenever and however possible.


Making a Catalogue of Fishing Boats 

February 4:

The Liaison Committee, Fisherman’s Association, Fisherman’s Union, and the boat-owners together collected information to make a catalogue of the 1,037 Nikkei fishing boats. Then, office clerks at the Canadian Salt-Cod Export Company typed up forms with the necessary memos attached. The catalogue was completed much faster than expected and submitted to the committee. (See Appendix for an example from the catalogue.)

(Note: Among the 1,037 boats, those belonging to interned owners or absent owners stuck in Japan were not included. The committee has nothing to do with those boats.)

Catalogue details were as follows:

  1. Name of vessel
  2. Official number
  3. Naval Control Number
  4. Port and date of registry
  5. Registered gross and net tonnage
  6. Length, width, and depth of vessel
  7. Make and manufacture date of present engine; date if and when reinstalled; horsepower and knot speed
  8. When hull built, rebuilt
  9. Type of vessel (according to its use): seiner; packer; gill-netter; troller; cod fishing boat; trawler; other
  10. Place of operation (for example: Fraser River; Skeena River; west coast of Vancouver Island, etc.)
  11. Replacement value; present value; insured value; date when surveyed last
  12. Charter rate in 1940; chartered to…
  13. Charter rate in 1941; chartered to…
  14. Amount of mortgage, if any; mortgaged to…
  15. Registered owner’s name and address
  16. Actual owner’s name and address

The Ministry of the Navy had also created a simple catalogue of fishing boats, so we compared it with our committee’s catalogue. It seemed to be randomly put together by an assortment of people. There were many mistakes, especially relating to boats from Prince Rupert. There were mistakes with boat names and columns left blank, such as the registry number or the naval control number. Also, the forms were not unified, and typists were obviously not experienced. In some cases, the numbers weren’t in order, and the owners’ names were misspelled.

The majority of the fishing boats impounded in New Westminster were originally tied up randomly as the Nikkei owners brought them in. Under such circumstances, it was difficult to find a desired boat. Mr. McMaster pointed this out to the Navy. The Navy promised to rearrange the rows of boats according to their usage when they refloated the sunken boats.

February 5:

The Navy had started to lift the sunken boats and arrange them according to their use. They said they planned to complete the job in a week. Later, we had a report that six sunken boats were rescued from the water and sent to the Celtic Shipyard.

February 10:

The Navy had already requisitioned the fishing boats. Mr. McMaster reported this to the Ministry of Fisheries and inquired about their need for fishing boats. Mr. Motherwell responded to the deputy director that it would be beneficial for fishing activities if the boats were released in the following order:

  1. Urgent release of the majority of trolling boats for Vancouver Island
  2. The 75 per cent release of seiners as soon as possible
  3. The 25 per cent release of packers as soon as possible
  4. About 75 per cent of salmon gill-netting boats as soon as possible
  5. The rest of the packers
  6. The rest of salmon gill-netting boats
  7. Other boats

February 11:

There was the following report from the Navy:

The total number of sunken boats in the impounded area was 162. Some of them had already been sent to a shipyard, and the rest of them would be sent gradually to the following shipyards: Celtic; Vancouver; Stanley Park; Wright’s; Mercer’s; Chapel Bros.; and others. The cost of repairs would be covered by the government.

(Note: By Order-in-Council PC 3737, issued on May 5, and Order-in-Council PC 6787, issued on July 31, $80,000 was estimated for this expense, and it was decided that it would be covered by war expenditure.)


The Appointment of Surveyors 

February 12:

Articles began appearing in newspapers stating that some fishermen considered the prices suggested by fishing boat–owners to be too high. There were inquiries from the Fisheries Institute of BC about which course of action to take when a price could not be agreed upon. At the same time, there was the need to supervise the repair of the damaged boats, to estimate fair repair prices, and to estimate boat values. In order to mediate between boat-owners and purchase applicants, the committee decided to hire two official boat appraisers and requested one civilian with knowledge of fishing boats.

  1. Captain Fred Clarke, surveyor, Marine Underwriters of San Francisco
  2. Captain John Gould, marine surveyor (Note: His specialization was steel steamships, and he did not seem to be actively involved.)
  3. A. Pilkey, the representative from Atlas Marine Engine Co. Ltd. (Note: Mr. Pilkey had a very good knowledge of fishing boats because he was a consultant on fishing boat engines and other equipment.)

The Navy appointed Lieutenant O.W. Phillipson, a marine engineer, to be their surveyor.

February 16:

The deputy minister of fisheries, Dr. D.B. Finn, came to Vancouver and met with Mr. Johnson and Mr. Kimura, the committee members. We explained the decisions we had made and clarified the reasons behind them. Also, we pointed out that once rearrangement of the impoundment area was completed, the sale of fishing boats would be more active.

On the same day, in the conference room of the Canadian Manufacturing Association, we met with several representatives from the Fisheries Institute of BC, the deputy minister of fisheries, Dr. Finn, Mr. Motherwell, and all the committee members, including the deputy director, and explained matters similar to how we had explained them to Dr. Finn. There were fishing boats belonging to canneries, but they had been impounded because they were operated by Nikkei fishermen. The canneries wanted to ready these boats for fishing as soon as possible and asked the committee for help. We promised to negotiate on their behalf with the Navy and to take measures to release them from impoundment once the companies came up with legal papers to prove ownership. Everyone was satisfied, and the meeting was dismissed.

February 18:

The Army proposed to purchase a fishing boat suitable for use as a ferry between Halifax and Sydney. We suggested they choose from among the fishing boats under the control of the Custodian of Enemy Property.

The Custodian asked our opinion about a proposal to convert large fishing boats that were under their custody to fireboats. We declined this proposition because a fishing company had already shown interest in those boats. We informed the Custodian of our intention to give priority to the fishing industry.

February 21:

The Custodian of Enemy Property placed an advertisement of tender in the newspaper to open bids on fishing boats, with bidding to close on the 9th of March. We have asked the Custodian to cooperate with us on the liquidation of fishing boats, even though they are enemy property. They attached a condition on tender, limiting it to bona fide fishermen or fishing companies.

(Note: Among the 40 boats advertised, those belonging to the Nanaimo boat manufacturer, Matsuyama Shokai, were the largest in number. Besides the boats owned by absent owners, such as Mr. Masataro Mukai, Mr. Kototaro Oota, Mr. Numasaburo Yoshiaki, Mr. Kazuichi Shirai, and Mr. Genichi Kodama, there were six boats that seemed to belong to interned people.)


The Advisory Committee Regarding Requisitioned Vessels 

February 23:

The military began using fishing boats it had requisitioned from Hakujin and Nikkei fishermen. The government set up an advisory committee to determine rental or purchase prices and nominated the following people to receive reports and advise:

Committee chairman: Mr. Justice Sidney S. Smith of the Admiralty Court

Committee members: Captain Samuel Robinson and Mr. G.E. Housser, KC

The first trial of the Advisory Committee was held at the provincial court. By a special arrangement with Justice Smith, since it was relevant to our committee, I had a chance to observe the trial, which was a very interesting experience. (Note: At the third trial, I bore witness on behalf of a boat-owner.)

February 26:

As the rearrangement of the impoundment area was making progress, the number of inspection permits increased. This week it amounted to 92 permits, with 165 people inspecting the boats. If this trend was to continue, our committee’s surveyor would not be able to use the Navy’s boats at all. So we asked Mr. Pilkey to select three or four boats from the impounded ones, conduct a survey of the boats, and prepare a detailed list of their equipment in order to make them ready for use, if necessary.

Mr. Morehouse, the local manager of BC Packers, showed his interest in a few boats impounded in Namu. We told him that if he contacted the committee with the names of the boats of interest and his offer, the Liaison Committee members would negotiate with the owners and, under certain circumstances, act on behalf of the owners.

March 5:

There was a report from the Navy that they had lifted 162 sunken boats and sent most of them to shipyards for repair. They also planned to gradually send the rest of them for repair. They had completed the rearrangement of the boats and would start an hourly regular ferry service, with guides, capable of handling an average of 80 people a day.


The Announcement of the Removal of All Nikkei People 

The BC Security Commission announced that by Order-in-Council PC 1665 promulgated yesterday, on the fourth of the month, all people holding Japanese nationality would be removed as soon as possible from coastal areas designated as defence regions.

The Security Commission consisted of the following members:

Chairman: Mr. Austin C. Taylor

Commissioner: F.J. Mead, RCMP

Assistant Commissioner: John Shirras, BC Provincial Police

Also, the following 18 people were appointed as advisors to the Security Commission.

Hon. R.L. Maitland: former attorney general (Vancouver)

Hon. George S. Pearson: BC minister of labour and director of fishing (Vancouver)

Mr. Halbert E. Winch: MLA (Vancouver)

Captain M.C. Robinson: retired Navy captain (Vancouver)

Major Hamish Hamilton: retired Army major (Vancouver)

Dr. Lyall Hodgins (Vancouver)

General J.A. Clark: retired Army general (Vancouver)

Mr. M. Lyall Fraser (Vancouver)

Mr. Wendell D. Farris: KC (Vancouver)

Mr. A.N. Darlington (Vancouver)

Captain T.M. Harnett: Vancouver police commissioner, retired Army captain (Vancouver)

General Alexander: retired Army general (Vancouver)

Commodore Stevenson: retired Navy major general (Victoria)

Commodore W.J.R. Beach: Navy major general, commander of the Military District of Victoria

Mr. R.H.D. Kerr (Victoria)

Mr. W.M. Mott: New Westminster alderman

Mr. J. McKinnon (Mission)

Mr. R.G. Rutherford (Kelowna)

-------------

It happened that not only naturalized Nikkei people but Nisei who were born in Canada also were forced to move as soon as preparations were completed. Through the RCMP, I made an arrangement to postpone the removal of Liaison Committee members until the liquidation of fishing boats was almost complete.

For the four days between March 2 (Monday) and today, the committee issued 122 survey permits, and 258 people have been surveyed.

March 10:

The Custodian published a notification for Nikkei people, as a protective measure, to report all property to them except that which they could carry with them when they were relocated (except fishing boats, savings, stocks, bonds, and security certificates). Because of this, I assumed that the time for removal of all Nikkei people would be imminent, so:

  1. I requested Liaison Committee members to obtain letters of attorney from as many boat-owners as possible so they could act on their behalf.
  2. Young men tended to be moved first, leaving family members behind. There was a case where a negotiation had concluded after the owner’s removal. I requested Liaison Committee members from now on to advise owners to appoint someone to whom payment would be made, for example, a wife, father, or mother. Also, owners should submit request letters for payment, following a certain format.

Committee Decision Regarding Difficult Contracts. 

A Canadian fishing company was negotiating with a Nikkei salt-cod company about the sale of five seiners, but they were unable to reach an agreement. They eventually requested the committee to make a settlement. For the committee, this was their first settlement proposal, and the deal was finally concluded as a result of going through the process stated below. (Note: The price is the total price of the five vessels.)

The catalogue price put forward by the owner of the vessels was $45,550. The corrected owner’s price was $38,600.

The final price suggested by the applicant for purchase was $34,500.

Evaluation by the surveyor, Mr. Clarke, $33,450.

Evaluation by the surveyor, Mr. Pilkey, $35,126.

The price settled on was $35,065.

(Note: Looking back on the negotiation process, it could be summed up that it was caused by the opposing positions of seller and buyer, with a classic high price followed by a low offer. The fact was, the owners were considering the operation value of the boats and generally came up with numbers based on insured value, which was replacement value, a half of the building cost plus the actual value. On the other side, the purchasers naturally considered the actual value to be the building cost minus depreciation, which was subtracted by some percentage every year. If we apply a compounded depreciation rate of 7.5 per cent [in the case of an income tax return, the official depreciation rate allowed for wooden boats was within 15 per cent], at the end of the first year the price of the boat would be 92.50 per cent of the building cost. If we take another 7.5 per cent from this number, at the end of the second year the price of the boat would be 85.60 per cent. If we follow this formula every year, by the end of nine years it would be about 50 per cent of value and by the end of 18 years the price would be 25 per cent and about 12  per cent at the end of 27 years. [If the owner repairs the boat, the cost would be added to the total cost and the depreciation would be subtracted from there.] The life of a fishing boat varies depending on the way it is being operated or maintained, but let us suppose it is 27 years for the sake of debate, and then let’s recap the above. In the first nine years, the owner recovers half of the building costs, but in the next nine years, only 25 per cent will be recovered, and in the next nine years, a mere 12.5 per cent will be recouped. Furthermore, for these later years, the owner has to anticipate a substantial amount for repairs.)

The owner of the boat and the purchaser had to compromise in each case to make a deal, but it seems that in general the newer boats fetched higher prices, while the older boats brought lower than the surveyed price.

March 14:

The Navy had already requisitioned and utilized several large fishing boats belonging to Hakujin and Nikkei fisherman. This time, the Air Force and an office of the Army requested the requisition of eight small packers or trolling boats. They had special requirements about the structure of the boats, the speed and make of the engines. We requested that Mr. Pilkey carefully select and survey ten boats to begin with.

Furthermore, the British Admiralty Technical Mission (BATM) in Ottawa proposed to requisition about 20 middle-sized diesel engine packers with lower cabins and low draft and less than 10 feet width. We also asked Mr. Pilkey to select and survey these.

March 16:

Mr. Pilkey reported that he had already selected the boats requested on the 14th , had separated them from the others, and would start the survey.

March 19:

A newspaper article stated that Mr. Reid, the elected representative from New Westminster, was going to question the minister of fisheries about the discrepancy between the catalogue price and the actual agreed upon prices of impounded Nikkei fishing boats. So we included the following chart in our weekly report to the minister.

  1. The boats we have sold up until today were as follows:

Seiners            26 boats                       $196,061

Trollers            10 boats                       $  20,775

Gill-netters      76 boats                       $  53,322

Packers            31 boats                       $  81,689

Others               5 boats                       $    9,235

Total              148 boats                       $362,082

  1. The actual sale price of the small fishing boats was 25.8 per cent lower than the listed catalogue price.

March 23:

Surveying of the fishing boats was increasingly busy, and Mr. Gould was busy with his own survey of steamboats, so we hired Mr. W.F. Spring, a marine surveyor, as an additional surveyor.

March 30:

We placed a newspaper advertisement on February 10 concerning the liquidation of fishing boats but at the time, the Navy had a complex method of showing the boats. They looked for specific boats and towed them, one by one, to the New Westminster docks to be surveyed. If the buyer wanted to see other boats, he had to check the committee’s catalogue again, talk to the Liaison Committee, obtain a permit again, and come back to New Westminster to survey the actual boat. It was not only time-consuming but also expensive for the buyer. We heard rumours criticizing the committee and the Navy for the complex and repetitious bureaucratic process preventing sales. It was true that the process was complex, but in the beginning, the Navy took an especially responsible and careful attitude, worrying about theft or damage to the boats. Now that the impoundment area had been rearranged and organized more efficiently, we placed another advertisement. In the ad, we made it clear that we could arrange a reasonable way of reaching a settlement in case the buyer could not reach an agreement with the owner.

April 2:

We surveyed 20 middle-sized special boats the BATM had applied to purchase on March 14 and found that 15 of them required fine-tuned adjustments of their engines. We sent them to the corresponding engine manufacturers or factories.


The Peak of the Fishing-Boat Sale 

April 30:

The number of boats disposed of, up until and including today, is as follows:

  1. Sold                                     540 boats
  2. Requisitioned                           59 boats
  3. Released to registered owners 144 boats
  4. Total                                                 743 boats

By use

Seiners                                                                                                       49 boats

Trollers                                                                                           39 boats

Gill-netters                                                                        497 boats

Packers                                                                                          107 boats

Cod fishing & others                                                            51 boats

Total                                                                                                          743 boats

May 1:

The Navy informed us that they want to remove the guard duty on the marine impoundment area at month’s end. The sale of the small boats is inactive, and there is some criticism concerning the committee’s sale methods. They say that the committee’s full cash payment method is inconsiderate toward small, individual fishermen with limited funds. Many canneries are providing an interest-free instalment plan.

For canneries, fishing is a vital resource, and they were providing generous deals only to experienced and proven fishermen based on many years’ records. Our committee cannot do the same. Also, because of the above discussed reasons, there was little scope to make deals by changing the method of payment. However, to counter the criticism, and thinking there might be a limited number of deals possible, we came up with the following method and advertised it.

  1. One third of the sale price shall be paid in cash.
  2. The remaining two-thirds will be mortgaged at an annual interest rate of 7 per cent.
  3. Insurance must be obtained to secure the total loss to the former owner.
  4. The Montreal Trust Company shall represent the person who sets the mortgage (a former owner) and, at 5 per cent commission, demand payment. The commission fee shall be covered by the former owner.

We also advertised a minimum “suggested negotiation price,” which was displayed on all the remaining fishing boats in the catalogue. We made it known that our committee was capable of making deals on purchase offers if they were above these prices.

(Note: There was not a single case of a deal through the instalment method. After all, this was just to counter criticism. However, through the suggested price method, about 153 boats were quickly sold without the owner’s consent. From among them, 136 boat-owners consented after the deal was done and received payment. The other 16 cases, including the issue of payment, were entrusted to the Custodian’s department.)

The sale total was $72,031, and the estimated price total was $60,000. That is to say, we sold the boats for 20 per cent more than the surveyor’s estimate.)

May 14:

Regarding the BATM requisition order of 20 boats, three were already outfitted and on their way to Halifax by train, and another four were ready for shipping. The committee is pressuring the rest of them for early completion. All these boats are heading to England by ship to engage in minesweeping activities at sea.

May 15:

Within a week, we sold 75 fishing boats, which saturated the demand from the fishing industry. Therefore, the committee sent a telegram to the minister of fisheries asking whether we should stay on course by concentrating on the fishing industry or if we should begin to open up the boats to more general demand.

May 16:

The minister of fisheries responded by telegram saying that he wished us to come up with the best way to dispose of the remaining fishing boats as soon as possible. He wanted to decide the liquidation strategy after careful deliberation based on a more detailed report and advice from the committee.


Releasing the Boats to General Demand 

May 18:

We explained to the minister that by opening up the remaining boats to general demand, we can possibly stimulate business in the fishing industry where the demand seemed to be slowing down. The minister approved our strategy.

May 25:

We advertised the fishing boats to be released for general use.

(Note: Because gasoline rationing was in effect, this strategy did not accomplish much, and only a few boats were sold for logging tenders, but it somewhat stimulated demand in the fishing industry.)

May 28:

It is impossible to complete a reasonable sale of all remaining small fishing boats by the end of the month. To resort to a bargain sale would not only be unfair to the boat-owners but also to recent boat purchasers. We drafted the following policy for quick instatement before the Navy removed its guard duty.

  1. Allocate a number of small fishing boats to canneries, according to the proportion of their past purchases, and entrust them with certain conditions of guarantee.
  2. The entrusted companies will be responsible for boat maintenance and must register $50 a year, per boat, on the owner’s debt account.
  3. Entrusted companies are allowed to use the boats as much as necessary during fishing season based on a daily charter basis and must register the fee on the credit account of the owners.
  4. This debt and credit account shall be settled when the boats are returned to the owners after the war.
  5. During the entrusted period, the entrusted companies have the option to purchase, but the sale shall be based on the estimated price of the boats.

Fishing Boats Disposed of in this Manner:

Small seiners                                                            5 boats

Small packers                                                        25 boats

Trollers                                                                   67 boats

Gill-netters                                          173 boats

Cod-fishing and others boats   30 boats

Total                                                                           300 boats

We shall allot these boats to the cannery companies according to the proportion of their purchases and consult with them over details of the plan.

May 29:

By the order of the Navy, suddenly Mr. Johnson has to go east tomorrow for his new assignment. It was arranged that he still keep his position in the committee and shall be consulted about important matters.

(Note: I considered a send-off party for him but changed my mind and instead organized a thank-you party in Yoshino restaurant for all the committee members, the deputy director, Nikkei Liaison Committee members, and office staff. We had been tense with logistical discussions in the office for days, but we were all relaxed there and had pleasant chats.)

June 14:

Because the Navy wanted to remove their guard duty from the impoundment area as soon as possible, we changed our drafted plan of using lots of canneries and focused on companies with facilities. We decided the following:

  1. To allocate about 300 small fishing boats to each cannery, according to the ratio of purchased boats, and request the cannery to store the boats at $50 annually per boat.
  2. The cannery shall make an arrangement to ensure that the sale of the boats be resumed when the committee or some other organization is brought into being in the future.

We asked the canneries for their cooperation with this policy.

June 18:

A letter, dated on the 15th, from Mr. Finn, the deputy minister, told us to come up with alternative guarding plans for the remaining fishing boats or, if impossible, to dispose of them all before June 30 when the Navy removes its guard.

June 19:

We shipped five boats on a requisition order from the BATM.

June 25:

The inquiry dated the 15th came from Mr. Mitsujiro Noguchi, the director of the Fishermen’s Association in the first district, regarding “Fishing boats sold without owner’s consent” (the so-called forced sales).

I asked the deputy director to explain at length and to their satisfaction the background and circumstances, as well as the results of the sales, etc.

June 26:

The canneries were not interested in the plan, drafted on May 28, of entrusting the fishing boats to them. They showed interest in the storage plan, drafted on June 14, and discussed a method of storing the boats collectively. In the end, they decided against it, it being difficult to share the responsibility. However, they said they would help us by stimulating boat purchases.

We must decide quickly how to safely store the remaining fishing boats after the Navy removes their guards.

  1. Ask a minimum number of marines to stay
  2. Place under the Custodian’s supervision
  3. RCMP’s supervision
  4. Ministry of Fisheries’ supervision
  5. Place under private company’s control

To investigate these possibilities, we started meeting with Mr. Motherwell, the chief supervisor of fisheries, Col. C.H. Hill, the divisional commander of the RCMP, and Mr. McPherson.

July 2:

Colonel Hill issued a command from Ottawa to transfer guard duty of the marine impoundment area into the hands of the RCMP. All other duties, including maintenance, shall be under the control of the Ministry of Fisheries. We felt that divided responsibility tends to give rise to inconvenience and conflict and requested a wait until our committee could come up with an alternative plan.

After several meetings with Mr. Motherwell, Col. Hill, and Mr. McPherson, the committee pointed out to the minister of fisheries that apart from protecting the fishing boats from water damage, fire damage, burglary and maintaining the boats, there were other manual and administrative tasks required. These were: surveying; checking boat equipment; removing claims against the Navy; making sale-related documents at sale completion; and the actual handing over of boats. Since the Custodian is an established office within the Department of the Secretary of State and already holds several fishing boats under its control, as well as all the property owned by Nikkei people, it is proper to move the remaining fishing boats under its control. Also, we recommended the temporary transfer of our committee staff, experienced as they are with matters pertaining to fishing boats, to the Custodian’s office for the sake of administrative continuity. This would also save the trouble of hiring new staff. We recommended this proposition in a detailed report at a meeting with Mr. McPherson.

We also made it clear that we will collaborate as much as possible with the RCMP and the Ministry of Fisheries as long as the command of Col. Hill stands.

An Army section applied to requisition eight small fishing boats on March 14, and we have been preparing them. Today, July 2, they officially requisitioned 10 boats.

July 8:

We proposed to transfer the task of the protection and management of the remaining 217 fishing boats in the New Westminster marine impoundment area to various governmental departments, but they all had a mountain of work in front of them, and none of them could take over the task. Our committee looked into the possibility of continuing to handle them ourselves.

We estimated that we needed about $3,000 a month for the salaries of guards who would replace the present Navy guards and for various expenses in the impoundment area. However, if present sale trends continue for two weeks, the number of boats will decrease to the point where we can store them on land. Then we might be able to proceed with a budget of just $1,000 a month. We communicated this idea to the deputy minister of fisheries.

We also decided, withdrawing our past allocation plan, to ask the three largest canneries to reconsider and take any number of fishing boats on either an entrusting or a storage basis. In case this plan does not work, we are also looking for a company with storage facility on land and will check the possibility of just storing the boats there.

The removal of Nikkei people gathered momentum, and contact with boat-owners became more difficult and slow. On the other hand, we faced increasing pressure from the Navy, who wanted to remove their guards from the impoundment area. Under these circumstances, the number of boats sold without owner consent amounted to 154 boats (see page 14, lines 9-15). To normalize these sales, we decided to send letters to the owners explaining the situation and asking them to sign the sale contracts as soon as possible. We also promised the immediate settlement of the account upon completion of the sale.

The remaining five boats requisitioned by the BATM are ready to be shipped.

July 9:

The Custodian moved 20 boats under their control from New Westminster to the North Arm of Bedwell Bay in Burrard Inlet.

July16:

Negotiations with the canneries concerning the entrusting or storing of fishing boats is going well. Therefore, while the companies are selecting boats to avoid confusion, we temporarily stopped issuing survey permits as well as conducting boat sales.

July 18:

The acting deputy minister of fisheries, Mr. A.J. Whitmore, sent a telegram informing us that they have decided to transfer the remaining boats, as well as the remaining committee duties, to the Custodian at the end of the month. Therefore, when a negotiation with canneries about entrusting or storing the boats reaches an agreement, the effective date of the contract shall be after August 1. This is to give the Custodian responsibility for the official contract, with consideration for possible future boat sales.

July 24:

The BATM purchased the first requisitioned boat for its estimated price at the time of requisition. We received a report that the Navy as well as the Air Force decided to purchase the requisitioned boats at the original survey price. The other requisitioned boats were all remodelled, so it is assumed that all of them will be purchased.


The Transfer of Remaining Boats 

July 25:

The deputy minister of fisheries wrote to us that by the Order-in-Council PC 6247, issued on July 20, all the remaining boats will be transferred to the protection and control of the Custodian. The deputy minister heard that the Custodian was aware of negotiations the committee was now engaged in with the canneries. He also asks the committee to complete its remaining work as soon as possible to save costs. However, he expected the committee to come up with a comprehensive report listing various procedures, actions taken, and their results. At the same time, the minister of fisheries sent us a thank-you letter.

July 31:

The transfer of the control of Nikkei fishing boats to the Office of the Custodian progressed smoothly. The surveyors from the Navy and the Custodian were assessing the condition of the remaining boats together. The Custodian will use the same impoundment area until they find another location. The remaining five boats requisitioned to the BATM were shipped. This makes 20 vessels in total that have been sent to them.


The Expense of Moving the Fishing Boats  

Immediately after the Naval Order to Impound Nikkei Fishing Boats was announced, many owners delivered their boats to Steveston from various places in BC and made their way home. We were aware of the issue of compensation for costs incurred delivering the boats, but Order-in-Council PC 288 did not authorize the committee to handle this issue. However, we considered that if we submitted the issue to the Navy, unofficially, though an immediate solution may be unlikely, there might be a way to solve the issue from a different perspective once the Custodian took over the committee’s remaining tasks. So we estimated the minimum cost of boat delivery and a trip home and prepared the following chart.

  1. From Skeena River to Prince Rupert $5 each—48 cases
  2. From Prince Rupert to Steveston                         $50.25 each—48 cases
  3. From Ucluelet or Bamfield to Steveston $12.15 each—64 cases
  4. From Tofino or Clayoquot to Steveston $21.75 each—28 cases
  5. From Victoria to Steveston                         $9.70 each—6 cases
  6. From the Deep Bay area to Steveston $14.45 each—8 cases
  7. From the Nanaimo area and Galiano Island

to Steveston                                                                                         $10.35 each—35 cases

  1. From Chemainus to Steveston                                   $10.35 each—5 cases
  2. From Kosiaski Cove to Steveston             fee unclear—8 cases

(Note: Due to the removal of the Nikkei owners, we did not have chance to talk with many of them. However, we put together this request, thinking that even a small number of claims will prove that the owners accepted the order or request from the Navy.)

Regarding entrusting or storage of the boats, collaboration with the canneries was disappointing, and only Nelson Brothers Fishery Company agreed to keep 52 boats. Therefore, there were 97 boats remaining in New Westminster.

August 3:

The committee reported on August 1 to the Ministry of Fisheries concerning travel expense compensation for Nikkei boat-owners. Today we requested Commodore W.J.R. Beech, the Pacific Coast commanding officer in Esquimalt, to advise the related parties on compensation.

August 5:

Protection and management of the remaining fishing boats in New Westminster and Prince Rupert (Tuck’s Inlet) was finally transferred from the Navy to the Custodian.

August 10:

There was a communication from the deputy minister of fisheries, Mr. Whitmore: “Regarding compensation for expenses incurred by Nikkei owners navigating their boats, stated in your letter of August 1st, because this matter is totally different from compensation for the damage of fishing boats during impoundment, it is considered to be outside the business of the Committee (namely, an excess of authority). I have not received a report from the Commodore of the Pacific Coast Naval Office, so I cannot give a decisive opinion, but apparently, it seems that it is part of expenses caused by the enforcement of the Vessel Impoundment Law. Accordingly, in case this view is correct, I would pass on the Committee’s intention to the Navy.”

From Commodore Beech, there was a response issued on the eighth, whose contents are stated below:

“When the fishing boats owned by Nikkei people were locked in the marine impoundment area, there was of course, no Order for the Removal of Nikkei people, so the owners of boats went home. Thus the reasonable expenses stated in your proposal are naturally meant to be paid to the boat owners. According to the Order issued on December 10th, 1941 (attached), from the commanding office regarding this matter, I think it is reasonable to consider that the RCMP is responsible for the compensation of the incurred expenses.”

Attached: An overview of the order:

0038 z/10 the matter of protection of fishing vessels owned by Nikkei people:

  1. As soon as all vessels are gathered at the designated gathering point, the engine of each small fishing vessel should be locked, and the captains should board the few large fishing vessels able to tow 5–10 of these vessels, and tow them to Steveston under the protection of the F/R ship.
  2. Have all Nikkei people disembarked at Steveston, and have them stay at Nikkei homes there. If necessary, build temporary housing. This area is already under the protection of a unit dispatched near the area. All fishing vessels must be impounded in appropriate flat, shallow water about 10 miles upstream, and be protected by guards sent from headquarters.
  3. The most appropriate twenty boats from among these vessels will be requisitioned and chartered. Charter fee at market price should eventually be paid to the owners. If these twenty vessels are utilized, it will be enough for patrolling.
  4. In the case of these vessels being owned by Japanese nationals, the boats would be the spoils of war.
  5. The Navy’s responsibility toward Nikkei crews will be finished upon their landing in Steveston, and they will be under the control of the RCMP, according to an arrangement. The crews cannot land until preparation by the RCMP is complete.

(Note: An article similar to the overview above was printed in newspapers at the time. One newspaper praised the well-planned government preparations for the mass landing of Nikkei people. Another newspaper report emphasized the protection of Nikkei people. Even reports that “Japanese crews will be locked in, at temporary housing,” appeared in some papers. These reports had the effect of calming down citizens’ minds, preventing misplaced war hysteria. Also, considering the result, careful efforts by the government could be inferred.)

(Note: Following a similar method, stated in the first section of the Navy order, boats were towed from Prince Rupert. This was limited to boats fit for navigating the Skeena River during winter. Moreover, when these boats reached the Queen Charlotte Islands (situated north of Vancouver Island), the waves were very high, and it was difficult to tow. The boats would be damaged if they were towed, so the majority of boats navigated southward independently, from various places, to Steveston.

With a copy of communication from the Navy, as well as the above order, the committee requested Commodore Hill of the RCMP to consider this matter. He responded that he felt the order merely indicated who was responsible for the protection of the Nikkei crews. We concluded that there seemed to be no other way than transferring this matter to the Office of the Custodian and having them make a proper arrangement.

The BATM informed us of their decision to pay the evaluation price for the 19 remaining requisitioned boats.

August 12:

There was an application from the Air Force requesting to purchase all six requisitioned boats, according to their evaluation by Lloyd’s of London. It was approved by the committee.

August 13:

The Navy also decided to purchase 27 requisitioned boats. They requested the committee to obtain permission from the owners, using Lloyd’s of London’s evaluation price, as the Air Force had done.

Mr. Pilkey resigned at the end of May, but the committee removed other surveyors from their position today. We are also going to gradually decrease the number of administrative clerks.

August 24:

During negotiations over the purchase of boats requisitioned by the Navy, a Nikkei owner of three requisitioned boats demanded a charter fee be paid for a period beyond the setting of the sale price. The Navy insisted that it was not going to pay a charter fee at all because it was going to purchase boats based on the price evaluated by Lloyd’s of London. The Navy said that the owner had agreed to this at the meeting of inquiry held by the Advisory Committee at the time of requisition. By the way, the matter of requisitioned boats involves not just Nikkei owners but Hakujin boat-owners as well, so the Navy gives uniform terms on purchases, and if an owner refuses to accept these terms, the Navy will continue to argue until a judgment by the Court of the Exchequer in England. Therefore, considering the cost and time involved with a lawsuit, the Nikkei owner decided to take the amount offered.

August 30:

A month has already passed since the impoundment area was transferred to the Office of the Custodian.

Because the majority of Nikkei boat-owners have been relocated to various places, all negotiations for the purchase of requisitioned boats have had to be done by mail. Things are very slow and do not progress smoothly.

The Custodian wants to take over after the committee is near completion of its administrative tasks, so we are trying to arrange the purchase of the requisitioned boats mentioned above, but even if business negotiations are agreed upon, they are different from private sales, and we must:

  1. Complete the procedure for transferring vessel registry
  2. Send the new vessel registry and the bill to the government
  3. Receive payment and settle the account with the owner
  4. Receive a receipt from the owner and submit the receipt to the government

Thus, the task requires many complicated procedures and time-consuming negotiations. Accordingly, the matters the committee has to communicate to government and the owners increase. So, the committee is very busy with various complicated office procedures.

Also, regarding the matter of compensation by the Navy, besides expenses for damage repairs, cases include such details as spark plugs, engine parts, nets, anchors, compasses, and other ship parts. These amount to 700 cases in total, and we must create separate paperwork for each boat. After getting approval from the Navy, we get paid through a war expenditure account via the Ministry of Fisheries. We settle cases individually, prepare receipts, and send these to the government. Despite all of this, the committee has cut the number of staff, so the completion of the committee’s administrative tasks remains far in the future.

September 10:

Twenty boats were requisitioned by the BATM (These boats have been sent to Britain), and 43 boats were requisitioned altogether by the Canadian Army, Navy, and Air Force, making the requisitioned boats 63 in total, all being negotiated for purchase. (However, the committee has not received an official request regarding the 10 vessels requisitioned by the Army, but the committee did receive an unofficial request.)

For approximately half the boats mentioned above, the committee had owner approval and is completing the documents of sale.

September 17:

Negotiations regarding the BATM’s offer to purchase progressed. The committee obtained 17 owner approvals and completed the documents of sale. The sales contracts for a remaining three boats are also going to be agreed upon soon.

September 24:

The committee obtained signatures from boat-owners on 28 Navy and Air Force sale contracts. Negotiations for two boats requested by the BATM were settled; consequently, there is just one unsettled case.

October 1:

The Army officially requested to purchase 10 requisitioned boats.

October 6:

The Custodian reported to the committee that due to the late-comer salmon gathered in mass in the Fraser River, they have sold 43 boats from the 1st of August up until today. The Custodian sent six additional boats for safekeeping, under special conditions, to the Nelson Brothers Fishery Company.

October 8:

It was decided that Mr. S.V. Roberts, supervising treasury officer, would start inspection of the committee accounts as its appointed chief.

October 15:

The committee had one administrative clerk handling procedures for damaged fishing vessels transferred to the office of the Custodian. Negotiations regarding the Army, Navy, and Air Force moved forward, and the committee received approval from about 80 per cent of boat-owners.


Transferring the Committee’s Remaining Tasks to the Custodian  

October 31:

Inspection of the account began on the 22nd, and it was decided that all committee tasks would be transferred to the Custodian after its completion.

The sale of requisitioned boats is progressing smoothly, with completion in sight. Among 152 small boats sold without the owner’s permission, the so-called forced, 16 of those cases remain unsettled. The committee will transfer several procedures to the Custodian: boat registry, claims against the Navy if necessary, and money from sales, amounting to $8,000. On reflection, things were thought to be much simplified if the committee were to complete the transferral of boat registries, then transfer sale amounts to the Custodian. The Custodian preferred this option, and with its authority signed the document transferring boat registries on behalf of the owners.

The removal of all Nikkei people from the coast is nearing completion, and it was decided that, after today, any Nikkei people remaining in the Coastal Defence Region without permission from the RCMP will be detained.

Although there was an offer from the RCMP to issue a permit for me to stay, I declined their offer. I could not have my wife, and especially my young children, reside in a Vancouver where they could not even go to school. It would also be very sad for the family to leave Vancouver by themselves, so for the time being, we have all moved to Christina Lake (PO Box Cascade), joining those who have come before us.

I visited Vancouver on November 17 and helped to organize the remaining tasks. Negotiations on boats with ties to the military were settled, and a comprehensive report to the minister of fisheries was completed.

Various records were organized, and necessary records on individual boats were reorganized after the inspection of accounts, and all of them were made ready for transferral to the Custodian.

On December 23, I finally said my good-byes and returned home to Christina Lake.

Following are the main statistics:


The Fishing Boats Dealt with by the Committee 

  1. Boats sold                                                             Number of vessels                                 Sales amount

Seiners                                                                                                  67                                                                  $455,256

Packers                                                                                                121                                                        $393,948.60

Trollers                                                                                                  69                                                                  $109,590

Gill-netters                                                                                          632                                            $397,838.99

Cod-fishing, trawlers,and other boats   61                                              $49,422.30

Small pleasure boats, fishing boats, barges                                                                                $326

Fishing tools, boats parts, scows for camping                                                   $16,800

Total                                                                                                                950                                          $1,423,181.89

  1. Boats released to the registered owners

Seiners                                                                                                                         1

Packers                                                                                                                        9

Trollers                                                                                                                        5

Gill-netters                                                                                             145

Cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and other boats   40

Total number of released boats                                        200

  1. Boats transferred to the Custodian Number of vessels

Packers                                                                                                                        18

Trollers                                                                                                                       46

Gill-netters                                                                                                      82

Cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and other boats   41

Total number of transferred boats                                   187

(The above total includes 52 boats kept by the Nelson Brothers Fishery Company)

  1. The breakdown of sold, released, and transferred boats

Seiners                                                                                                                          68

Packers                                                                                                                        148

Trollers                                                                                                                        120

Gill-netters                                                                                                      859

Cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and other boats   142

Total                                                                                                                   1,337

(Note: Boats of absent and interned owners, under the custody of the Custodian, were also required to receive approval from the committee. Therefore, the above total number includes these boats. The true number of boats owned by Nikkei people in the registry was 1,137 boats, that being the difference after subtracting the 200 boats released to the registered owners from the total number. We assumed that a substantial number of released boats had sale contracts with Nikkei people yet had only made partial payment. Therefore, ownership had not yet been transferred. Approximately 130 applications for release of boats were in place by April 1 (10 among them with applications filed on that day), but the applications of the other 70 boats were delayed until September 24 (which is the end of the fishing season). The applications dribbled in as little as one to three boats every week, so we cannot say for sure, but we assumed that the slowness was because they had to apply for release when they had settled accounts with Nikkei buyers. If our assumption was correct, we can say that at least 70 fishing boats were semi-owned by Nikkei people.


The Breakdown of the Buyers 

  1. Canneries, fishery companies Number of vessels                  Amount

Seiners                                                                                                                                    42                                                        $236,896

Packers                                                                                                                                    74                                                        $163,134

Trollers                                                                                                                                    18                                                          $27,750

Gill-netters                                                                                                          507                                      $323,036.99

Cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and other boats   19                                   $14,146.30

Total                                                                                                                                660                                      $764,963.29

  1. Individual fishermen and the general public

Seiners                                                                                                                                    11                                                          $64,900

Packers                                                                                                                                    20                                               $50,789.60

Trollers                                                                                                                                    39                                                          $47,550

Gill-netters                                                                                                          118                                                    $64,552

Cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and other boats   39                                              $28,776

Total                                                                                                                                227                                       $356,567.60

  1. The BATM (see page 12, lines 11–14)

Packers                                                                                                                                    16                                                          $58,345

Trollers                                                                                                                                      3                                                            $8,420

Cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and other boats     1                                                            $3,650

Total                                                                                                                                        20                                                          $70,315

  1. Canadian Navy

Seiners                                                                                                                                    14                                                        $153,460

Packers                                                                                                                                      8                                                        $102,580

Trollers                                                                                                                                      2                                                            $6,600

Gill-netters                                                                                                                    2                                                            $3,250

Cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and other boats     1                                                $1,800

Total                                                                                                                                                    27                                                        $267,690

  1. Canadian Air Force

Packers                                                                                                                                      3                                                          $19,200

Trollers                                                                                                                                      3                                                          $10,800

Total                                                                                                                                          6                                                          $30,000

  1. Canadian Army

Trollers                                                                                                                                      4                                                            $8,470

Gill-netters                                                                                                                    5                                                            $7,000

Cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and other boats     1                                                $1,050

Total                                                                                                                                        10                                                          $16,520

  1. Canneries, fishery companies

Fishing tools, boat parts, and scows for camping, etc.                                                  $16,800

  1. Individual fishermen and the general public

Small pleasure boats, fishing boats, lighters (barges)                                                   $326

Grand Total                                                                                                                     950                              $1,423,181.89

(Note: We assumed that the majority of small fishing boats sold to canneries and fishery companies were resold to individual fishermen.

Among the items “cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and others boats” sold to individual fishermen, five “log-tender boats” are included.

Among the boats sold to the Canadian Army, Navy, and Air Force, 15 boats were presumably resold after the war as surplus war supplies by a bidding process through the War Assets Corporation. We assume that there were other boats disposed of in the same manner.)


Monthly Sales 

February 1942             46                    $124,729.85

March                              256              $401,575.39

April                                238                   $202,046

May                                 136                   $133,243

June                                 120                          $73,150

July                                         58                                $30,698

August                                    41                    $          123,269

September                     7                    $12,661.65

October                                   29                        $236,723

November                               19                                $85,095

Total                                950   $1,423,181.89

(Note: The increases in October and November were caused by the sales of requisitioned boats. The total amount includes sales of fishing tools, boats parts, and scows for camping, small pleasure boats, fishing boats, and lighters, etc.)


The Age of Vessels 

The Age of Vessels          Number of Vessels         Percentage of Total

From 1–3 years                                   210                                          18.8%

From 4–6 years                                   209                                          18.3%

From 7–9 years                                   157                                          13.8%

From 10–12 years                               236                                          20.7%

From 13–15 years                               175                                          15.3%

From 16–18 years                                 60                                            5.2%

From 19–21 years                                 44                                            3.9%

From 22–24 years                                 34                                            3.0%

25 years and older                                 16                                            1.4%

Total                                                                               1,141                                                 100%

(Note: The ages of the boats shown above are all based on the date of manufacture reported by the owners, with repairs not considered. This record is not cross-checked with the registry of boats. Also, boats with unreported ages were not included. On the other hand, the record includes a small number of boats that were considered to be owned by Nikkei people in the early stages of the impoundment order and were later released to registered owners.)


Cases of Compensation for Damages 

Number of vessels        Amounts

  1. Expense for shipyard repairs 264                              $55,191.69
  2. Total loss: compensation                                  15                              $6,833.12
  3. The same as above (unsettled)     4      (unsettled, amount unknown)
  4. General compensation 400                      $27,270.69

Total                                                                                                    683                      $89,295.50

(Note: Apart from boats damaged and sunk by drifting ice, there were many other boats damaged because, under emergency circumstances, the Navy had to impound and lock them up in a very short period of time without proper preparation. As stated above, there were as many as 264 boats in total waiting for repairs at the shipyards. Nineteen boats were considered to be a total loss, with compensation paid to the owners of 15 of them after negotiations and price evaluations. However, price agreements could not be reached for four remaining boats, and these cases were transferred, unsettled, to the Custodian. General compensation is the expense required to replace missing boat parts and fishing tools. When the remaining boats were transferred to the Custodian from the Navy, except for the four boats mentioned above, surveyors from both sides surveyed the boats and removed all naval culpability for damages.)


The General Accounts Report 

Revenue

Commission (1% of sales amount)                             $14,231.81

Collected survey fees                                                                                       $2,427

Total                                                                                                                            $16,658.81

Expenses

Wages (clerks and surveyors)                                                 $15,937.41

Office expenses

(Rent and all other office expenses).                             $5,576.79

Travel expenses and car allowance                                   $952.08

Expenses for legal matters,

advertising, management, etc.                                                   $2,447.21

Total                                                                                                                      $24,913.49

Balance due                                                                                                       $8,254.68

(Note: Although committee members, the deputy director, and Liaison Committee members are all volunteers, the account showed a loss, which was covered by the Ministry of Fisheries. This account includes large expenses for surveyors and related expenses not expected at the time the committee was established, namely:

  1. Expenses for managing damage compensation and general losses: $ 7,655.04
  2. Expenses for purchasing the BATM vessels (the amount of net loss subtracting the commission): $1,748.66

Total                            $9,403.70

Accordingly, if there was no expense for these two matters, the committee account could be covered by the 1 per cent boat sale commissions.


The Number of Cases Investigated by Surveyors 

  1. Checking for damages and estimating the cost of repairs 727 cases
  2. Estimating the value of boats                                                                                     927 cases

Total                                                                                                                                                                               1,654 cases


The Number of People Who Looked at the Boats 

Viewing permission was issued to 3,862 people between January 28 and July 15.

(Note: The committee issued blank permits, or permits without specifying the number of people looking at the boats, to canneries and fishery companies. Our assumption of two people per permit is modest, and we assume that the number of people who actually saw the boats far exceeds this number.)


Unusual and Exceptional Cases 

  1. The Case of Mr. I

Not long after we established the committee office, an old man we will call Mr. I came to call. He said, “A very kind man is willing to buy my boat, and I want the committee to approve this deal.” I checked the catalogue but could not find anything to match the boat, so I questioned him further. Mr. I replied, “In order to receive my pension [or allowance?], I registered my boat with the government as my sole property and didn’t report it to the committee. When I receive the $400 boat payment, I would like to give that money to the Compensation Board.” It happened that Mr. Pilkey came along, so I asked him what he thought about the price of the boat. He replied that it was hard to estimate the price of any boat without actually seeing it, but Mr. I was an old man and would not operate the boat in a reckless manner; consequently he thought it would be worth about $600. I told Mr. I of Mr. Pilkey’s estimate and told him not to rush into a sale. Mr. I insisted that since the boat had supported him, so to speak, he wanted to hand it over to someone kind and able to take proper care of it without fussing over the price. So I created the necessary documents and phoned the clerk in charge at the Compensation Board. The clerk said that it was all right to hand over the whole amount of the sale to the owner. But the old man said, “It is worrisome to move with such a lot of money; if I lose it, I will be destitute. If I pay the Compensation Board now, I will continue to get my pension. That is much better and safer.” So I processed it in the end as he wished.

  1. The Case of Mr. E

Mr. E had a plan to replace his boat engine during winter and put his boat in the shipyard with a new engine right beside it. As soon as the announcement of the Vessel Impoundment Law, a group of people looking like marines, with military caps on, came in and ordered him to “Tow the boat to the gathering spot as soon as possible.” While he was installing towlines and blocks, part of the engine was destroyed by someone. Because it cost money to repair and return the engine to the store, he wanted us to negotiate with the Navy to cover that cost. Of course, an engine was not a fishing boat, and it was outside our jurisdiction. But if his story was the fact, it was a terrible thing, so I pushed the Navy to do something about it. But the individual who had done it was unidentified, and there was no way of investigating.

We heard a rumour that the engine of a Nikkei fishing boat tied at the Gore Street dock had been destroyed, but the facts were unclear to us. It was right after the outbreak of war, and ignorant fanatics might have taken the announcement of boat seizures as a chance to take such actions to express their enmity. But there was no obvious evidence, so there was no way to take action.

  1. The Case of the Skeena Fishing Group’s Boat.

From Navy headquarters in the Skeena area, there was a report that the boat Mioria was damaged, foundering, and drifting on the Skeena River, so the committee immediately reported this to Mr. Kunisaburo Miwa. “The boat was not usually used during winter and was kept in dry dock, the same as in other years. I think someone forcibly towed the boat into the water,” and then he said, with his usual frankness, “Because it is wartime, such things tend to happen. It can’t be helped,” he continued.

Around this time, because of the removal order, all Nikkei people in the Skeena area had already been moved into temporary lodgings in Hastings Park. They were in a situation where there was no way to find out the facts; thus, he realized it was useless to say anything while the guilty person was unknown. The committee appreciated the Navy for its report and requested the boat be towed to a convenient river ford, if possible.

  1. The Case of Mr. A

Mr. A was a carpenter who lived in a small village about 200 miles north of Vancouver. In September of 1941, he purchased a fishing boat from a Hakujin, and on land he leisurely started repairing it, but the transfer of the boat registry was incomplete. (Thus, officially it was a boat registered under the name of the Hakujin.) After the announcement of the order to impound vessels, marines came and said the boat was to be transferred to the marine impoundment area near New Westminster. Mr. A worried about possible damages and attempted to make excuses why it couldn’t be moved, but eventually it was moved to the impoundment area, and Mr. A registered himself with the committee as the real owner of the boat and the Hakujin as the registered owner.

There was no applicant wanting to purchase the boat by the end of the boat liquidation period. When boat custody was transferred from the Navy to the Custodian, with the presence of the surveyors from both sides, it was decided that the boat had become a total loss since its impoundment. Because the committee had heard about the situation from Mr. A, the committee claimed that the boat had been further damaged by forcibly being towed to the area of impoundment. This happened despite it being already incapable of navigation at the announcement of the vessel impoundment order. The committee requested $300 as compensation for damages, but Navy surveyors showed a piece of the ship’s planking which was riddled by teredo worm damage, and this bolstered their opinion that the boat was a total loss. Other surveyors agreed with this, so there seemed to be no hope for compensation. The committee left the record of the claim for compensation, complying with Mr. A’s request.

  1. The Departure Bay Case

This concerns a seiner that belonged to the Nanaimo Shipyard. Because the stockholder of the shipyard was in Japan at the outbreak of war, it was under the control of the Custodian. The boat was very well equipped, with a very strong searchlight, so, at the beginning, the Navy requisitioned it and used it as a guard boat within the marine impoundment area. The Navy flag flew on the mast, and two guards with bayonets were always on the boat. However, one day the boat suddenly caught fire. It was quickly extinguished, but the boat suffered considerable damage and was sent to the shipyard for repair. It is unknown how much repairs cost, but, as with other requisitioned boats, this boat was purchased by the Canadian Navy according to the surveyor’s price evaluation after going through the committee’s review process.

  1. The Case of Mr. N

Soon after the establishment of the committee, Mr. N and a company manager making a purchase brought us a sales contract that was already notarized and requested transfer approval. However, this contract included, besides several fishing boats: fishing nets; boat parts; a camping scow; and various tools to go with it. The committee approved this comprehensive contract, charging 1 per cent of the sales amount as a commission. The committee suggested that Mr. N make a separate contract just for the fishing boats. However, because the contract needed to be completed immediately, Mr. N was okay with paying the extra commission. They insisted the committee approve the contract, and the committee accepted the request.

  1. The Case of Mr. T

Mr. T entered into a sales contract with a cannery in order to sell all five of his fishing boats. He submitted the contract to the committee and requested their approval. In the contract, besides an instalment plan, there was a section stating that the repair costs and remodelling that the buyer wanted would be subtracted from the payment. Of course, because all Nikkei-owned fishing boats were impounded after the fishing season, there might be some boats that required repairs, but if the buyer were to use the conditions stated above as a legal statement, the former owner would be in a very disadvantaged position. The committee pointed this out and advised Mr. T to cancel his conditions, even give a discount, or set a maximum amount for repairs. He was advised to reach an amount which deducted repair costs, making an arrangement to get the remaining sum, if there was one, after repairs. However, Mr. T entreated the committee for approval, repeating that there was no need for such concern because this was a contract with a company he had been dealing with for a long time. The committee eventually accepted the agreement. According to what was later discovered, because the packer, The B, was remodelled as a seiner at large expense, the remodelling cost exceeded the price of the vessel. Due to it being a package deal, this exceeded amount had to be deducted from the price of the other boats. (In other words, Mr. T could have gotten more money if he had given away The B for free.)

In the early spring of 1944 when I visited the city for business, Mr. T took the trouble to attend a tea gathering, and we had an opportunity to talk there. Recalling the past, he said, “Regarding that matter of the fishing boats, you helped me a lot. I learned the hard way how much the war had changed people’s minds and their sense of honour.”

  1. The Case of Mr. M

Mr. M sold his boats to Mr. K when he went back to Japan in 1941.

There were proposals to decrease the number of fishing licences given to Nikkei fishermen, and there was counter-litigation from Nikkei people, which achieved some result in 1929. After that, the government kept a policy of maintaining the number of the fishing licences given to Nikkei people. Therefore, it was understood implicitly among Nikkei people that the trading of fishing licences accompanied the sale of fishing boats. (In other words, it was useless to purchase a fishing boat if a buyer could not get a fishing licence with it.) Because of such a situation, just like paying a price for a certain brand, the value of fishing licences was naturally included in the price of boats. I am not sure if this was exactly the case with Mr. M, but buyers tended to postpone registering their boat until getting a licence. Usually, licences were applied for after January 2 at the earliest each year. When war broke out, Mr. M’s fishing boat was put under the control of the Custodian (the Department for the Liquidation of Enemy Property), since the boat belonged to an absent owner. If Mr. M returns to Canada after the war, he will get the sale amount, but I do not know if Mr. M is still alive or not.

  1. The Case of Mr. U

Mr. U’s boat was very old, built in 1921, but because the engine had been replaced in 1931, it had been evaluated by the surveyor at $316. In late April, he sold this boat to a cannery for $75 (thus, 13.07 per cent of the estimated value). The committee did not have a chance to meet Mr. U, so we did not know the details of the transaction, but probably it was not only due to the anxiety of having to relocate. Mr. U had bought the boat about a year before the outbreak of war and had given a mortgage to the cannery; thus, it seems that Mr. U stated the amount deducted from the mortgage as the sale price. Among cases similar to this one, there were 10 other cases where the sales contracts were agreed to at below 50 per cent of the estimated value.

  1. The Case of Mr. C

Mr. C owned a boat built in 1920, and he maintained it in immaculate condition. The surveyor evaluated his boat at $661 because it did not look like a 20-year-old boat. However, because of the old registry date, no one seems to have actually surveyed the boat, and the boat wasn’t sold for a long time. Around mid-July, it was eventually liquidated based on the method of forced sales, with a price evaluated by a surveyor. I felt sorry because the date of registration disadvantaged this boat.

  1. The Case of Mr. G

It was in the beginning of March that I happened to meet Mr. G. He said, “I’d like you to sell these boats as soon as possible because we have to relocate, and if we don’t have any money we’ll be in trouble.” I was surprised at Mr. G because, when I was collecting documents to make a fishing boat catalogue, I heard a rumour that Mr. G was saying, “Report the price of your boat as high as possible, and never sell it, even though it decays.” Because it was wartime, I expected there to be false rumours among Hakujin. I realized that even among Nikkei people there are those who spread false rumours and slander.

However, in mid-April, I heard from someone else that Mr. G was telling people, “I’ve sold off all three of my boats. If I’d hesitated, they would’ve soon been worthless.” I felt strange and checked the accounts book. It turned out that the agreed price of his sales contract had been one-third of the catalogue price. When this was happening, surveyors had not yet systemically evaluated the boats, so it is unclear whether Mr. G’s sale price was one-third of the market price or the reported price of the boats was an inflated 300 per cent of the market price. To this day, I am still mystified with Mr. G’s motives for saying and doing these things.

  1. The Case of Mr. Y

Mr. Y was a fisherman on the Skeena River. Following the order of impoundment, he navigated his boat to Prince Rupert and at the request of the Navy, further navigated as far as Steveston. The boat was impounded in the New Westminster marine impoundment area, but later, at the request of a cannery that turned out to be the registered owner, the boat was released and passed on to that company. Mr. Y did not have to navigate a boat that wasn’t his, so it was assumed that he hadn’t registered the boat yet because there was a balance remaining with the company. Similar to the case of Mr. Y, there were six other boats navigated from Prince Rupert that were later released to their registered owners.

  1. The Case of Mr. T and Mr. Y

A boat owned by Mr. T and Mr. Y sank in the impoundment area and was towed to a shipyard for repairs. The cost of repair exceeded the value of the boat, so the Navy declared the boat a total loss. With the mediation of the Liaison Committee, the boat-owners submitted a $400 compensation claim, but when the committee tasks were transferred to the Custodian, this case remained unsettled. In May of 1943, there was a request from Mr. T and Mr. Y to speed up the settlement. I visited the Custodian to find out that the payment of $393.50 from the government had just arrived, so I asked the Custodian to make an arrangement to send the payment. (However, because the Custodian could only send a maximum of $100 a month based on an agreement with the BC Security Commission, it took four months to complete.) There were 12 other boats in total that the Navy determined to be total losses.

  1. The Case of Mr. S

Mr. S was a gill-net fisherman on the Fraser River, but he also used his boat to ferry children to school. When the impoundment order was announced, he requested special permission from the Navy and continued to ferry the children until April 24. After that, he navigated his boat to the impoundment area. This was the only case where a boat belonging to a Nikkei person continued to operate for four months after the outbreak of war.

  1. The Case of Nikkei Veterans

This is an opposite case to the ones above. It concerns the Nikkei people who volunteered to the Canadian military at the time of the First World War and fought courageously on the European front. After coming home from the war, they acquired Canadian citizenship and the right to vote. However, they were not exempt from the impoundment order, and their boats were liquidated. They, as well, had to follow the order for removal of all Nikkei people from the coast.

  1. The Case of Mr. T, a Logging Operator

Mr. T owned two log-tender boats for his logging operation. Since he had to close his business and move somewhere soon, he contracted a sale with a Hakujin for his two boats. He demanded permission for the sale from the committee. I explained to Mr. T that they were not fishing boats; therefore, there was no need to get our permission. However, Mr. T insisted, to satisfy his buyer even paying 1 per cent commission, so I decided to give him the committee’s permission.

Apart from this case, I handled three other cases of tender boats for Nikkei logging operators in the same way.

  1. The Case of Small Pleasure Fishing Boats Owned by Nikkei People

Mr. K at Ocean Falls requested us to approve the sale of a few small pleasure fishing boats. Of course, these were not professional fishing boats and were free to be sold, but the buyer insisted on obtaining the committee’s approval. We decided to give it to him.

By the way, we collected money from the boats we handled, but because of the relocation of all Nikkei people, some of the owners’ addresses got lost, and we could not send their money to them. In those cases, we sent it to the Custodian and asked them to keep it for the owners.

  1. The Case of Mr. F

Mr. F did have a boat, but this story concerns something else.

On a day when many Nikkei people had already been moved, two RCMP officers came to see me regarding a request from Mr. F.

When Mr. F was relocated, he was anxious about carrying a large sum of cash with him, so he buried it in his garden. Now he wanted RCMP officers to dig it up, following the instructions on his map, and send the money to him. The two officers wanted me to come along with them. I thought of going with them, but a past incident came to mind.

It had happened when I was in back-and-forth discussions with the Navy about missing parts and tools from the boats of Nikkei fishermen. A newspaper had reported, “Many boat parts and tools are being found under the empty houses of Nikkei fishermen.” When the impoundment order was announced, many fishing boats were navigated from faraway places to Steveston. The Navy allowed Nikkei fishermen to take their personal belongings with them when they disembarked from the boats. However, some removed boat parts or tools from the boats. There were people in the Navy who believed this report.

(Nikkei people place a high value on tools and equipment, and they would not bury them. If they had something of value, they would report it to the Custodian before moving.)

I was worried about being the subject of a newspaper report and told this to the officers. “I haven’t met Mr. F in person,” I said, “but I hear he is very honest man. There is no need of my being a witness. I firmly believe you will find exactly the amount of money written here. Please follow up on his wishes.” I was very much relieved later on when I received a report from the RCMP that they had found exactly the amount of money mentioned by Mr. F and they had forwarded it to him. Newspaper reports and gossips kept this a much repeated story.


Afterward 

A few weeks after the remaining committee tasks were transferred to the Custodian, the chairman of the committee, Justice Smith, was again appointed by the federal government to be chairman of the Advisory Committee for the Liquidation of Nikkei Property (I describe this matter in Part II). After that, he continued to work as the chief justice at the BC Supreme Court and as a full-time justice at the Marine Court. He passed away in 1959.

Mr. Johnson, a committee member and representative from the Ministry of Defence, went to the Port of Halifax on May 29, 1942, where he was in active service. After the war, he was promoted to Navy captain and transferred to the reserves. Returning to Vancouver, he lived a tranquil life. In 1968, he passed away in Shaughnessy Hospital.

Mr. McMaster worked as a deputy director on the Advisory Committee on Japanese Properties, directed by Justice Smith. He was then appointed by the Hon. C.D. Howe, the minister of munitions and supplies, to work in his ministry. After the war, he worked as a port manager at Vancouver Harbour, retiring in 1958. He died from an illness in 1960.

The following members of the Nikkei contingent who served with devotion have all, regrettably, passed away: Mr. Kunisaburo Miwa in New Denver; Mr. Hideo Fukuyama at Christina Lake; Mr. Kohei Nakai in Toronto; Mr. Matsunosuke Shinde in Greenwood.

The following members are still alive: Mr. Unosuke Hashimoto in Richmond; Mr. Mitsujiro Noguchi in Guelph, Ontario; Mr. Ritsu Ide in Toronto, although he was not a member but the former director of the Nikkei Liaison Association.


My Impressions 

Although there is no document that records exactly the total worth of the fishing boats owned by Nikkei people, I have the impression that it was approximately $2,000,000 in total, taking into account what I heard before the war.

  1. The actual sales amount was $1,423,182.
  2. There were 187 vessels transferred to the Custodian with an estimate of $400 per vessel, equaling $74,800, although the exact price is unknown.
  3. There were 20 remaining vessels under the control of the Custodian of Enemy Property, estimated at $350 per vessel, making $7,000.
  4. There were 70 vessels semi-owned by Nikkei people, estimated at $400 per vessel, equaling $28,000.
  5. Nine vessels for which compensation for total loss was requested. (However, one of them was denied. See “The case of Mr. A” and “The case of Mr. T and Mr. Y.”) $3,918.
  6. Three vessels where the procedure of request for compensation of total loss was not completed, estimated at $400 per vessel, coming to $1,200.
  7. Cases where the sale price was written down as the sale amount minus the rest of the mortgage, $5,116.

Total = $1,543,216

This figure is the assumptive total amount. If we suppose $2,000,000 as the correct amount, the total amount above equals 77.2 per cent of $2,000,000, and we can tentatively say that the boats were sold at a 22.8 per cent discount.

Except in the cases of the 152 boats the committee had to forcibly dispose of due to the urgency of the situation (among them, 136 cases later approved by the owners), the committee left all of the sales contracts as free negotiations between buyers and sellers.

Despite that, if the owners suffered a loss, it was because they were heavily pressed by the emergency situation of wartime and the order to remove all Nikkei people. They were concerned with various points:

  1. Anxiety about the expense of keeping a boat during a war that no one knew how long would last.
  2. There was no guarantee that the boats would not be damaged if the owners kept them.
  3. Owners could not expect any income even if they made charter contracts.
  4. Anxiety about the cost of living at their place of relocation.

Therefore, the owners were not in a position to negotiate a fair price.

At one time, volunteers from various places examined the possibility of compensating the loss of Nikkei property. Three Greenwood committee members visited me and requested I submit documents relating to the sale of Nikkei fishing boats. They said they would amalgamate the accounts from Nikkei fishermen with other property under the care of the Custodian. They would submit them, through Mr. McMaster, a lawyer, the associate partner at Norris and McLennan.

Even though we arrived at the loss figures mentioned above, there was no documentation on individual fishing boat estimates authorized by surveyors to prove the total amount was $2,000,000, the basis on which the result was reached. Also, the committee left the sales negotiations to the discretion of the boat-owners, so I think it unfair to complain there were problems in the process.

However, if we generalize the matter of compensation to include everything that was sold, even voluntarily, to consist of: real estate; fishing vessels; fishing tools; forests; furniture; shops; rooming houses; business brands; and so on, you can argue that Nikkei people had to sell at bargain prices because of anxiety about their forced removal. The Order of Removal was definitely a biased order, which was applied only to Nikkei people, from among all other enemy foreigners. We could make a convincing claim that property sold under pressure should be compensated for. Testimonies could be collected from various fields. Even if somehow the claim proved unsuccessful, it would at least contribute to making the general Canadian public recognize the sacrifice Nikkei people had to make.

“Why don’t you suggest this claim to Mr. McMaster, the lawyer?” “I would respond to a summons and certainly testify,” I replied.

This attempt at a claim did not materialize for some reason, maybe because they did not acquire enough support from the Nikkei community, or they failed to obtain an agreement with Mr. McMaster, or for some other unknown reason.

In eastern Canada, this issue of general compensation was debated, but it was called off there as well. I heard there was some difficulty raising expenses, but it remains unclear.

Now, some might argue that these fishing boats, which used to be owned by Nikkei people, could have been a resource when Nikkei people returned to the west coast if they hadn’t been sold, but at the time, no one could predict the future. Moreover, the boats were necessary “to ensure food supply,” a government policy, and in the end Nikkei people gave up their boats.

After the war, there was progress in the quality of fishing boats and equipment, and I think Nikkei people would eventually face the necessity of having to renew their boats. Be that as it may, if Nikkei people suffered the estimated losses mentioned above, I would like to investigate whether they came out with something positive.

It has not been investigated, but I think it is a small matter that the owners saved costs for boat maintenance and damage repairs, which they had to cover, in case their boats did not sell.

Even though these are invisible achievements, they are very significant:

  1. All Nikkei fishermen not only followed the law to impound vessels, navigating their boats to the impoundment area but also:
  2. Accepted the request by the Navy and took further trouble navigating the vessels to the impoundment area at New Westminster.
  3. All Nikkei fishermen understood the necessity to ensure the food supply, giving up their boats and cooperating promptly to release the boats to go out fishing.

I think these are meaningful points because they could make the Canadian general public recognize that Nikkei Canadians carried out their responsibility as Canadian citizens in spite of extremely difficult circumstances.

At the end of January, soon after the committee started the liquidation of fishing boats, one newspaper that usually reported anti-Nikkei stories reported that “Nikkei boat owners are insisting on absurd prices.” This was according to a Hakujin fisherman. Another rumour was that “Nikkei owners removed boat parts and equipment and stored them in warehouses with fishing nets,” related in the typical manner of some abusive Hakujin fisherman. Moreover, the newspaper reported that it was predicted that “the Committee would suffer from hundreds of old, unsold vessels.” In late April, the newspaper reported “We give praise to the Committee which is successfully managing difficult problems even Solomon might fail to manage. The Committee has already released more than half the vessels to people who need them.” Also, in late May the newspaper reported, from a speech made by Mr. McMaster, that “Mr. McMaster gives praise to the Nikkei owners of vessels who were willing to cooperate.” I felt that this might be evidence that the profile of Nikkei people with the general public had improved and the newspaper could not ignore it.

Two years after Nikkei people were allowed to return to the west coast (beginning in 1949), I was asked by an acquaintance to accompany him to Vancouver. We had a meeting with Mr. C, section chief of the N fishery company. I had known him for a long time since Mr. R and his brother were fresh-fish traders. Mr. C suddenly hugged me and said,

“Thank you for coming! My flagship packer, the Dara-Dog, was alone and lonely, but fortunately I could purchase the Kitaka and the Nakamoto from the Custodian. Now I have the same number of packers as long ago, and I am going to keep them for a long time, for sentimental reasons. I was pleased to meet with R. Also, I saw S at the office a while ago. He has been working here for two years. He would be happy to see you!”

Mr. C got so excited to see me that my acquaintance was surprised. Both of us could understand the conversation, but for those who didn’t know the circumstances, it was of course odd. I finished the business with my acquaintance, and when I was talking with other old acquaintances, Mr. S arrived.

Soon after Nikkei people were allowed to return to the coast, Mr. S went to Vancouver. He pioneered the revival of fishing by Nikkei people. He was expecting threats from Hakujin fishermen. The cannery he had worked for before hesitated to work with Nikkei fishermen, so he switched to the N fishery company.

“Remembering the old days, I was tense and nervous, but, contrary to my apprehensions and as if the world had completely changed, people kindly assisted me with all sorts of matters. It was dream-like, I don’t know how many times I pinched myself,” he recalled.

All Nikkei immigrants have suffered from the anti-Nikkei movement since they landed in the province of BC, but especially Nikkei fishermen. Although they were all naturalized citizens, they suffered from continuous, severe exclusion practices. The number of fishing licences was limited, and moreover, the licences themselves were limited by discriminatory conditions. So throughout the fishing season, they operated only within the small fishing areas accorded them by licence. However, after the war the limitation on the number of licences was abolished (note: the current law for limitation is merely to protect certain kinds of fish and to increase the revenue of fishermen and is not anti-Nikkei), and all types of licences are granted to Nikkei fishermen. They can fish any areas, the same as other fishermen.

Common sense among the general public no longer condones anti-Nikkei practices, and I believe there is no room for anti-Nikkei propaganda. It was definitely the behaviour of the Nikkei fishermen who created such an atmosphere, by following the law, making sacrifices, and cooperating with government policy during the war.

There might be some people who insist that this is “because Nikkei people received suffrage,” but it is too simple to conclude that it is a matter of course that naturalized citizens and Canadian-born citizens have suffrage. In reality, Nikkei people in general raised their profile with the Canadian general public by demonstrating their diligence, pleasant character, law-abiding spirit, and patience toward past discriminatory treatment, and these formed the basis whereby Nikkei people were granted suffrage.


To the Second and Third Generations 

From the current perspective, at a time when protests and demonstrations are the trend, there might be some who laugh at the Nikkei who conducted themselves with silence and obedience for decades. In fact, there were lawsuits claiming suffrage in the old days by Nisei representatives. Regarding the limitation of fishing licences, Nikkei people fought in the Supreme Court of Canada and the Privy Council in England, winning both cases. But Parliament gave the minister of fisheries the authority to discriminate when they issued fishing licences. We swallowed our tears. Recently, the Nisei conducted a protest against the draft of the removal of all Nikkei people, but this also ended with disappointing results.

Depending on the time period, situation, environment, and social standing, the outcomes are different. There might also be different opinions among us; however, I just want young people to understand that the Issei were by no means ignorant or stupid.

At the risk of sounding too insistent, I would like you to understand that the Issei were not an inferior ethnic group. They had to take care of their families in Japan. Even if they studied, sacrificing their families at home, there was no way for them to find good employment. They did not have suffrage, their English was not good enough, and their fields of employment were limited because of exclusionary practices. They had to take care of their family in Canada, and they somehow built up a base in the face of a vicious anti-Nikkei campaign. You might laugh at my slim advice, but I would like to urge you not to foment unconscious ethnic self-hatred.

Last year when the atomic bomb exhibition was held at a department store in Tokyo, a magazine reported that many young people who saw the photos of the terrible scenes of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki said, “There was notice of bombing from the United States, why didn’t people evacuate? They must have been really dumb.” These young people laughed without knowing that the atomic bomb was kept strictly a secret and people of the era did not know its power. I do not want similar thoughts repeated among Canada’s Nikkei community.

When you criticize, I would like you to investigate, face squarely, and consider the time period, the circumstances, situation, and environment that the Issei and some in the Nisei were placed in. I would like you to recognize that Nikkei people were rewarded for their struggle and finally reached the dawn of a new era after the war. With this understanding, I would like you to leap forward into various fields with self-awareness and self-respect.


An Example from the Fishing Boat Catalogue 

Please refer to “Certificate” of British Registry in filling this blank; special attention is required in case of “Length,” “Width,” and “Depth.”

Name of Vessel                                   Official Number          Naval Control Number

Port of Registry                                   Date of Registry

Gross Tonnage                                    Net Tonnage

Length                                                 Width                          Depth

Make of Engine (Present)                   Date When Re-installed

Horse Power                                       Knot (Speed)

When Hull Built                                  When Hull Rebuilt

Type of Vessel                                    Seiner  Packer Gill-Netter Troller Trawler  Other

Formerly Used as                                Value (Replacement)

Date When Surveyed Last                   Value (Present)

Place of Operation                               Value (Insured)

Charter Rate 1940                               Chartered To:  1940

Charter Rate 1941                               Chartered To:  1941

Amount of Mortgage, If Any              Mortgaged To:

Registered Owners Name                   Actual Owners Name

Address                                               Address

Remarks:



Part II: The Advisory Committee on Nikkei Properties in Greater Vancouver

The Course of Events Leading up to the Establishment of the Committee

Advisory Committee on Nikkei Properties, Rural Division

Clarification of Orders-in-Council and an Explanation of the Function of the Custodian

First Meeting of the Committee

Inspection of the Properties Owned by Nikkei People

List of Real Estate Owned by Nikkei People

Main Policy Decisions

Items under Deliberation

Special Deliberation Regarding Lots Next to Munitions Factory

The Liquidation of a Fraser River Farm

Drafting Real Estate Advertising

Consultation Regarding Sale Advertisements

Approval of Resignation

Recollections:

Various Anti-Nikkei Campaigns

Board of Review Report on Illegal Entry

National Registration: Report of Dr. Carrothers, etc.

Standing Committee for Special Registration of Nikkei People

The Statement of Prime Minister Mackenzie King

Special Registration of Nikkei People

The Outbreak of the Pacific War and the Removal of All Nikkei People

The Condition of Nikkei Properties in an Area Heavily Populated by Nikkei People

Comment

Attachment:

Letters Advising Resignation from the Advisory Committee on Japanese Properties (Kaslo, Slocan)

The Course of Events Leading up to the Establishment of the Committee

March 13, 1943:

In the evening, a telegram came from Colonel C.H. Hill, divisional commander of the RCMP, stating:

“Regarding property owned by Nikkei people, the Custodian, as well as Mr. George Collins of the BC Security Commission (where he is a Commissioner of Japanese Placement), wishes to consult with you. Please come to Vancouver as soon as possible.”

I thought I would travel to Vancouver in a few days’ time. The next day (Sunday), Corporal William Durnin of the Grand Forks RCMP detachment came to visit and prompted me to go to the head office in Vancouver, handing me a travel permit to do so. That same night, I left Cascade for Vancouver.

March 15:

I met Col. Hill, who told me that he would report to Mr. Collins about me. He prompted me to see Mr. G.W. McPherson, executive assistant to the Hon. Mr. McLarty, secretary of state. Mr. McPherson said he was creating an advisory committee to deal with the liquidation of Nikkei properties and wanted me to represent the Nikkei community.

It was a serious matter, and I had no experience of property evaluation. So I declined the offer and recommended several other people. I should have consulted with those people before recommending them, but I had no time to do so. I recommended four people, all of them Nikkei businessmen, to deal with Vancouver properties and Mr. Yasutaro Yamaga to handle rural properties. If he needed more people, I suggested he ask those who had been recommended to put forward other names for consideration. Mr. McPherson asked me to stay in Vancouver a few more days while he spoke to Ottawa and investigated candidates before reaching a decision.

Two days later, Mr. McPherson told me they had accepted Mr. Yamaga to be in charge of rural properties and that he would soon be coming to Vancouver. The government did not accept any other candidates for Vancouver properties, and he wanted me to accept the position. They were going to reappoint Justice Smith as the committee chairman and suggested I consult with him. I wanted to know why none of the candidates I believed to be appropriate were accepted by the government, but I refrained from asking in case that put them in an awkward position.

March 18:

Mr. Yamaga came to Vancouver from his place of evacuation and expressed his resolve to do the job, stating: “I thought I would devote my life to farming in the Fraser Delta, but it turns out that this will be my final life’s work. Fortunately, my friend Mr. Halbert Menzies, a real estate agent who knows the Haney district well, will also be a member. This work shall be my own funeral. You as well, must again, give your best.”

I had already shut down the salted salmon business I had devoted myself to since 1920 when I accepted the job of liquidating the Nikkei fishing boats. (On another occasion, I’ll disclose why the Nikkei salted salmon business could not be rehabilitated while the salmon fishery could.) When I was burying the Nikkei fishing industry, I was well supported by a few like-minded members of the Liaison Committee. This time around, I didn’t feel as comfortable or confident. I knew nothing about property liquidation and had no support staff. I said this to Mr. Yamaga and then decided to consult with Justice Smith.

Advisory Committee on Nikkei Properties, Rural Division

March 20:

At 10:30 in the morning, in the Custodian’s office, the first meeting of the Advisory Committee (Rural Division) was held. Mr. McPherson recommended I attend the meeting as an observer. The committee consisted of the following people:

Chairman: His Honour, Justice Whiteside of New Westminster

Member: Mr. Yasutaro Yamaga, Tasheme, BC

Member: Mr. D. MacKenzie, New Westminster

Member: Mr. J.J. McLellan, Fort Langley

Member: Mr. Hal. Menzies, Haney

Besides these, from the Custodian’s Office there were Mr. McPherson and his deputy Mr. Shears, as well as their lawyer, Mr. Wright. Mr. McPherson made introductions, explained the duties and rights of the committee, and then explained that Mr. Shears would consult with the committee from time to time. After that, the chairman said that the meeting would usually be held in the New Westminster courthouse and if not, a notice of assembly would make clear where the meeting place would be. Then the meeting was dissolved.

March 19:

I visited Justice Smith, who informed me that he had sent a letter to me in Cascade. In the letter, he said that when he was asked by the secretary of state to form the Advisory Committee under the Custodian, he told them that he would appoint Alderman Charles Jones and me. I said that the Custodian is supposed to protect and manage the property of Nikkei people after they have been relocated. People who wanted to sell or lease their property could request the Custodian to assist them. Also, there should be a few bilingual people in the office. They could certainly deal with these demands and facilitate them more efficiently than Nikkei committee members like myself who had no experience dealing with property.

He persuaded me that this Advisory Committee was different from the Fishing Boat Disposal Committee. This committee would simply give advice after consultations with the Department of Japanese Placement within the Office of the Custodian. We had Mr. Jones, who was well versed in finance and city zoning. Furthermore, Justice Smith had informally appointed Mr. McMaster (see Afterward) as deputy director. Justice Smith spoke at length on a proposal, from the BC Security Commission and the Custodian that had taken place during cabinet discussions, about Nikkei properties. He persuaded me to accept the appointment, and I said I would try my best.

On returning to the hotel, I found the letter that Mr. Smith had sent from Cascade. The authorities checked the mail, and often letters took a long time to arrive. Reading this letter, it became clear why the government had not accepted the people I had recommended to handle Vancouver properties. They had already selected the Nikkei committee member.

March 22:

At 10 o’clock in the morning, after receiving word, I went to Justice Smith’s room at the courthouse. Besides the chairman, committee member Kimura, and deputy director McMaster, Mr. McPherson and his deputy, Mr. Shears, acting director of the Custodian, were present. Alderman Jones could not attend because of a conflict with city council scheduling. We decided to postpone the meeting until the next day, and we listened to Mr. McPherson’s explanation, as follows:

Clarification of Orders-in-Council and an Explanation of the Function of the Custodian

By Order-in-Council PC 1665 of March 4, 1942, and Order-in-Council PC 2483 of March 27, 1942, both issued based on the War Measures Act (chapter 206 of the Revised Statutes of Canada, 1927), property (except fishing boats, bank accounts, bonds, securities, and stock, etc.) owned by all removed Nikkei people was put under the protection of the Custodian. People on the street called this the “Enemy Property Disposition Act,” but it is the “Consolidated Regulations Respecting Trading with the Enemy Act” of 1939. This originally applied to enemy products. This regulation would be applied to the protection of property of removed Nikkei people, with necessary modifications.

According to these regulations, the property of Japanese nationals who lived and were not interned in this country was not necessarily considered to be enemy property. On the other hand, the property of Canadians or naturalized citizens who resided in enemy countries would sometimes be treated as enemy property. The Custodian has already disposed of a few properties, based on a request from removed Nikkei people and, with the cooperation of the BC Security Commission, are sending a hundred dollars a month until the account is exhausted. This policy will be ongoing, with an increase beyond the hundred-dollar limit if necessary.

Later on, to clarify and to make partial changes to the two orders-in-council mentioned above (PC 1665 and 2483), another order-in-council was passed (PC 469 of Jan. 19, 1943). According to this order, the right of entrustment and responsibility of the Custodian consisted of the control and effective governance of property owned by Nikkei people. Therefore, it became clear that the Custodian functions to liquidate, sell, or dispose of by other methods all Nikkei property when the Custodian finds it necessary to fulfill their responsibility.

The Custodian had been making an effort to fulfill their mission of protecting the property of Nikkei people left in the area of coastal defence. They observed that under the circumstances, properties could not escape theft or damage and thus concluded to sell them in due course. Please understand that this was not a confiscation of property because we applied the Enemy Property Disposition Act only after adding the necessary modification to it, as mentioned previously.

Points the Custodian wanted to put to the Advisory Committee were as follows:

  1. Considering the present circumstances, is it right to sell properties owned by Nikkei people, as its primary function?
  2. If the answer is yes, please indicate what is considered to be the best way or conditions or terms of selling these properties.
  3. What is the best way to evaluate them?
  4. Is it in the public interest to dispose of, as soon as possible, property owned by religious groups?
  5. Under the circumstances, it was difficult to protect movable assets, and theft and damage of these assets was rampant. The BC Security Commission considered sending assets to removed owners not only inconvenient but unnecessary. Whether this was just or not, these assets were disposed of. (Because the Custodian has no intention to dispose of religious objects or things of sentimental value, the committee doesn’t need to advise on this issue.)

First Meeting of the Committee

March 23:

From 11 o’clock in the morning, all of us, including Mr. Jones, gathered in Justice Smith’s room and had the first meeting of the committee.

Mr. McPherson repeated the points he discussed yesterday in the unofficial meeting and informed us that he had to go to eastern Canada immediately. Mr. Shears would replace him while he was absent. Therefore, when the committee requires a report or information or the Custodian’s opinion, the committee should get in touch with Mr. Shears. Also, when the committee came up with recommendations regarding their principal policy, he wanted us to inform him as soon as possible.

We expressed our wish to inspect a selection of properties representative of those owned by Nikkei people before we came up with recommendations. We asked Mr. Shears to facilitate the inspection for us. We proposed to create a list of properties under the protection of the Custodian, and this proposal was accepted as well. After that we discussed the location of the office and decided to rent Room 1012 in the Royal Bank Building at 675 West Hastings St., Vancouver. After that, Mr. McPherson and Mr. Shears left the room. It was decided that:

  1. McMaster would be the deputy director.
  2. The committee would be named The Advisory Committee on Japanese Properties in Greater Vancouver, and for short, The Advisory Committee.
  3. The property would be inspected at two o’clock the next day.

 Inspection of the Properties Owned by Nikkei People

March 24:

Judge Smith, Mr. Jones, and Mr. Kimura, with a guide from the Custodian, went to view stores and rental rooms around Powell Street. These were places already rented out through real estate agents, but they were generally humble and on the level of temporary dwellings. The situation was the same on Cordova Street. It seemed that there were a considerable number of places that required large sums spent on them to comply with city bylaws. It seemed impossible for such a small patrol of people to protect so many properties. Due to the war, the general public turned a blind eye to vandalism of empty houses. Vandals had grown increasingly bold, under the illusion that everyone approved of their conduct. It was easy to see that damages were increasing daily.

The Custodian received a request from the evacuees to send books that were stored in two places. They, being Hakujin, had been unable to read titles and get the requested books. We thought this would be an opportunity to see the properties as well, and all of us went to view them. On the second floor of a store it seemed someone had gained entry through a window. A ruined gramophone and records were strewn across the floor. The Custodian informed the owner, but nothing was stolen. Although it was reported to the police, the vandals have yet to be found. We proceeded to the United Church, where the belongings of believers were stored, and fortunately there had been no vandalism there. We were able to locate the fishing-related books requested.

Along the way, I asked if we could go to my acquaintance’s house on Cordova Street. He had asked me to check on some flower vases he’d hidden under the floorboards. When we got there, someone had already pried up the boards, and there was nothing there. Because the owner had carelessly used new floor boards, it had been easy for the thief to notice the variance. There was a similar case on Powell Street where the owner had hidden precious items in the ceiling and pasted over the cache with new wallpaper. Apparently, that had attracted the eyes of the thief.

At a store called Maikawa, two sales clerks, a man and a woman, were hired by the Custodians at the request of the owner to sell the remaining stock. They said there were hardly any customers coming to the store and almost all business was mail-order sales from removed Nikkei people. They locked up the store tightly at six o’clock, but they felt uneasy until they opened up the next morning and saw whether or not everything was safe.

List of Real Estate Owned by Nikkei People

We received a list of real estate placed under the Custodian’s jurisdiction, owned by removed Nikkei people.

premises,                     empty lots                    total

houses,

empty stores

others

  1. City of Vancouver, north of False Creek 193                              15                                208
  2. City of Vancouver, south of False Creek 191                              42                                233
  3. North Vancouver and West Vancouver   16                              14                                  30
  4. Burnaby                                                   13                              14                                  27

Total                                                                                                                                        413                              85                                498

Evaluation for tax purposes

premises                                  buildings                      lots (empty)                         total

  1. $257,847.00                $481,917.00                $6,265.00                    $746,029.00
  2. $199,800.00                $250,010.00                $8,955.00                    $458,765.00
  3.             $9,461.50                  $19,210.00                $3,965.00                      $32,816.00
  4.             $5,421.83                  $12,830.00                $3,360.00                      $21.611.00

Total    $472,710.33                $763,967.00        $22,545.00     $1,259,222.00

The total tax amount for the above properties                                       $45,464.20

There were 379 cases where Nikkei owners appointed real estate agents or lawyers. The Custodians were in the middle of creating cards for each of the 496 cases mentioned above. If we leave the over 400 pieces of real estate scattered over the city, as well as the movable assets stored in them, it is clear that the rate of loss and damage would be far more than under usual circumstances. We all agreed, unofficially, that there was no other way but to sell everything, although we would have to adjust the details. (Religious and educational materials should be exempt.)

March 26:

The Custodian requested our help to send a sewing machine from Steveston to some removed Nikkei people. There were Japanese tags attached to it that they couldn’t read. They also wanted us to investigate whether or not the machine was in working order. This was outside of our jurisdiction, but we went to Steveston with permission to inspect a few other warehouses as well. The sewing machine was in the former Fishermen’s Association building, and because a guard was stationed at the hospital section, there was no damage. However, furniture and boxes kept at the former daycare were all opened, and Japanese carpentry tools and Japanese dolls were strewn about the floor. We could not tell how much had been stolen and which stuff belonged in which box, and it seemed impossible to clean it up properly.

We went to the Buddhist Temple because we’d heard that someone had broken in through a window. It seemed to be simple mischief, and there were about five pots of ashes of the dead with their contents scattered. It was not unusual for Nikkei people to honour the dead collectively, so we told the guard to put the ashes into the large pot.

Main Policy Decisions

March 30:

At 11 in the morning, we all gathered at the room of Justice Smith and decided the following:

  1. Under the circumstances and in order to stop losses, we decided, in principle, to sell all property owned by the removed Nikkei people.
  2. Regarding the sale of the above properties, there were a few points to be investigated further. Therefore, the sale details will be decided after we see the documents and hear the Custodian’s views.
  3. The sale of religious and educational properties shall be put off unless there is a request or permission from the person responsible or a compulsory sale due to debt.

April 7:

At 10 in the morning we all gathered at the room of Justice Smith. The Custodian requested us to deliberate urgently on three Nikkei properties next to a munitions factory. The sale contract had to be completed as soon as possible. According to city zoning, all three properties were in an industrial area. In the opinion of Mr. Jones, “Once the city declares that the present houses are not fit for habitation, only a factory will be allowed to be built. The evaluation for tax purposes is based on a certain rational formula to be fair, but it’s not necessarily the same as the market price.”

Consequently, the Custodian wanted advice on the following points.

  1. The buyer’s price.
  2. The evaluation of the real estate agent the Custodian is using for the Department of Enemy Property Disposal.
  3. After deliberating on these prices, please advise us of a proper price.

We decided to have regular meetings every Wednesday at 10 a.m. in the private room of Justice Smith.

Items under Deliberation

April 14:

At the weekly regular meeting, the Custodian and Mr. McMaster, after deliberation, presented the following items to us.

  1. The method of real estate sales
  2. Advice on whether or not to adopt the tender system.
  3. If yes, the method of advertising.
  4. Deadline for tender?
  5. Sale condition. Cash payment? In case of installment method, how big should down payment be? The terms of payment.
  6. How to provide opportunity for prospective purchasers to survey the houses.
  7. Listing with real estate agents?
  8. How much should agent’s commission be?
  9. Is it possible to persuade Nikkei people to entrust their certificate of land title to the Custodian?

(Note: There was a note attached to this stating that the Custodian was already selling properties under the Department of Enemy Property Disposal through a tender method. They wish to do the same with the property of relocated Nikkei people.)

  1. Form of the catalogue and other items
    1. Is it necessary to create a catalogue for the general public? If yes, in what form?
    2. In this catalogue, shall we include properties under the Department of Enemy Property Disposal?
    3. Should we create the catalogue according to districts and carry out separate tenders accordingly?
  1. How to evaluate the properties
    1. Evaluate individual properties?
    2. Who shall we ask to evaluate?
    3. Who will pay the cost of evaluation?
  1. How to deal with existing rental contracts
  2. Shall we give priority to renters in place at the time of sale?
  3. How to deal with the expired rental contract?
  1. How to dispose of the movable assets
  2. Shall we employ the tender method? If yes, how to evaluate and decide on a minimum price.
  3. Shall we employ the auction method with proceedings open to the general public? How do we allocate the auctioneers?
  4. At auction, how to evaluate and decide on a minimum price?
  5. How to share the auction costs (including the transportation of assets).
  6. In the case of assets being in rental houses, shall we give priority of purchase to the renters?
  7. How to store religious objects or objects considered having sentimental value.
  8. How about setting up a deadline for those who want to have their movable assets sent to them?

(Note: There was a note attached that in some cases the Custodian is renting Nikkei houses to store the movable assets, and in those cases they want to sell the movable assets before liquidating the houses.)

To the above items, we came up with general suggestions, and after discussion with Mr. McMaster and Mr. Shears, we deliberated further and added modifications.

  1. 1. Yes to the tender method.
  2. It is all right to advertise everything at the same time but to create separate deadlines in order to avoid market saturation and to maintain prices.
  3. The terms the Custodian is using are all right.
  4. An instalment method is acceptable, but judgment needs to be used according to individual situations.
  5. Because the majority of Nikkei owners appointed agents, we will use them. In the cases where owners did not appoint agents, the Custodian will appoint them.
  6. Not necessary.
  7. The general standard rate.
  8. Encouraging Nikkei people to entrust their certificate of land title to the Custodian will only increase their sense of alarm.
  1. 1. Make a catalogue which includes listing headings to register the real estate, such as: the lot number; block; district; name of town; house number; building classification; appointed agent; etc. (However, real estate belonging to religious and educational institutions shall be excluded from the catalogue.)
  2. The decision lies in the hands of the Custodian.
  3. Yes.
  1. 1. Yes.
  2. The evaluation should be kept secret until the end of the tender; therefore, the Custodian should use surveyors already employed or, if necessary, make a careful selection from among them.
  3. Pending.
  1. 1. Impossible.
  2. Houses with a completed contract shall be leased until the sale of the house. Those with uncompleted contracts shall be sold with the lease.
  1. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are all pending.
  2. (Pending.) However, at one time, the BC Security Commission was against sending movable assets to removed Nikkei people because there were no storage spaces, but now their storage facilities have gradually improved and they are capable of storing some movable assets. We would like the Custodian and Security Commission to now allow the sending of some of these movable assets.

April 15:

I went home by night train for a break, with permission from Justice Smith. My family had moved to Christina Lake but was still living in a hotel. I settled my family into a cabin at long last, returning to Vancouver early in the morning of April 27.

Special Deliberation Regarding Lots Next to Munitions Factory

April 28:

The regular meeting was held. (The regular meeting of April 21 was postponed.)

The pending subject from April 7, regarding properties adjoining the munitions factory, was debated. The Custodian provided us with the prices offered by companies wishing to purchase, as well as the price estimates of the realtor, Mr. Douglas Reeve (from Johnson, Reeve and Watson). We came up with the following recommended prices.

1                                              2                                                          3

Buyer’s price                                       $1,100.00                    $1,400.00                    $800.00 (full payment)

Mr. Reeve’s estimate               $2,000.00                    $1,500.00                    41,000.00 (full payment)

Our recommendation               $2,000.00                   $1,750.00                    $1,125.00 (full payment)

After the meeting, we moved into unofficial discussions, and I was asked my opinion of a newspaper article in The New Canadian.

When removed Nikkei people entrusted their properties, they understood that it was for the sake of safekeeping. They did not realize that, after their removal, the properties would be transferred to the Custodian by an order-in-council. Therefore, they rather entrusted their properties to lawyers or realtors, and some even neglected to report to the Custodian. Therefore, the Custodian will constantly face opposition to the forced sale of their properties.

From the Custodian’s viewpoint, it is reasonable to sell the properties because they cannot protect them sufficiently. However, it would be difficult to obtain comprehensive consent of all Nikkei people. If there is any basis for a legal challenge, Nikkei people would take this to the courts. The sooner the outcome of the legal challenge becomes clear, the easier the problem for the Custodian.

When we deliberated the possibility of encouraging Nikkei people to deposit land title certificates, I was allowed to put my opinion in the draft. From the beginning, I had an apprehension that such a legal challenge might occur.

May 5:

At our weekly meeting, we had no particular item for deliberation and listened to Mr. McMaster’s report.

  1. Shears held a meeting with representatives of major real estate companies on May 3, and Mr. McMaster participated as an observer.
  2. The design of the catalogue is almost completed, and we are now making references to the Custodian’s recording system. As soon as that is over, the catalogue will be sent to the printing shop.
  3. The real estate card catalogue is also near completion.
  4. The map showing housing lot numbers is completed.
  5. Shears goes to Winnipeg in two days to meet with Mr. McMaster. He is going to write a newspaper ad as soon as he returns to Vancouver.

At two o’clock on the same day, there was a phone call from the Custodian saying they have a piece of registered mail from Kaslo addressed to me, via Christina Lake.

It was a letter from the Assembly of Nikkei Property Owners in Kaslo, advising me to resign. I had expected this would come, after the newspaper article, and reported the news to Justice Smith. We decided to discuss this matter at the coming weekly meeting.

May 10:

Mr. K.W. Wright, counsel to the Custodian, wanted to meet with me regarding the partial right of possession of Mr. Yamazaki, who has been in Japan since 1936.

“There is a property in Marpole under the three-part, joint equal ownership of Mr. Kiyomitsu Yamazaki, Mr. Jujiro Nishimura and Mr. Daishiro Teramura. The unpaid taxes on this property have reached $66.40, by the present date of 1942. Mr. Nishimura, with a letter of attorney from Mr. Yamazaki, proposed that the Custodian release Mr. Yamazaki’s one-third rights to him. Mr. Teramura, the third owner, has passed away, and this made things complicated. Furthermore, since the property seemed to be a school, the Custodian supposed that these three people are likely to be trustees, therefore they are reluctant to release the property to Mr. Nishimura.” He asked me what I thought about the issue.

“I think that Mr. Nishimura is trying to release his ownership because the property will be liquidated as the property of an absentee owner or as part of an inheritance arrangement. I think what the Custodian is supposing is correct, but I shall consult with Mr. Tsutae Sato and Mr. Sadayoshi Aoki, both of them former principals of the Language School in Marpole, Vancouver, before the war. Please classify this Marpole Language School as a property belonging to an educational institute, and at the same time, take measures to stop the possible sale of the property by the city due to overdue taxes.”

May 12:

At the regular weekly meeting, after approving the hiring of Mr. Durkee as an assistant to Mr. McMaster, we discussed the subject of Nikkei people protesting the forced sale of their properties and then referred to the letter advising Mr. Kimura to resign. According to some opinions, once the Custodian is judged to have the function of selling properties for the sake of protection, there would be no reason for Mr. Kimura to resign. He said, “First of all, I was not elected to be a committee member by Nikkei people, and it now turns out that they are not supporting my work and are, in general, against me. Under this circumstance, I should resign. If the Custodian is judged to have the function of selling properties, Nikkei people can elect a representative if necessary and then obtain government approval.” He then requested to be released from the committee. However, the translated letter advising him to resign simply said, “Your continued position as a member, in the general opinion of your fellow countrymen, is considered to be untenable,” and no threatening words were employed. Furthermore, the main mission of the committee, as well as the drafting of advertisements, had not been discussed yet. Therefore, it was decided that Justice Smith would hold onto Mr. Kimura’s letter of resignation for several days.

May 19:

Regular weekly meeting

Commercially zoned real estate had high evaluations for tax purposes, and accordingly, municipal taxes were also high. We have been studying how to lower taxes, and so we listened to Mr. Jones’s explanation.

  1. The city tax evaluations are fair to property-owners and generally determined by a set formula with little modification over the years. These are not necessarily the same as the market price. (The market price is influenced by the general economy, the development of new areas, or improvements to roads and other facilities.)
  2. Every fiscal year, the city, based on its budget, collects the mill rate of tax evaluation as municipal taxes. (That is to say, the evaluations are almost the same every year, but the mill rate can be changed.)
  3. Those who are unhappy with the evaluation can take necessary steps to revise their taxes at the court of revision within a certain time limit.
  4. Those who are not satisfied with the result of the deliberation can apply for reconsideration to the board of assessment.
  5. If that application is unsuccessful, including the options mentioned above, there can be an appeal to the provincial Supreme Court.
  6. The maximum devaluation that can be obtained through the above mentioned three processes (or one of the processes) is determined by the city charter, and that must be within 10 per cent. That is to say, we can get a maximum 10 per cent tax deduction a year. Every property-owner has the right to devalue their property. On the other hand, if other owners do not like the devaluation of surrounding properties, they have the right to oppose and sometimes speak out against the move.
  7. Some actions, such as a factory or a shopping arcade being built in the middle of a residential neighbourhood, negatively impact the properties in the larger vicinity. Owners can then collectively appeal to the city’s court of equalization. In our case, the issue is simply one of devaluation. If some owners think there is an issue of compensation for the loss, they can appeal to the civil court.

After hearing his explanation, we acknowledged that the difficulty we are facing with properties in commercial and industrial districts lay with today’s unusual circumstances; therefore, we decided to seek ways to further reduce taxes before submitting cases to the Custodian.

May 20:

I received another resolution, posted on the eighth, from the Association of Nikkei Property Owners in the district of Slocan advising me to resign. I asked Justice Smith to put my resignation on the agenda of the next regular meeting.

May 24:

Since it was a holiday, I received an invitation from Mr. Charley Moore, our old neighbour before we moved to Christina Lake. I spent a half-day chatting about the good old days and was treated to his stepmother’s, Mrs. Barkley’s, home cooking at lunch and dinner. It felt very nostalgic.

The Liquidation of a Fraser River Farm

When I returned to my hotel, I saw Mr. Yamaga. As soon as he saw me, he said, with a dead serious face, that he had finally decided to submit his resignation. Although he had been expecting challenges, he made up his mind to leave after seeing today’s Advisory Committee decision. (It was a holiday.) They decided, by a majority vote and based on the Veterans’ Lands Act retroactive to January 1, 1943, to approve the comprehensive, compulsory purchase of all properties along the Fraser River owned by Nikkei people. Consequently, the director of the Veterans’ Lands Act would be collecting house rents, farmland rents, and crop fees. Mr. Yamaga was bitterly disappointed with the complete lack of clarification regarding the evaluation of individual properties and the arrangement of the crop fee.

I heard that after the First World War, the government, based on an act similar to this one, created land for fruit farms in the southern Okanagan and sold the lots to returning soldiers and then sold the remainder to the general public. Therefore, I supposed that if there was any property remaining, it would be sold to the general public as well. However, this compulsory purchase happened during the war, and I had no idea whether this was happening through the lobbying power of the Veterans’ Association or the will of the government.

In the middle of December 1942, soon after the establishment of the Nikkei Fishing Boat Disposal Committee, there was a proposal, through Mr. Johnson, asking for special consideration of a few hundred fishermen veterans. I communicated through Mr. Johnson that by the order-in-council we were obliged to treat every fisherman equally concerning sale contracts. He was requested to “Please contact and start negotiations as soon as possible with Nikkei owners or members of the Liaison Committee.” Nothing much developed from this communication. Perhaps only a limited few were involved in this endeavour.

May 26:

Regular weekly meeting

The messages from the Custodian were as follows:

  1. As a result of repeated negotiations, based on requests of relocated Nikkei people, eight houses have been sold up until today.
  2. There are another 17 houses which are being advertised for liquidation. Two of them have already sold, and the registration documents were being drawn up. The remaining 15 houses were in the middle of negotiations.
  3. The real estate catalogue was sent to the printing shop today.

Justice Smith said:

“The Order-in-Council PC 469, issued this January 19, 1943, clarified the right of the Custodian to sell the properties of Nikkei people, and there is no room for Nikkei people to stop this through the court of appeals. Also, it is clear to us how difficult it would be to protect over 400 Nikkei properties, including stores, houses, and other buildings. That is why we have approved the sales, to minimize losses. The committee was always trying to minimize Nikkei losses. You have been doing a great job, and your resignation will not improve the situation of Nikkei people. It would be more beneficial for you to postpone your resignation for a couple of weeks, at least, and participate in the drafting of advertising for the Custodian.”

Because of this advice, I agreed to postpone my resignation until the next meeting, on June 2.

June 2:

Regular weekly meeting (at the committee office)

The Custodian sought the committee’s opinion regarding the following:

  1. Is it necessary to increase the number of evaluators? Should we hire those who were recommended by Mr. Reeve? (approved)
  2. Regarding the advertising of properties, we should divide them equally into three and advertise 150 houses at a time, putting some time between the sale deadlines. (approved)
  3. A list of real estate agents and lawyers appointed by Nikkei owners was presented, and a preliminary draft of the advertisement would be presented at the next regular meeting.

Drafting Real Estate Advertising

June 9:

Regular weekly meeting

A draft of real estate advertising through the Custodian’s tender system was presented, along with two pages of a rough copy of the catalogue.

Following is the abstract of the advertisement.

  1. The bidder must use one envelope per real estate bid. If a bidder wants to bid on several pieces of real estate, he must use separate envelopes.
  2. When a bidder bids on several pieces of real estate using the alternative tender method, the Custodian will recognize only the real estate listed first and negate the others.
  3. A 10 per cent deposit on each bid is required for the Custodian.
  4. Every bid shall use an envelope addressed to the Custodian with “Tender for Real Estate – Catalogue Parcel No. …” clearly written on it.
  5. The bidding can be done through full payment or on an instalment plan. In the case of an instalment plan, the bidder needs to come up with a minimum down payment of …, with the remaining amount paid to …, … each year for … years.
  6. The people with tenders shall calculate a necessary adjustment (for example, of taxes and rent) on the transfer document’s date in the case of full payment and in the case of an instalment payment, on the date of the sale contract.
  7. Real estate with a lease contract or encumbrance shall be a collateral condition.
  8. Before handing over the transfer document, in the case of full payment, and the sale contract, in the case of an instalment payment, the Custodian reserves the right to cancel approval of tender and return the deposit.
  9. The Custodian is not responsible for matters such as the location of the real estate, the condition of the structures, or the degree of improvements.
  10. The deposits of unsuccessful tender applicants shall be returned to them.
  11. The highest bid or any other bids are not necessarily accepted.
  12. The bidding on properties in group A of the catalogue will be accepted by noon on July …, 1943. The deadline for other groups shall be announced later. (Regarding real estate transferred to the Custodian to be sold, see the catalogue in the real estate agency offices in the city, and obtain the necessary information and suggestions.)

The Custodian sought the opinions of the committee regarding the following issues related to the above.

Consultation Regarding Sale Advertisements

  1. The minimum amount of down payment and the maximum period of payment for the instalment plan.
  2. Newspapers to place the advertisements in.
  3. Number of times the advertisement will run.
  4. The date the first advertisement will run and if it is necessary to post more than once.
  5. The Custodian is thinking of setting the bidding deadline about 30 days after the posting of the advertisement. What do you think about this?
  6. The Custodian thinks it desirable that the evaluator keep the evaluation a secret until the deadline. What do you think?
  7. All the bidding shall be kept sealed until the deadline, to be opened in the presence of the Advisory Committee. What do you think?
  8. As stated in the advertisement, on the envelope it shall be clearly written “Tender for Real Estate Catalogue Number …,” but if the envelope is opened by accident because of the lack of this notation, we think it shall be returned to tender. What do you think?

After deliberation, the committee responded to the Custodian as follows.

  1. In principle, the minimum down payment shall be 30 per cent, with the period of settlement within three years. However, depending on the state of the property, if it is necessary to increase the down payment and to shorten the period of settlement, an appropriate measure shall be taken accordingly.
  2. Items 3 and 4 are within the discretion of the Custodian.
  3. Approved.
  4. Yes.
  5. Approved.
  6. Yes.

Approval of Resignation

After that, Justice Smith accepted Mr. Kimura’s resignation and promised to send the telegram to the secretary of state.

(In the evening, Justice Smith invited Mr. Kimura, Mr. Jones, and Mr. McMaster for dinner, and Mr. Kimura went home by night train.)

Recollections

Various Anti-Nikkei Campaigns

Ever since the Japanese arrived in BC, they have had to endure persistent anti-Nikkei campaigns. Aside from the olden days, in March 1938 a member of Parliament, who always took up absurd rumours and used them as material for anti-Nikkei campaigns, made a proposition to Parliament that they cancel as meaningless an existing gentleman’s agreement with Japan. He said that the number of illegal Japanese immigrants exceeded the number of allocated immigrants.

In Vancouver City Council, despite the confirmation of legal advisers that this was an obvious abuse of power, a councillor came up with a proposal to “refuse the application of business licences from Toyojin.” As well, there was a demand to create a law to “restrict the activities of Japanese merchants to within a Japanese clientele.” Around the same time, city council took up the propaganda statement, “The majority of cod-fishing union members were Nikkei people, and they were trying to raise the price unilaterally.” Council created a marketing committee, which held “public hearings” about the price of cod for a considerable length of time. Although the committee had invited many witnesses and spent large sums of money, the result was “nothing.” It looked bad to bury this investigative report, so the committee, to save face, submitted it to the Ministry of Fisheries as a reference at the end of October. The ministry pointed out that four main judgments (discoveries) written in the report were lacking in reliability.

To restrict Toyojin’s business licences, it was necessary to change the city charter. However, city council could not resist their unreasonable aldermen, and a draft of the amendment was tabled in the provincial Parliament in the middle of November. Part of their reasoning was that the ratio of licences issued to Vancouver Toyojin in 1937 was as follows:

Boat-builders                                                                     28.57%

Cleaners and dye factories             53.47%

Dressmakers                                                                     53.01%

Fish shops                                                                         44.44%

Vegetable shops                                                    91.44%

Food stores                                                                       19.82%

Laundry clerical workers                           89.58%

Laundries                                                                          64.28%

Chicken meat and egg shops                     38.09%

Sewing shops                                                                    29.59%

Peddlers                                                                            55.32%

The increase of licences issued to Japanese workers for the 10 years between 1927 and 1937 was 74 per cent. For Chinese workers, there was a 34.7 per cent increase. I supposed that what they wanted to say was that they were an economic threat. (However, the most important statistical numbers, such as amount of production, volume of business, and number of employees, etc., were not there. Of course, they did not refer to the trades Toyojin were not engaged in or the occupations Toyojin were banned from.) Some members in the Private Bill Committee were sympathetic toward city council, but because it was clearly an illegal abuse of power, they could not possibly agree to the draft and refused the amendment on November 23.

Seemingly plausible rumours were spread that Nikkei fishermen had special maps, much more detailed than those of Hakujin fishermen, or that Japanese Navy spies disguised as fishermen were snooping along the coast.

For Nikkei gill-net fishermen, things had been peaceful since 1929, but suddenly in April the boat puller’s licences (the so-called “partner’s licences”), which was related to their fishing operations, were reduced by 40 per cent. (Since then, licence reductions continued yearly, with the licence completely abolished by 1941.)

The proposal to cancel the gentleman’s agreement with Japan mentioned earlier was voted down in Parliament. The government, to prevent resubmission of the draft, appointed a board of review for illegal immigrants on March 14. The meetings were held in strict secrecy in various locations in BC, with testimonies and names coming by mail. (In Vancouver, the meeting was held on March 24, 1938, in the Immigration Hall.) The chairman was Dr. Hugh L. Keenleyside from the Department of External Affairs. The members were Mr. F.W. Taylor, district superintendent of immigration, and Inspector G.W. Fish from the RCMP.

At the same time, responding to a question in Parliament, the government announced that for eight years, from 1930 to 1937, they had sent back the following number of people to Japan as illegal immigrants.

  • 4 people
  • 7 people
  • 59 people
  • 26 people
  • 17 people
  • 10 people
  • 13 people
  • 9 people

In late December, a Nisei pioneer expressed his opinion that Nikkei people were congregated only along the west coast and somehow that put us in a disadvantaged position. He thought it desirable that we spread ourselves across Canada. Some of those who were professional anti-Nikkei campaigners abused this remark and started the propaganda, “See, the Japanese are planning to take over the entire economy of Canada.”

Board of Review Report on Illegal Entry

In the middle of January1939, the board of review on illegal immigrants presented in its report to Parliament that the number of people who testified or reported illegal entry was unexpectedly small.

The following was an example of investigative results from about 100 Nikkei people.

Voluntary return                6 people

Sent home                                     23 people

Residential permit              4 people

Legal entry                        36 people

False report                                   10 people

Residence unknown          21 people

Total                                                          100 people

Besides this report, the results of an investigation by the Department of Immigration and the RCMP were included. According to this result, before 1932 there were about 3,000 illegal entries in total. Among them, about 1,500 cases were related to interpreters at the immigration office, and the other 1,500 were reported by other sources, including people who had run away from their boats. The breakdown was as follows.

Sent home                                                                                                                         161 people

Residential permits                                                                                                47 people

Voluntarily returned to Japan, afraid of arrest       2,300people

Residence unknown                                                                                              400 people

Total                                                                                                                                              3,000 people

There were very few illegal entries after 1932, and the report concluded that the number of illegal entries were miniscule. There was no evidence of the mass illegal entries they were being accused of. Even though the results of various investigations proved them innocent, persistent anti-Nikkei propaganda continued.

February 28:

A member of the BC Parliament submitted a written query:

“There is a rumour that under the supervision of the Japanese Navy, installations for hidden oil tanks are being dug somewhere in the Queen Charlotte Islands. I wonder if the government has investigated this rumour or not, if so, I ask the government to announce the result.” (This question was a friendly one, intended to stop the spread of irresponsible rumours.) Of course, the rumour was a false one, misinterpreting a trial mining dig. After that, there were people who spread the false rumour of a massive illegal entry operation based in the Queen Charlotte Islands.

A newspaper reported in late April that an alderman, who would be a candidate in the next election for the provincial Parliament, insisted on stopping Nikkei people from penetrating the fishing industry and again took up the issue of business licences with the city as if it were a huge problem. He came up with a set of unbelievable licence ratios and insisted that his intention was to maintain a high standard of living for Hakujin citizens, not to persecute Toyojin based on racial prejudice.

In early August, an alderman proposed that the city council attach covenants at the time of sales to properties the city owns (including residential lots) to stop them falling into the hands of Toyojin. By creating this covenant, regardless of whether it would be a civic trade or an auction, the covenant shall be inherited as a condition of the sale. By doing so, we would narrow the scope of the sales but protect them forever by making it impossible for Toyojin to own or rent them.

During deliberation, the legality of the eternal binding condition was questioned, and it was transferred to the Department of Law. It never surfaced again. Perhaps they realized that it could not be done. A week later, another alderman proposed that the council reject all new applications for commercial licences from Toyojin. Newspapers reported that the alderman had gone too far.

“If we make it clear to Toyojin that they have no opportunity to engage in commercial activities in our city, they will go home. I don’t care whether the refusal of the licences is against international law or human morality. The duty of city council is first of all to serve the future welfare of the citizens.”

This sort of proposal will never pass in council, but I suppose it was appealing to some segment of the population.

In the fall, by the order of Hon. George S. Pearson, commissioner of fisheries, the production of salted salmon was banned. Thus, salted salmon produced in Canada and exported every year to Japan disappeared. Chum salmon used to be used for the salted salmon, and now it was used for canning in order to increase food production. In a case like this, usually some kind of compensation was provided to the producers, exporters, as well as workers related to the industry. However, it seemed no such consideration was made in this case. The commissioner of fisheries also ordered the hiring, in the salt-cod factories, of more Hakujin or Dojin workers to render the number of Nikkei workers less than half. Thus, employment opportunities for Nikkei people were getting ever narrower.

According to a newspaper report, the November issue of Liberty magazine praised the State of California for noticing the yellow peril at an early stage and taking appropriate measures against it. In BC as well, many said that unless we considered excluding Toyojin from each industry, in three or four generations time it would be a Nikkei province. If we didn’t solve it now, the solution would be more and more difficult. Therefore, even with the expense of it, somehow we must find ways to deport and get rid of them altogether in a few years. Let them prosper in their ancestral land. That is the only way to stop future disasters.

I don’t think it is enough for some people to simply write in the abstract “persistent anti-Nikkei propaganda continued,” so I have written some of the concrete examples so far. If readers think I am stirring up racial hatred, that would be the complete opposite of my intention. To avoid this sort of misunderstanding, I will simplify hereafter.

Both in 1940 and 1941, similar kinds of anti-Nikkei propaganda continued. Of course, there were considerable numbers of people who rightly argued to give proper rights to Nikkei people. However, news media preferred to report sensational material, appealing to the mood of the times. These moral people could not correct the distorted view of many in the general public.

National Registration: Report of Dr. Carrothers, etc.

In 1940, from August 19 to the 21, national citizenship registration of those over 16 years of age was held. All Nikkei people participated and registered themselves. This registration was about people over 16 years old and does not reflect the total population of Nikkei. However, in February 1937, Dr. Carrothers investigated the issue of the Toyojin population for the Rowell-Sirois Commission, and according to this report the Nikkei population was as follows:

  • 25,886 people
  • 26,288 people

(Note: 1931 – 23,342; 1941 – 23,194; 1951 – 21,663)

And he added:

  1. The numbers above were calculated on the basis of Provincial Statistic Bureau of BC information that the total population of Nikkei was 22,205 in 1931.
  2. Recent immigration from Japan is miniscule, but the majority of immigrants are wives, so the birth rate is rising.
  3. If we estimate the total population of Nikkei at the end of this century with the present rate of increase, it would reach 180,000. However, in reality it won’t be that high because the birth rate will gradually decrease and on the other hand the death rate will increase.

(Note: If we take a look every 10 years at the Canadian census, it is obvious how sloppy Dr. Carrothers’s assumptions are.)

The population of Chinese Canadians:

  1. On the basis of a 1931 population of 27,139, we estimated that they would reach 21,740 people by 1936.
  2. In recent years, the entry of Chinese women was banned, and some old Chinese either went home or died from old age. Therefore, the rate of decrease in Chinese population was 25 per cent annually.
  3. The Chinese population would be zero in 15 years if we calculate it based on the above decreasing rate. However, in reality, the birth rate would gradually increase, preventing such a scenario.

In April of 1938, the Canada Japanese Association investigated the size of their population alongside their occupations. They announced the results as follows:

Canadian-born                               13,143

Naturalized citizens                         2,316

Japanese nationality                         7,381

Total                                                                      22,840

There were some who investigated which result was more credible. Some thought the calculations of Dr. Carrothers, based on the 1931 Bureau of Statistics records, might lack the number of Nikkei people who went home. However, around the time of the above-mentioned national registration, those who were enthusiastic in spreading anti-Nikkei propaganda quoted those two differing results. They condemned the results of the Canada Japanese Association as sloppy and those of Dr. Carrothers as not credible and maintained that there were 30,000 Nikkei people, including illegal immigrants.

They claimed that Nikkei people educate their children differently in their language schools; therefore, they were not trustworthy.

“Don’t enlist them in the military.”

“Don’t give them the honour of participating in military training.”

“Watch out for their acts of spying.”

“Check illegal immigrants, and send them home.”

There was a great deal of noisy propaganda being spread.

Standing Committee for Special Registration of Nikkei People

The government, with the intention of stopping the negative propaganda, promised in early November to hold a special registration in the near future. Members of the standing committee were appointed to oversee registration as follows:

Chairman               F.J. Hume, mayor of New Westminster

Member                 H.F. Angus, UBC professor

Member                 F.J. Mead, assistant commissioner, RCMP

Member                 M.F. Macintosh, Lieutenant General, MLA, BC

Member                 A.W. Sparling, DSD, GSD, Military Dist. No.11

(Special Note: On February 19, 1941, 12 Nikkei people were appointed by the government to the Standing Committee for Special Registration of Nikkei people.)

Prime Minister Mackenzie King issued a very careful statement.

The Statement of Prime Minister Mackenzie King

“In order to protect Nikkei people who are being unfairly treated, and at the same time to remove illegal Japanese immigrants if they exist in Canada, the government has decided to hold a special registration of Nikkei people. After consulting with Nikkei community leaders, a standing committee has been appointed to supervise this registration.

“At the national registration held last August, the question ‘Whether this was a legal entry or not’ was not included. This time we ask this question clearly, and will issue certification cards which will verify the status of those who entered the country legally and those who were born in Canada. We hope that by doing this we will eliminate any suspicions for good. At the same time, the government will take measures to protect law abiding Toyojin and their property from those who act selfishly, illegally, and are influenced by rumours and irresponsible opinions.

“Under the current circumstances, we cannot say there is no possibility of undue incidents, and the government will put off for now the conscription of Toyojin into the military. We ask them to contribute to the country through other venues.

“To deal with the issue of Toyojin creating turmoil in BC, we appointed the following people to be members of a special committee and had them review and analyze the issues. We have received a report from the following:

Lieutenant Colonel A.W. Sparling, DSD (convener)

Dr. Hugh L. Keenleyside, Counselor, Dept. of External Affairs

F.J. Mead, Assistant Commissioner, RCMP

Sir George Sanson, Ex Commercial Counselor, British Embassy, Tokyo

“There is a rumour in the street that in recent years many Toyojin are entering Canada illegally, but that is simply not true. We have received reports that whether they are immigrants or born in this country, the great majority of Toyojin citizens are completely loyal to Canada. The government shares this view. The important issues concerning the Toyojin in the province of BC are based on wrong information, which unjustly attacks the loyalty and rectitude of Toyojin. It is harmful to the public peace to have attacks, such as those of a few weeks ago, arousing public opinion. The government is satisfied that military and judiciary authorities are well prepared to deal with any possible disturbance. Therefore, the general public should understand that the government has made sufficient arrangements to deal with any situation.”

Despite Prime Minister King’s announcement, anti-Nikkei propaganda continued to be rampant in Vancouver.

At the end of January, because someone in city council persistently attacked Japanese language education, there was a meeting of enquiry to study educational policy and school conditions. Representing Japanese language schools, Principal Mr. Sato, Chief Officer Mr. Ishihara, and others attended the meeting. Some Nikkei representatives from the community also attended as observers. I heard that their answers and explanations were received favourably.

(Note: The chairman of this meeting was Alderman Jones, who was appointed to be a member of the Advisory Committee on Japanese Properties.)

Special Registration of Nikkei People

From March 4, 1941, a special registration was held under the supervision of the RCMP, first in Vancouver, then spreading to other places. After an investigation, white cards for Canadian-born Nikkei people, salmon-pink cards for naturalized Nikkei people, and yellow cards for those of Japanese nationality were given as certification.

The cards were carefully elaborated. On the front there was a photo of the cardholder, the date of registration, nationality, the seal of the RCMP, as well as the signature of the registration officer. On the back was the registration number, name, sex, occupation, age, height, weight, distinguishing characteristics, fingerprint, and signature of the cardholder. The polite, straightforward attitude of the staff made a very good impression on Nikkei people, especially the way they carefully wiped off ink after fingerprinting.

(Note: At this registration, they investigated family matters. Later on, I heard that the population of Nikkei stood at 23,427. This was the number reported to the government by the Special Registration Standing Committee.)

The Outbreak of the Pacific War and the Removal of All Nikkei People

On December 7, the Pacific War suddenly broke out. Fishing boats owned by Nikkei people, which had always been the target of anti-Nikkei propaganda, were impounded under the Naval Order of Impoundment in a relatively short period of time. Boat-owners cooperated, and crews went home safely through an arrangement with the RCMP. Later, a curfew was imposed on Nikkei people, and they could not go out after sunset. Their cars, hunting rifles, radios, cameras, and so on were temporarily confiscated by the police.

Anti-Nikkei agitators must have thought that this was a great opportunity to lift up nationalistic spirits. They drummed up the fighting spirit of the military, escalated anti-Nikkei propaganda, and intensified anti-Nikkei sentiment among the general public.

On the 25th, the British territory of Hong Kong fell. Before this fall, Canada had sent reinforcements where defence was generally considered to be militarily impossible. All survivors were captured as Japanese prisoners of war and sent to prison camps. I wonder what went through the mind of Prime Minister King seeing the parallel of Nikkei people in Canada and Canadian soldiers in Japanese camps.

Back in 1907, in spite of it being peacetime, a mob agitated by anti-Nikkei propaganda attacked and damaged Japan Town. The present prime minister, Mackenzie King, deputy minister of labour at the time, had a bitter experience investigating into the real circumstance of this riot. He must have been afraid that now, under wartime circumstances, someone might actually harm Nikkei people and if such awful things were to happen, the Japanese military might take revenge on Canadian soldiers. I think that the prime minister, after deep deliberation, concluded to send all Nikkei people to a safe place as soon as possible.

Due to the many years of anti-Nikkei propaganda, the general public everywhere was hesitant about receiving Nikkei people. (For the sake of simplification, I have not so far referred to this incident, but in July of 1939, someone politically important in Ontario called for the extradition of Nikkei people. Nowadays, Nikkei people can live safely anywhere, but in the beginning, when Nikkei people started spreading to the prairies and eastern Canada, most places accepted them only temporarily to supplement the shortage of labour on condition of them returning to BC after the war.)

Except for a few cases, most Nikkei people accepted the Order for Removal of Nikkei people by the government, followed the instructions of the BC Security Commission, and gradually moved. On October 31, 1942, evacuation from the coast was completed. What warmed my heart during this move was the demonstration of mutual help among Nikkei people, who endured hardships in the places they were sent to. I was also deeply moved by the sincere efforts of young people.

Thus, most Nikkei people safely moved to the interior of BC, with a considerable number of families being sent to southern Alberta. Some Nikkei men who were sent to a road construction camp in the beginning somehow found a way to reunite with their families in their places of evacuation. Government staff in charge of the removal felt it was a job well done, but as a consequence of the removals, a lot of Nikkei properties were left in the hands of the Custodian.

Anti-Nikkei agitators took this opportunity to proclaim, maliciously, that all property belonging to Nikkei people should be disposed of to prevent their return to the west coast. They also said that they should all be sent back to Japan after the war whether they liked it or not and regardless of whether they were naturalized or Canadian-born. With these campaigns, Nikkei properties, on top of the damages incurred from being vacant, were suffering from theft and break-ins. The Custodian, in an effort to stop the increasing damages, concluded that there was no other choice but to liquidate them, an opinion he shared with the government.

The government, which had made every effort to ensure the safety of Nikkei people, now faced the issue of their properties. They debated the Custodian’s proposal in a special cabinet meeting and decided to allow the liquidation due to the lack of an alternative. To minimize criticism toward liquidation sales by the Custodian, the government set up the Advisory Committee as an independent organization. That is the background to the events I covered in this article.

The Condition of Nikkei Properties in an Area Heavily Populated by Nikkei People

According to the zoning bylaws, the areas where the properties of Nikkei people were tightly packed were as follows: (I think these zonings remain the same.)

  1. In Alexander Street, the eastern half of the 100 numbers and the western half of the 200 numbers were commercially zoned. East of this was industrial zoning.
  2. Powell Street was the same as Alexander Street.
  3. East Cordova Street, the 100 numbers and the western half, the 200 numbers, were commercially zoned. East of them was industrial zoning.
  4. In Hastings Street, numbers up to 300 were commercially zoned. To the east was industrially zoned.
  5. The Fairview area was all industrially zoned.

Therefore, when someone demolished an existing building and tried to build a new one, he had to build conforming to the zoning or ask for an exemption of the zoning from the city. This was cumbersome. Or again, if we tried to sell a lot for a factory, under the circumstances when construction rates were down, that was not easy either. Among the old buildings, there were many that required repairs to conform under the Fire Prevention Act. In addition, buildings with rental contracts were shabby and appeared to be only temporary lodging quarters. To make things worse, under the circumstance of rampant anti-Nikkei propaganda trying to stop the return of Nikkei people, prices of the properties kept dropping. It was a very pessimistic state of affairs.

Comment

As I mentioned previously, I resigned from the Advisory Committee position on July 9, so I did not know the sale price of individual properties. It is not difficult to imagine that prices were generally far below what most Nikkei people had expected. That is to say, the underpinnings of their lives that they had worked so hard for, over long years, were to a great extent destroyed.

Concern about physical assaults was mitigated by virtue of the removal into camps. Losses from quick voluntary liquidations that didn’t go through the Custodian seemed to amount to a considerable sum. Furthermore, they endured emotional pain and hardships in the places they were moved to. There were very sad cases where mental worry and the result of enforced travel hastened death. There were cases of unexpected sudden death.

I would say that these miseries were the result of the war and the persistent campaign of anti-Nikkei agitators.

I heard from an elderly man that Mr. Tomekichi Honma’s appeal to obtain the right to vote was not successful because of the constitutional Natal Act. (Those who are not listed on the provincial voting lists do not have suffrage with the federal government of Canada.)

In May of 1936, four representatives of the Nikkei second generation, with a petition to present to the Parliamentary Election Committee, went to Ottawa to ask for change to the 1934 Election Act that would give voting rights to Nikkei people. They seemed to get a very sympathetic response and laid the foundation for voting rights, but that goal still lay in the distance.

As people actually encountered Nikkei people who had moved and spread all over Canada, they soon realized that past discrimination was unjust. They gradually came to know the true value of Nikkei people. The accumulated anti-Nikkei sentiment evaporated, and people became open and warm. The designation of BC’s west coast as a defence region was abolished, and distorted public opinions were replaced by more generous ones. In the end, the BC provincial government gave voting rights to Canadian-born and naturalized Nikkei people.

The Canadian federal government followed suit, and consequently, it became possible for Nikkei people to engage in professions it was not possible until then to consider because of lack of voting rights. Nikkei people endured many sacrifices, but now paths for success have opened up in various fields.

Letters Advising Resignation from the Advisory Committee on Japanese Properties

In regard to the liquidation of properties and assets owned by Japanese, it is hereby recognized that your appointment in the Committee runs counter to the general public opinion of your fellow countrymen in Canada. We advise you to resign from the post as soon as possible.

April 26, 1943

To Mr. Kishizo Kimura

From the Assembly for Protecting Properties Owned by Japanese in Kaslo

(Envelope) Examined By Censor

Japanese Property Owners’ Association

Mr. K. Kimura

Forward to:

#1012 Royal Bank Building

Office of the Custodian

Vancouver, BC

Received May 5, 1943

Mr. Kishizo Kimura

Dear Sir,

I inform you that we had the following resolution at the General Assembly of Removed Japanese Property Owners in the Slocan District:

Resolution

Regarding the liquidation of the properties and assets owned by Japanese people, we consider that your acceptance of the Committee position runs counter to the general opinion of your fellow countrymen in Canada and we advise you to resign from the post as soon as possible.

The above resolution was adopted.

April 24, 1943

General Assembly of Removed Japanese Property Owners in the Slocan District

Mr. Kinosita

(Envelope) Examined By Censor

Mr. Kishizo Kimura

c/o Patricia Hotel

Vancouver, BC

Received May 20, 1943

Examined By Censor

A Memorandum on the Events Surrounding the Liquidation of Fishing Boats Owned by Nikkei People

Photographs of Fishing Boats in the Impoundment Area

Establishment of the Committee for the Liquidation of Fishing Boats

The Appointment of Liquidation Committee Members

The Start-up of the Committee

Requesting the Appointment of Nikkei Liaison Committee Members

Inspection of the Impoundment Area

Making a Catalogue of Fishing Boats

The Appointment of Surveyors

The Advisory Committee Regarding Requisitioned Vessels

The Announcement of the Removal of All Nikkei People

Committee Decision Regarding Difficult Contracts

The Peak of the Fishing-Boat Sale

Releasing the Boats to General Demand

The Transfer of Remaining Boats

The Expense of Moving the Fishing Boats

Transferring the Committee’s Remaining Tasks to the Custodian

The Fishing Boats Dealt with by the Committee

The Breakdown of the Buyers

Monthly Sales

The Age of Vessels

Cases of Compensation for Damages

The General Accounts Report

The Number of Cases Investigated by Surveyors

The Number of People Who Looked at the Boats

Unusual and Exceptional Cases

Afterward

My Impressions

To the Second and Third Generations

(Attachment) An Example from the Fishing Boat Catalogue

Part II The Advisory Committee on Nikkei Properties in Greater Vancouver

The Course of Events Leading up to the Establishment of the Committee

Advisory Committee on Japanese Properties, Rural Division

Clarification of Orders-in-Council and an Explanation of the Function of the Custodian

First Meeting of the Committee

Inspection of the Properties Owned by Nikkei People

List of Real Estate Owned by Nikkei People

Main Policy Decisions

Items under Deliberation

Special Deliberation Regarding Lots Next to Munitions Factory

The Liquidation of a Fraser River Farm

Drafting Real Estate Advertising

Consultation Regarding Sale Advertisements

Approval of Resignation

Recollections:

Various Anti-Nikkei Campaigns

Board of Review Report on Illegal Entry

National Registration: Report of Dr. Carrothers , etc.

Standing Committee for Special Registration of Nikkei People

The Statement of Prime Minister Mackenzie King

Special Registration of Nikkei People

The Outbreak of the Pacific War and the Removal of All Nikkei People

The Condition of Nikkei Properties in an Area Heavily Populated by Nikkei People

Comment

Attachment: Letters Advising Resignation from the Advisory Committee on Japanese Properties (Kaslo, Slocan)

Part I

A Memorandum on the Events Surrounding the Liquidation of Fishing Boats Owned by Nikkei People

Photographs of Fishing Boats in the Impoundment Area

No. 1

Impounded Vessels at Annieville Dyke on the Fraser River

Prior to Reconditioning for Sale

No. 2

Close-up of a Small Group of the Vessels Shown in Photograph No. 1

The Impoundment Scene before Lining up the Vessels

No. 3

Vessels at North Trots near Robson Island

New Westminster in the Background

No. 4

Vessels at South Trots near Annacis Island

North Trots in Centre Background

New Westminster in the Far Background

The Impoundment Scene after Lining up the Boats

This document includes matters prohibited for release at the time by the Wartime Secrecy Act. The main section concerns matters reported exclusively to the Minister of Fisheries, Hon. J.E. Michaud, the officer responsible by an order-in-council. I shall record the events chronologically based on the memos of those days.

Establishment of the Committee for the Liquidation of Fishing Boats

January 8, 1942:

One month after the outbreak of the Pacific War, Major J.A. Motherwell, chief supervisor of fisheries, contacted me. He urgently wanted to have a private consultation with me at the Ministry of Fisheries. He told me that the provincial government wanted to increase the food supply. They planned to promptly release impounded Nikkei fishing boats into the hands of Hakujin and Dojin fishermen so that they could go out fishing. An order-in-council was being drafted for this purpose. To facilitate the sale or rental of these boats, they were creating a special committee. A judge would be appointed as chairman, with a representative from the Ministry of Defence as another member. Mr. Motherwell was to recommend myself as a representative from the Nikkei community and urged me to accept.

The recommended sale prices for seiners and packers were clearly stated in the yearly survey report for the purpose of disaster and fire insurance. Their rental price could be easily ascertained by checking past charter contracts. However, regarding the smaller boats such as gill-netters, trollers, trawlers, and cod-fishing boats, no one placed insurance on them because insurance was limited to the total loss. Therefore, there was no price recommended in the survey report and hardly any examples of their chartering fees, making it very difficult to determine a price. So it was difficult for me to carry out my duties as a committee member.

I stated that there was a Nikkei fishermen’s organization, that Mr. Ritsu Ide had been its director for many years, and that he would be the right person for the job. The following day, on the ninth, I called Mr. Ide, and he said he had already spoken to Mr. Motherwell that morning and that he had recommended me to him. He encouraged me to accept the position, and I made it a condition that the Nikkei fishermen’s organization would support me. I promised that I would make up my mind after one day of deliberation.

I reported back to Mr. Motherwell, and he told me that the draft of the order-in-council had already been completed because of the urgency of the situation, and it would take effect on the 12th. The committee chairman and member from the Ministry of Defence had already been chosen.

Before this happened, Nikkei volunteers from Vancouver and the surrounding area had met regularly in Vancouver to discuss their wartime safety. Recalling the anti-Nikkei riots of 1907, which had occurred during peacetime, they were afraid of the current mood of the population in this time of war. There was anxiety, fear, and even hatred being directed toward them. If an incident occurred, it would be very difficult to protect women, children, and the elderly. The group had been discussing their temporary evacuation to a safe place before the threat became urgent. On the 11th of January, I visited their meeting place and summarized, to the people in the fishing industry, the conversation I had had with Mr. Motherwell. They promised to back me up whenever necessary.

Early on the morning of the 12th, there was a call from Mr. Motherwell. He persuaded me to accept the committee position, saying that both the chairman and the member from the Ministry of Defence were familiar to me.

The Appointment of Liquidation Committee Members

January 13:

Order-in-Council PC 288 was announced, stating that the chairman of the committee would be Hon. Justice Sidney S. Smith, a justice at the BC Supreme Court and a full-time judge at the Marine Affairs Court. The representative from the Ministry of Defence was Commander Barney L. Johnson of the reserved forces. He volunteered to active duty and was an associate partner of Johnson Walton Steamship Ltd. Mr. Kishizo Kimura was also appointed to represent Nikkei people.

January 15:

There was a phone call from Justice Smith asking me to visit him in his private room at the courthouse. The content of our conversation was as follows:

  1. Once the management of the committee was on track, he wanted Mr. Johnson and me to run the committee. Should any disagreement occur, he would join the discussion.
  2. He also said that we needed to hire someone to handle the business end of things, and he wanted me to recommend someone.

I accepted the first proposal, but regarding the second I responded that the recommendation should come from Justice Smith and then Mr. Johnson will probably accept it.

January 18:

Mr. Johnson returned to Vancouver from Halifax, and on the 19th, the three of us gathered at the private courthouse room of Justice Smith for an unofficial meeting. We discussed the hiring of a deputy director. The judge recommended Mr. A.E. McMaster, the former manager of the Powell River Pulp & Paper Company, as a very able and competent person with a great personality. He also held Mr. Ginjiro Fujiwara, at Oji Paper Manufacturing Company, in high esteem. Mr. Johnson and I agreed and asked him to proceed with the hiring. We decided to have an official meeting the next day including Mr. McMaster and then discussed other necessary matters.

The Startup of the Committee

January 24:

In Justice Smith’s private courthouse quarters, the three of us, plus Mr. McMaster, held the first official committee meeting.

  1. We decided to name the committee “The Japanese Fishing Vessels Disposal ”
  2. We approved the appointment of Mr. McMaster as deputy director and left it to him to open the office, hire office workers, and do other necessary things, as well as writing a draft of the proposal.
  3. We established the offices in Rooms 1528, 1529, and 1530 of the Marine Building.
  4. Large fishing vessels (registered in the British Shipping Registry) could be easily chartered, but chartering the simply licensed small vessels would be another matter. Protecting the owners, the vessels had to be insured for total loss. (The insurance company did not issue partial insurance.) Also, to prepare for the event of partial damage, a deposit equivalent to the repair work would be required. (In order to make absolutely sure, an amount equal to the value of the vessel had to be deposited.) Also, Nikkei fishermen would be anxious about the maintenance standards of Hakujin and Dojin fishermen, and cases of dispute about the extent of deterioration of vessels would be confusing to settle. Considering these points, the committee decided in the end that small fishing vessels should be sold at market value.

(Note: If we adopt an instalment payment method, in the case of a total loss, the mortgage and insurance will kick in, and the insurance company will cover the remaining portion for the former owner. In the case of a partial loss, the insurance company will not cover it. The new owner must pay for the cost of rescue and repair. If these costs are too high, the new owner, who is unable to pay, will abandon the boat, and the former owner will possibly end up with an abandoned and damaged boat.)

  1. To raise office operating costs, although the amount needed was unknown, we decided to charge 1 per cent of the sale price or charter fee and pay the rest to the owner immediately.

(Note: This was enacted into law by Order-in-Council PC 987, issued on February 14. The BC Security Commission felt uneasy handing over such a huge amount of money to the fishermen, proposing instead to put the money temporarily into the hands of the Custodian, with gradual payouts to fishermen. However, it was decided eventually to pay the fishermen as the order-in-council indicated.)

  1. To prepare for eventual damage to the fishing boats, we would create a damage investigation organization. This to be comprised of insurance surveyors, Navy surveyors, and licensed civilians, who would be charged with making an appraisal report. They would examine the time of damage, its extent, and make a repair estimate.
  2. We decided to create a detailed catalogue of all the fishing boats.
  3. We created a Nikkei Liaison Committee to mediate between the owners and people wishing to purchase the boats. (Note: The work of this committee and the disposal committee was all on a volunteer basis.)
  4. We entrusted Mr. Kimura and Nikkei liaison officers with the job of making a catalogue of fishing boats (mentioned in item 7).
  5. To avoid mistakes and misunderstandings with media outlets, the announcement would be exclusively communicated through the deputy director.
  6. The committee would submit a weekly report to the minister of fisheries and an overall report when it completed its work.

After all these decisions had been made, Mr. Kimura requested the following points, with all members accepting them.

Because newspaper reports (Sun, Province, News Herald, etc.) on this matter were so brief and unclear, people had the impression that enemy Japanese fishing boats had been seized and liquidated as the spoils of war. Therefore, it was necessary to clarify the following points through the deputy director to the people hired by the committee.

  1. Boat owners are Nikkei Canadians or Canadian companies established, approved, and registered according to the Canadian Company Act. Also, some of the boats belong to Nikkei veterans who had volunteered in the Canadian armed forces at the time of the First World War.
  2. Presently, the fishing boats are impounded in an enclosed area under the control of the Ministry of the Navy. However, each owner voluntarily and lawfully entrusted their boats to the government, which ordered the impoundment of the boats by an order-in-council. Almost all the boats impounded near New Westminster were navigated there by the boat-owners from various remote places such as Skeena River, both the east and west coasts of Vancouver Island, the Fraser River, and the Port of Vancouver, following the order or request of the Ministry of the Navy.
  3. This has nothing to do with this committee directly, but the boats under the control of Mr. G.W. McPherson, authorized deputy of the secretary of state and/or Custodian, have not necessarily all been seized. With the exception of boats belonging to owners who violated the law and were interned, the remainder of the boats belonged, as I mentioned in item 1, to Nikkei companies whose stakeholders or owners happened to be in Japan when war broke out and were unable to return to Canada.

Requesting the Appointment of Nikkei Liaison Committee Members

January 26:

The committee decided the following items:

  1. To request the following persons to be Nikkei Liaison Committee members:

Representing the first area of Fraser River: Mr. Unosuke Sakamoto and Mr. Mitsujiro Noguchi

Representing the second region, the Northern Fishing Area:

Mr. Kunisaburo Miwa

Representing the third area, the west coast of Vancouver Island Fishing Area: Mr. Kohei Nakai and Mr. Hideo Fukuyama

Representing the Cod Fishing Union: Mr. Matsunosuke Shinde and as a deputy representative Mr. Hideo Fukuyama

  1. When Liaison Committee members handle sales on behalf of the owners, a letter of attorney from the owner is required.
  2. The letter of attorney mentioned in item 2 shall be created by Mr. Roy Ginn, KC, and the cost shall be covered by the committee.
  3. In the impoundment area (Annieville Dyke Slough), a guide and a Navy barge has to be employed for the inspection of the boats. To avoid congestion, there is a need to limit the issue of inspection permits to those who have already reached some agreement with liaison personnel. However, for the inspection of canneries, a special arrangement shall be considered.
  4. Chief clerk, Mr. Alexander J. Martin, shall exclusively issue permits for boat inspections. Those without a permit are not allowed to go into the impoundment area.
  5. Vancouver Harbour officials are campaigning to convert two large fishing boats into supplemental fireboats. However, because this is not in line with the purpose of the order-in-council, it is not possible to agree to this.

Inspection of the Impoundment Area

Hearing a rumour that many fishing boats were damaged and sunk in the impounded area, three committee members went to investigate. We got onto the Navy barge from New Westminster harbour and entered the impounded area. As we embarked on the inspection, the accompanying Navy officer told us that they were not sure about the number of damaged boats because they were still investigating. They speculated that the Fraser River had frozen and pieces of drifting ice had damaged the boats and, in time, sunk them. We went around the impounded area on a barge but could not see very well because the water was very murky. Even when we tried to see the sunken boats from directly above them, all we could see was a dim exterior shape, and we could not identify the boats. Damage was not confined to the boats impounded outside; the boats in the centre were also damaged. Some of the masts were barely above water. This impoundment area was shallow, with mud shoals, and there was a rumour that the boats leaned on their sides and ran aground at low tide and were swamped at high tide. The committee requested the Navy to investigate promptly and take appropriate action.

January 28:

A committee office was set up.

February 3:

  1. “About 900 of the impounded boats are small fishing vessels. After an initial rush of sales, the committee will be stocked with hundreds of unsold boats, which they will be unable to dispose of.”
  2. “Nikkei fishermen are purposely pricing their boats too high,” stated by a Hakujin fisherman.
  3. “Nikkei fishermen are removing all the important equipment from their boats and storing it in warehouses. Fishing boats without nets are useless.” Such talk shows a complete lack of knowledge of fishing.
  4. “Among Nikkei fishermen, some believe that if they hold on to their boats, eventually they can get a fishing licence and go fishing again.” A newspaper article gave rise to this rumour.

It seems that these three rumours had their start either with those who attempted to lower boat prices or those who believed the lies and propaganda of anti-Nikkei fanatics.

The fourth rumour was due to a newspaper article reporting on Mr. Reid, the representative from New Westminster. He declared in the Legislature that right after the Nikkei boats were impounded by the order-in-council, some fishery companies started a campaign to re-release boats to Nikkei fishermen. He was then forced to name these companies. He explicitly named a Canadian fishing company and BC Packers. Both companies refuted Mr. Reid’s claims in the newspaper.

The committee keenly recognized the need to wipe out these misunderstandings whenever and however possible.

Making a Catalogue of Fishing Boats

February 4:

The Liaison Committee, Fisherman’s Association, Fisherman’s Union, and the boat-owners together collected information to make a catalogue of the 1,037 Nikkei fishing boats. Then, office clerks at the Canadian Salt-Cod Export Company typed up forms with the necessary memos attached. The catalogue was completed much faster than expected and submitted to the committee. (See Appendix for an example from the catalogue.)

(Note: Among the 1,037 boats, those belonging to interned owners or absent owners stuck in Japan were not included. The committee has nothing to do with those boats.)

Catalogue details were as follows:

  1. Name of vessel
  2. Official number
  3. Naval Control Number
  4. Port and date of registry
  5. Registered gross and net tonnage
  6. Length, width, and depth of vessel
  7. Make and manufacture date of present engine; date if and when reinstalled; horsepower and knot speed
  8. When hull built, rebuilt
  9. Type of vessel (according to its use): seiner; packer; gill-netter; troller; cod fishing boat; trawler; other
  10. Place of operation (for example: Fraser River; Skeena River; west coast of Vancouver Island, etc.)
  11. Replacement value; present value; insured value; date when surveyed last
  12. Charter rate in 1940; chartered to…
  13. Charter rate in 1941; chartered to…
  14. Amount of mortgage, if any; mortgaged to…
  15. Registered owner’s name and address
  16. Actual owner’s name and address

The Ministry of the Navy had also created a simple catalogue of fishing boats, so we compared it with our committee’s catalogue. It seemed to be randomly put together by an assortment of people. There were many mistakes, especially relating to boats from Prince Rupert. There were mistakes with boat names and columns left blank, such as the registry number or the naval control number. Also, the forms were not unified, and typists were obviously not experienced. In some cases, the numbers weren’t in order, and the owners’ names were misspelled.

The majority of the fishing boats impounded in New Westminster were originally tied up randomly as the Nikkei owners brought them in. Under such circumstances, it was difficult to find a desired boat. Mr. McMaster pointed this out to the Navy. The Navy promised to rearrange the rows of boats according to their usage when they refloated the sunken boats.

February 5:

The Navy had started to lift the sunken boats and arrange them according to their use. They said they planned to complete the job in a week. Later, we had a report that six sunken boats were rescued from the water and sent to the Celtic Shipyard.

February 10:

The Navy had already requisitioned the fishing boats. Mr. McMaster reported this to the Ministry of Fisheries and inquired about their need for fishing boats. Mr. Motherwell responded to the deputy director that it would be beneficial for fishing activities if the boats were released in the following order:

  1. Urgent release of the majority of trolling boats for Vancouver Island
  2. The 75 per cent release of seiners as soon as possible
  3. The 25 per cent release of packers as soon as possible
  4. About 75 per cent of salmon gill-netting boats as soon as possible
  5. The rest of the packers
  6. The rest of salmon gill-netting boats
  7. Other boats

February 11:

There was the following report from the Navy:

The total number of sunken boats in the impounded area was 162. Some of them had already been sent to a shipyard, and the rest of them would be sent gradually to the following shipyards: Celtic; Vancouver; Stanley Park; Wright’s; Mercer’s; Chapel Bros.; and others. The cost of repairs would be covered by the government.

(Note: By Order-in-Council PC 3737, issued on May 5, and Order-in-Council PC 6787, issued on July 31, $80,000 was estimated for this expense, and it was decided that it would be covered by war expenditure.)

The Appointment of Surveyors

February 12:

Articles began appearing in newspapers stating that some fishermen considered the prices suggested by fishing boat–owners to be too high. There were inquiries from the Fisheries Institute of BC about which course of action to take when a price could not be agreed upon. At the same time, there was the need to supervise the repair of the damaged boats, to estimate fair repair prices, and to estimate boat values. In order to mediate between boat-owners and purchase applicants, the committee decided to hire two official boat appraisers and requested one civilian with knowledge of fishing boats.

  1. Captain Fred Clarke, surveyor, Marine Underwriters of San Francisco
  2. Captain John Gould, marine surveyor (Note: His specialization was steel steamships, and he did not seem to be actively involved.)
  3. A. Pilkey, the representative from Atlas Marine Engine Co. Ltd. (Note: Mr. Pilkey had a very good knowledge of fishing boats because he was a consultant on fishing boat engines and other equipment.)

The Navy appointed Lieutenant O.W. Phillipson, a marine engineer, to be their surveyor.

February 16:

The deputy minister of fisheries, Dr. D.B. Finn, came to Vancouver and met with Mr. Johnson and Mr. Kimura, the committee members. We explained the decisions we had made and clarified the reasons behind them. Also, we pointed out that once rearrangement of the impoundment area was completed, the sale of fishing boats would be more active.

On the same day, in the conference room of the Canadian Manufacturing Association, we met with several representatives from the Fisheries Institute of BC, the deputy minister of fisheries, Dr. Finn, Mr. Motherwell, and all the committee members, including the deputy director, and explained matters similar to how we had explained them to Dr. Finn. There were fishing boats belonging to canneries, but they had been impounded because they were operated by Nikkei fishermen. The canneries wanted to ready these boats for fishing as soon as possible and asked the committee for help. We promised to negotiate on their behalf with the Navy and to take measures to release them from impoundment once the companies came up with legal papers to prove ownership. Everyone was satisfied, and the meeting was dismissed.

February 18:

The Army proposed to purchase a fishing boat suitable for use as a ferry between Halifax and Sydney. We suggested they choose from among the fishing boats under the control of the Custodian of Enemy Property.

The Custodian asked our opinion about a proposal to convert large fishing boats that were under their custody to fireboats. We declined this proposition because a fishing company had already shown interest in those boats. We informed the Custodian of our intention to give priority to the fishing industry.

February 21:

The Custodian of Enemy Property placed an advertisement of tender in the newspaper to open bids on fishing boats, with bidding to close on the 9th of March. We have asked the Custodian to cooperate with us on the liquidation of fishing boats, even though they are enemy property. They attached a condition on tender, limiting it to bona fide fishermen or fishing companies.

(Note: Among the 40 boats advertised, those belonging to the Nanaimo boat manufacturer, Matsuyama Shokai, were the largest in number. Besides the boats owned by absent owners, such as Mr. Masataro Mukai, Mr. Kototaro Oota, Mr. Numasaburo Yoshiaki, Mr. Kazuichi Shirai, and Mr. Genichi Kodama, there were six boats that seemed to belong to interned people.)

The Advisory Committee Regarding Requisitioned Vessels

February 23:

The military began using fishing boats it had requisitioned from Hakujin and Nikkei fishermen. The government set up an advisory committee to determine rental or purchase prices and nominated the following people to receive reports and advise:

Committee chairman: Mr. Justice Sidney S. Smith of the Admiralty Court

Committee members: Captain Samuel Robinson and Mr. G.E. Housser, KC

The first trial of the Advisory Committee was held at the provincial court. By a special arrangement with Justice Smith, since it was relevant to our committee, I had a chance to observe the trial, which was a very interesting experience. (Note: At the third trial, I bore witness on behalf of a boat-owner.)

February 26:

As the rearrangement of the impoundment area was making progress, the number of inspection permits increased. This week it amounted to 92 permits, with 165 people inspecting the boats. If this trend was to continue, our committee’s surveyor would not be able to use the Navy’s boats at all. So we asked Mr. Pilkey to select three or four boats from the impounded ones, conduct a survey of the boats, and prepare a detailed list of their equipment in order to make them ready for use, if necessary.

Mr. Morehouse, the local manager of BC Packers, showed his interest in a few boats impounded in Namu. We told him that if he contacted the committee with the names of the boats of interest and his offer, the Liaison Committee members would negotiate with the owners and, under certain circumstances, act on behalf of the owners.

March 5:

There was a report from the Navy that they had lifted 162 sunken boats and sent most of them to shipyards for repair. They also planned to gradually send the rest of them for repair. They had completed the rearrangement of the boats and would start an hourly regular ferry service, with guides, capable of handling an average of 80 people a day.

The Announcement of the Removal of All Nikkei People

The BC Security Commission announced that by Order-in-Council PC 1665 promulgated yesterday, on the fourth of the month, all people holding Japanese nationality would be removed as soon as possible from coastal areas designated as defence regions.

The Security Commission consisted of the following members:

Chairman: Mr. Austin C. Taylor

Commissioner: F.J. Mead, RCMP

Assistant Commissioner: John Shirras, BC Provincial Police

Also, the following 18 people were appointed as advisors to the Security Commission.

----Delete----

Hon. R.L. Maitland: former attorney general (Vancouver)

Hon. George S. Pearson: BC minister of labour and director of fishing (Vancouver)

Mr. Halbert E. Winch: MLA (Vancouver)

Captain M.C. Robinson: retired Navy captain (Vancouver)

Major Hamish Hamilton: retired Army major (Vancouver)

Dr. Lyall Hodgins (Vancouver)

General J.A. Clark: retired Army general (Vancouver)

Mr. M. Lyall Fraser (Vancouver)

Mr. Wendell D. Farris: KC (Vancouver)

Mr. A.N. Darlington (Vancouver)

Captain T.M. Harnett: Vancouver police commissioner, retired Army captain (Vancouver)

General Alexander: retired Army general (Vancouver)

Commodore Stevenson: retired Navy major general (Victoria)

Commodore W.J.R. Beach: Navy major general, commander of the Military District of Victoria

Mr. R.H.D. Kerr (Victoria)

Mr. W.M. Mott: New Westminster alderman

Mr. J. McKinnon (Mission)

Mr. R.G. Rutherford (Kelowna)

-------------

It happened that not only naturalized Nikkei people but Nisei who were born in Canada also were forced to move as soon as preparations were completed. Through the RCMP, I made an arrangement to postpone the removal of Liaison Committee members until the liquidation of fishing boats was almost complete.

For the four days between March 2 (Monday) and today, the committee issued 122 survey permits, and 258 people have been surveyed.

March 10:

The Custodian published a notification for Nikkei people, as a protective measure, to report all property to them except that which they could carry with them when they were relocated (except fishing boats, savings, stocks, bonds, and security certificates). Because of this, I assumed that the time for removal of all Nikkei people would be imminent, so:

  1. I requested Liaison Committee members to obtain letters of attorney from as many boat-owners as possible so they could act on their behalf.
  2. Young men tended to be moved first, leaving family members behind. There was a case where a negotiation had concluded after the owner’s removal. I requested Liaison Committee members from now on to advise owners to appoint someone to whom payment would be made, for example, a wife, father, or mother. Also, owners should submit request letters for payment, following a certain format.

Committee Decision Regarding Difficult Contracts

A Canadian fishing company was negotiating with a Nikkei salt-cod company about the sale of five seiners, but they were unable to reach an agreement. They eventually requested the committee to make a settlement. For the committee, this was their first settlement proposal, and the deal was finally concluded as a result of going through the process stated below. (Note: The price is the total price of the five vessels.)

The catalogue price put forward by the owner of the vessels was $45,550. The corrected owner’s price was $38,600.

The final price suggested by the applicant for purchase was $34,500.

Evaluation by the surveyor, Mr. Clarke, $33,450.

Evaluation by the surveyor, Mr. Pilkey, $35,126.

The price settled on was $35,065.

(Note: Looking back on the negotiation process, it could be summed up that it was caused by the opposing positions of seller and buyer, with a classic high price followed by a low offer. The fact was, the owners were considering the operation value of the boats and generally came up with numbers based on insured value, which was replacement value, a half of the building cost plus the actual value. On the other side, the purchasers naturally considered the actual value to be the building cost minus depreciation, which was subtracted by some percentage every year. If we apply a compounded depreciation rate of 7.5 per cent [in the case of an income tax return, the official depreciation rate allowed for wooden boats was within 15 per cent], at the end of the first year the price of the boat would be 92.50 per cent of the building cost. If we take another 7.5 per cent from this number, at the end of the second year the price of the boat would be 85.60 per cent. If we follow this formula every year, by the end of nine years it would be about 50 per cent of value and by the end of 18 years the price would be 25 per cent and about 12  per cent at the end of 27 years. [If the owner repairs the boat, the cost would be added to the total cost and the depreciation would be subtracted from there.] The life of a fishing boat varies depending on the way it is being operated or maintained, but let us suppose it is 27 years for the sake of debate, and then let’s recap the above. In the first nine years, the owner recovers half of the building costs, but in the next nine years, only 25 per cent will be recovered, and in the next nine years, a mere 12.5 per cent will be recouped. Furthermore, for these later years, the owner has to anticipate a substantial amount for repairs.)

The owner of the boat and the purchaser had to compromise in each case to make a deal, but it seems that in general the newer boats fetched higher prices, while the older boats brought lower than the surveyed price.

March 14:

The Navy had already requisitioned and utilized several large fishing boats belonging to Hakujin and Nikkei fisherman. This time, the Air Force and an office of the Army requested the requisition of eight small packers or trolling boats. They had special requirements about the structure of the boats, the speed and make of the engines. We requested that Mr. Pilkey carefully select and survey ten boats to begin with.

Furthermore, the British Admiralty Technical Mission (BATM) in Ottawa proposed to requisition about 20 middle-sized diesel engine packers with lower cabins and low draft and less than 10 feet width. We also asked Mr. Pilkey to select and survey these.

March 16:

Mr. Pilkey reported that he had already selected the boats requested on the 14th , had separated them from the others, and would start the survey.

March 19:

A newspaper article stated that Mr. Reid, the elected representative from New Westminster, was going to question the minister of fisheries about the discrepancy between the catalogue price and the actual agreed upon prices of impounded Nikkei fishing boats. So we included the following chart in our weekly report to the minister.

  1. The boats we have sold up until today were as follows:

Seiners            26 boats                       $196,061

Trollers            10 boats                       $  20,775

Gill-netters      76 boats                       $  53,322

Packers            31 boats                       $  81,689

Others               5 boats                       $    9,235

Total              148 boats                       $362,082

  1. The actual sale price of the small fishing boats was 25.8 per cent lower than the listed catalogue price.

March 23:

Surveying of the fishing boats was increasingly busy, and Mr. Gould was busy with his own survey of steamboats, so we hired Mr. W.F. Spring, a marine surveyor, as an additional surveyor.

March 30:

We placed a newspaper advertisement on February 10 concerning the liquidation of fishing boats but at the time, the Navy had a complex method of showing the boats. They looked for specific boats and towed them, one by one, to the New Westminster docks to be surveyed. If the buyer wanted to see other boats, he had to check the committee’s catalogue again, talk to the Liaison Committee, obtain a permit again, and come back to New Westminster to survey the actual boat. It was not only time-consuming but also expensive for the buyer. We heard rumours criticizing the committee and the Navy for the complex and repetitious bureaucratic process preventing sales. It was true that the process was complex, but in the beginning, the Navy took an especially responsible and careful attitude, worrying about theft or damage to the boats. Now that the impoundment area had been rearranged and organized more efficiently, we placed another advertisement. In the ad, we made it clear that we could arrange a reasonable way of reaching a settlement in case the buyer could not reach an agreement with the owner.

April 2:

We surveyed 20 middle-sized special boats the BATM had applied to purchase on March 14 and found that 15 of them required fine-tuned adjustments of their engines. We sent them to the corresponding engine manufacturers or factories.

The Peak of the Fishing-Boat Sale

April 30:

The number of boats disposed of, up until and including today, is as follows:

  1. Sold                                     540 boats
  2. Requisitioned                           59 boats
  3. Released to registered owners 144 boats
  4. Total                                                 743 boats

By use

Seiners                                                                                                       49 boats

Trollers                                                                                           39 boats

Gill-netters                                                                        497 boats

Packers                                                                                          107 boats

Cod fishing & others                                                            51 boats

Total                                                                                                          743 boats

May 1:

The Navy informed us that they want to remove the guard duty on the marine impoundment area at month’s end. The sale of the small boats is inactive, and there is some criticism concerning the committee’s sale methods. They say that the committee’s full cash payment method is inconsiderate toward small, individual fishermen with limited funds. Many canneries are providing an interest-free instalment plan.

For canneries, fishing is a vital resource, and they were providing generous deals only to experienced and proven fishermen based on many years’ records. Our committee cannot do the same. Also, because of the above discussed reasons, there was little scope to make deals by changing the method of payment. However, to counter the criticism, and thinking there might be a limited number of deals possible, we came up with the following method and advertised it.

  1. One third of the sale price shall be paid in cash.
  2. The remaining two-thirds will be mortgaged at an annual interest rate of 7 per cent.
  3. Insurance must be obtained to secure the total loss to the former owner.
  4. The Montreal Trust Company shall represent the person who sets the mortgage (a former owner) and, at 5 per cent commission, demand payment. The commission fee shall be covered by the former owner.

We also advertised a minimum “suggested negotiation price,” which was displayed on all the remaining fishing boats in the catalogue. We made it known that our committee was capable of making deals on purchase offers if they were above these prices.

(Note: There was not a single case of a deal through the instalment method. After all, this was just to counter criticism. However, through the suggested price method, about 153 boats were quickly sold without the owner’s consent. From among them, 136 boat-owners consented after the deal was done and received payment. The other 16 cases, including the issue of payment, were entrusted to the Custodian’s department.)

The sale total was $72,031, and the estimated price total was $60,000. That is to say, we sold the boats for 20 per cent more than the surveyor’s estimate.)

May 14:

Regarding the BATM requisition order of 20 boats, three were already outfitted and on their way to Halifax by train, and another four were ready for shipping. The committee is pressuring the rest of them for early completion. All these boats are heading to England by ship to engage in minesweeping activities at sea.

May 15:

Within a week, we sold 75 fishing boats, which saturated the demand from the fishing industry. Therefore, the committee sent a telegram to the minister of fisheries asking whether we should stay on course by concentrating on the fishing industry or if we should begin to open up the boats to more general demand.

May 16:

The minister of fisheries responded by telegram saying that he wished us to come up with the best way to dispose of the remaining fishing boats as soon as possible. He wanted to decide the liquidation strategy after careful deliberation based on a more detailed report and advice from the committee.

Releasing the Boats to General Demand

May 18:

We explained to the minister that by opening up the remaining boats to general demand, we can possibly stimulate business in the fishing industry where the demand seemed to be slowing down. The minister approved our strategy.

May 25:

We advertised the fishing boats to be released for general use.

(Note: Because gasoline rationing was in effect, this strategy did not accomplish much, and only a few boats were sold for logging tenders, but it somewhat stimulated demand in the fishing industry.)

May 28:

It is impossible to complete a reasonable sale of all remaining small fishing boats by the end of the month. To resort to a bargain sale would not only be unfair to the boat-owners but also to recent boat purchasers. We drafted the following policy for quick instatement before the Navy removed its guard duty.

  1. Allocate a number of small fishing boats to canneries, according to the proportion of their past purchases, and entrust them with certain conditions of guarantee.
  2. The entrusted companies will be responsible for boat maintenance and must register $50 a year, per boat, on the owner’s debt account.
  3. Entrusted companies are allowed to use the boats as much as necessary during fishing season based on a daily charter basis and must register the fee on the credit account of the owners.
  4. This debt and credit account shall be settled when the boats are returned to the owners after the war.
  5. During the entrusted period, the entrusted companies have the option to purchase, but the sale shall be based on the estimated price of the boats.

Fishing Boats Disposed of in this Manner:

Small seiners                                                            5 boats

Small packers                                                        25 boats

Trollers                                                                   67 boats

Gill-netters                                          173 boats

Cod-fishing and others boats   30 boats

Total                                                                           300 boats

We shall allot these boats to the cannery companies according to the proportion of their purchases and consult with them over details of the plan.

May 29:

By the order of the Navy, suddenly Mr. Johnson has to go east tomorrow for his new assignment. It was arranged that he still keep his position in the committee and shall be consulted about important matters.

(Note: I considered a send-off party for him but changed my mind and instead organized a thank-you party in Yoshino restaurant for all the committee members, the deputy director, Nikkei Liaison Committee members, and office staff. We had been tense with logistical discussions in the office for days, but we were all relaxed there and had pleasant chats.)

June 14:

Because the Navy wanted to remove their guard duty from the impoundment area as soon as possible, we changed our drafted plan of using lots of canneries and focused on companies with facilities. We decided the following:

  1. To allocate about 300 small fishing boats to each cannery, according to the ratio of purchased boats, and request the cannery to store the boats at $50 annually per boat.
  2. The cannery shall make an arrangement to ensure that the sale of the boats be resumed when the committee or some other organization is brought into being in the future.

We asked the canneries for their cooperation with this policy.

June 18:

A letter, dated on the 15th, from Mr. Finn, the deputy minister, told us to come up with alternative guarding plans for the remaining fishing boats or, if impossible, to dispose of them all before June 30 when the Navy removes its guard.

June 19:

We shipped five boats on a requisition order from the BATM.

June 25:

The inquiry dated the 15th came from Mr. Mitsujiro Noguchi, the director of the Fishermen’s Association in the first district, regarding “Fishing boats sold without owner’s consent” (the so-called forced sales).

I asked the deputy director to explain at length and to their satisfaction the background and circumstances, as well as the results of the sales, etc.

June 26:

The canneries were not interested in the plan, drafted on May 28, of entrusting the fishing boats to them. They showed interest in the storage plan, drafted on June 14, and discussed a method of storing the boats collectively. In the end, they decided against it, it being difficult to share the responsibility. However, they said they would help us by stimulating boat purchases.

We must decide quickly how to safely store the remaining fishing boats after the Navy removes their guards.

  1. Ask a minimum number of marines to stay
  2. Place under the Custodian’s supervision
  3. RCMP’s supervision
  4. Ministry of Fisheries’ supervision
  5. Place under private company’s control

To investigate these possibilities, we started meeting with Mr. Motherwell, the chief supervisor of fisheries, Col. C.H. Hill, the divisional commander of the RCMP, and Mr. McPherson.

July 2:

Colonel Hill issued a command from Ottawa to transfer guard duty of the marine impoundment area into the hands of the RCMP. All other duties, including maintenance, shall be under the control of the Ministry of Fisheries. We felt that divided responsibility tends to give rise to inconvenience and conflict and requested a wait until our committee could come up with an alternative plan.

After several meetings with Mr. Motherwell, Col. Hill, and Mr. McPherson, the committee pointed out to the minister of fisheries that apart from protecting the fishing boats from water damage, fire damage, burglary and maintaining the boats, there were other manual and administrative tasks required. These were: surveying; checking boat equipment; removing claims against the Navy; making sale-related documents at sale completion; and the actual handing over of boats. Since the Custodian is an established office within the Department of the Secretary of State and already holds several fishing boats under its control, as well as all the property owned by Nikkei people, it is proper to move the remaining fishing boats under its control. Also, we recommended the temporary transfer of our committee staff, experienced as they are with matters pertaining to fishing boats, to the Custodian’s office for the sake of administrative continuity. This would also save the trouble of hiring new staff. We recommended this proposition in a detailed report at a meeting with Mr. McPherson.

We also made it clear that we will collaborate as much as possible with the RCMP and the Ministry of Fisheries as long as the command of Col. Hill stands.

An Army section applied to requisition eight small fishing boats on March 14, and we have been preparing them. Today, July 2, they officially requisitioned 10 boats.

July 8:

We proposed to transfer the task of the protection and management of the remaining 217 fishing boats in the New Westminster marine impoundment area to various governmental departments, but they all had a mountain of work in front of them, and none of them could take over the task. Our committee looked into the possibility of continuing to handle them ourselves.

We estimated that we needed about $3,000 a month for the salaries of guards who would replace the present Navy guards and for various expenses in the impoundment area. However, if present sale trends continue for two weeks, the number of boats will decrease to the point where we can store them on land. Then we might be able to proceed with a budget of just $1,000 a month. We communicated this idea to the deputy minister of fisheries.

We also decided, withdrawing our past allocation plan, to ask the three largest canneries to reconsider and take any number of fishing boats on either an entrusting or a storage basis. In case this plan does not work, we are also looking for a company with storage facility on land and will check the possibility of just storing the boats there.

The removal of Nikkei people gathered momentum, and contact with boat-owners became more difficult and slow. On the other hand, we faced increasing pressure from the Navy, who wanted to remove their guards from the impoundment area. Under these circumstances, the number of boats sold without owner consent amounted to 154 boats (see page 14, lines 9-15). To normalize these sales, we decided to send letters to the owners explaining the situation and asking them to sign the sale contracts as soon as possible. We also promised the immediate settlement of the account upon completion of the sale.

The remaining five boats requisitioned by the BATM are ready to be shipped.

July 9:

The Custodian moved 20 boats under their control from New Westminster to the North Arm of Bedwell Bay in Burrard Inlet.

July16:

Negotiations with the canneries concerning the entrusting or storing of fishing boats is going well. Therefore, while the companies are selecting boats to avoid confusion, we temporarily stopped issuing survey permits as well as conducting boat sales.

July 18:

The acting deputy minister of fisheries, Mr. A.J. Whitmore, sent a telegram informing us that they have decided to transfer the remaining boats, as well as the remaining committee duties, to the Custodian at the end of the month. Therefore, when a negotiation with canneries about entrusting or storing the boats reaches an agreement, the effective date of the contract shall be after August 1. This is to give the Custodian responsibility for the official contract, with consideration for possible future boat sales.

July 24:

The BATM purchased the first requisitioned boat for its estimated price at the time of requisition. We received a report that the Navy as well as the Air Force decided to purchase the requisitioned boats at the original survey price. The other requisitioned boats were all remodelled, so it is assumed that all of them will be purchased.

The Transfer of Remaining Boats

July 25:

The deputy minister of fisheries wrote to us that by the Order-in-Council PC 6247, issued on July 20, all the remaining boats will be transferred to the protection and control of the Custodian. The deputy minister heard that the Custodian was aware of negotiations the committee was now engaged in with the canneries. He also asks the committee to complete its remaining work as soon as possible to save costs. However, he expected the committee to come up with a comprehensive report listing various procedures, actions taken, and their results. At the same time, the minister of fisheries sent us a thank-you letter.

July 31:

The transfer of the control of Nikkei fishing boats to the Office of the Custodian progressed smoothly. The surveyors from the Navy and the Custodian were assessing the condition of the remaining boats together. The Custodian will use the same impoundment area until they find another location. The remaining five boats requisitioned to the BATM were shipped. This makes 20 vessels in total that have been sent to them.

The Expense of Moving the Fishing Boats

Immediately after the Naval Order to Impound Nikkei Fishing Boats was announced, many owners delivered their boats to Steveston from various places in BC and made their way home. We were aware of the issue of compensation for costs incurred delivering the boats, but Order-in-Council PC 288 did not authorize the committee to handle this issue. However, we considered that if we submitted the issue to the Navy, unofficially, though an immediate solution may be unlikely, there might be a way to solve the issue from a different perspective once the Custodian took over the committee’s remaining tasks. So we estimated the minimum cost of boat delivery and a trip home and prepared the following chart.

  1. From Skeena River to Prince Rupert $5 each—48 cases
  2. From Prince Rupert to Steveston                         $50.25 each—48 cases
  3. From Ucluelet or Bamfield to Steveston $12.15 each—64 cases
  4. From Tofino or Clayoquot to Steveston $21.75 each—28 cases
  5. From Victoria to Steveston                         $9.70 each—6 cases
  6. From the Deep Bay area to Steveston $14.45 each—8 cases
  7. From the Nanaimo area and Galiano Island

to Steveston                                                                                         $10.35 each—35 cases

  1. From Chemainus to Steveston                                   $10.35 each—5 cases
  2. From Kosiaski Cove to Steveston             fee unclear—8 cases

(Note: Due to the removal of the Nikkei owners, we did not have chance to talk with many of them. However, we put together this request, thinking that even a small number of claims will prove that the owners accepted the order or request from the Navy.)

Regarding entrusting or storage of the boats, collaboration with the canneries was disappointing, and only Nelson Brothers Fishery Company agreed to keep 52 boats. Therefore, there were 97 boats remaining in New Westminster.

August 3:

The committee reported on August 1 to the Ministry of Fisheries concerning travel expense compensation for Nikkei boat-owners. Today we requested Commodore W.J.R. Beech, the Pacific Coast commanding officer in Esquimalt, to advise the related parties on compensation.

August 5:

Protection and management of the remaining fishing boats in New Westminster and Prince Rupert (Tuck’s Inlet) was finally transferred from the Navy to the Custodian.

August 10:

There was a communication from the deputy minister of fisheries, Mr. Whitmore: “Regarding compensation for expenses incurred by Nikkei owners navigating their boats, stated in your letter of August 1st, because this matter is totally different from compensation for the damage of fishing boats during impoundment, it is considered to be outside the business of the Committee (namely, an excess of authority). I have not received a report from the Commodore of the Pacific Coast Naval Office, so I cannot give a decisive opinion, but apparently, it seems that it is part of expenses caused by the enforcement of the Vessel Impoundment Law. Accordingly, in case this view is correct, I would pass on the Committee’s intention to the Navy.”

From Commodore Beech, there was a response issued on the eighth, whose contents are stated below:

“When the fishing boats owned by Nikkei people were locked in the marine impoundment area, there was of course, no Order for the Removal of Nikkei people, so the owners of boats went home. Thus the reasonable expenses stated in your proposal are naturally meant to be paid to the boat owners. According to the Order issued on December 10th, 1941 (attached), from the commanding office regarding this matter, I think it is reasonable to consider that the RCMP is responsible for the compensation of the incurred expenses.”

Attached: An overview of the order:

0038 z/10 the matter of protection of fishing vessels owned by Nikkei people:

  1. As soon as all vessels are gathered at the designated gathering point, the engine of each small fishing vessel should be locked, and the captains should board the few large fishing vessels able to tow 5–10 of these vessels, and tow them to Steveston under the protection of the F/R ship.
  2. Have all Nikkei people disembarked at Steveston, and have them stay at Nikkei homes there. If necessary, build temporary housing. This area is already under the protection of a unit dispatched near the area. All fishing vessels must be impounded in appropriate flat, shallow water about 10 miles upstream, and be protected by guards sent from headquarters.
  3. The most appropriate twenty boats from among these vessels will be requisitioned and chartered. Charter fee at market price should eventually be paid to the owners. If these twenty vessels are utilized, it will be enough for patrolling.
  4. In the case of these vessels being owned by Japanese nationals, the boats would be the spoils of war.
  5. The Navy’s responsibility toward Nikkei crews will be finished upon their landing in Steveston, and they will be under the control of the RCMP, according to an arrangement. The crews cannot land until preparation by the RCMP is complete.

(Note: An article similar to the overview above was printed in newspapers at the time. One newspaper praised the well-planned government preparations for the mass landing of Nikkei people. Another newspaper report emphasized the protection of Nikkei people. Even reports that “Japanese crews will be locked in, at temporary housing,” appeared in some papers. These reports had the effect of calming down citizens’ minds, preventing misplaced war hysteria. Also, considering the result, careful efforts by the government could be inferred.)

(Note: Following a similar method, stated in the first section of the Navy order, boats were towed from Prince Rupert. This was limited to boats fit for navigating the Skeena River during winter. Moreover, when these boats reached the Queen Charlotte Islands (situated north of Vancouver Island), the waves were very high, and it was difficult to tow. The boats would be damaged if they were towed, so the majority of boats navigated southward independently, from various places, to Steveston.

With a copy of communication from the Navy, as well as the above order, the committee requested Commodore Hill of the RCMP to consider this matter. He responded that he felt the order merely indicated who was responsible for the protection of the Nikkei crews. We concluded that there seemed to be no other way than transferring this matter to the Office of the Custodian and having them make a proper arrangement.

The BATM informed us of their decision to pay the evaluation price for the 19 remaining requisitioned boats.

August 12:

There was an application from the Air Force requesting to purchase all six requisitioned boats, according to their evaluation by Lloyd’s of London. It was approved by the committee.

August 13:

The Navy also decided to purchase 27 requisitioned boats. They requested the committee to obtain permission from the owners, using Lloyd’s of London’s evaluation price, as the Air Force had done.

Mr. Pilkey resigned at the end of May, but the committee removed other surveyors from their position today. We are also going to gradually decrease the number of administrative clerks.

August 24:

During negotiations over the purchase of boats requisitioned by the Navy, a Nikkei owner of three requisitioned boats demanded a charter fee be paid for a period beyond the setting of the sale price. The Navy insisted that it was not going to pay a charter fee at all because it was going to purchase boats based on the price evaluated by Lloyd’s of London. The Navy said that the owner had agreed to this at the meeting of inquiry held by the Advisory Committee at the time of requisition. By the way, the matter of requisitioned boats involves not just Nikkei owners but Hakujin boat-owners as well, so the Navy gives uniform terms on purchases, and if an owner refuses to accept these terms, the Navy will continue to argue until a judgment by the Court of the Exchequer in England. Therefore, considering the cost and time involved with a lawsuit, the Nikkei owner decided to take the amount offered.

August 30:

A month has already passed since the impoundment area was transferred to the Office of the Custodian.

Because the majority of Nikkei boat-owners have been relocated to various places, all negotiations for the purchase of requisitioned boats have had to be done by mail. Things are very slow and do not progress smoothly.

The Custodian wants to take over after the committee is near completion of its administrative tasks, so we are trying to arrange the purchase of the requisitioned boats mentioned above, but even if business negotiations are agreed upon, they are different from private sales, and we must:

  1. Complete the procedure for transferring vessel registry
  2. Send the new vessel registry and the bill to the government
  3. Receive payment and settle the account with the owner
  4. Receive a receipt from the owner and submit the receipt to the government

Thus, the task requires many complicated procedures and time-consuming negotiations. Accordingly, the matters the committee has to communicate to government and the owners increase. So, the committee is very busy with various complicated office procedures.

Also, regarding the matter of compensation by the Navy, besides expenses for damage repairs, cases include such details as spark plugs, engine parts, nets, anchors, compasses, and other ship parts. These amount to 700 cases in total, and we must create separate paperwork for each boat. After getting approval from the Navy, we get paid through a war expenditure account via the Ministry of Fisheries. We settle cases individually, prepare receipts, and send these to the government. Despite all of this, the committee has cut the number of staff, so the completion of the committee’s administrative tasks remains far in the future.

September 10:

Twenty boats were requisitioned by the BATM (These boats have been sent to Britain), and 43 boats were requisitioned altogether by the Canadian Army, Navy, and Air Force, making the requisitioned boats 63 in total, all being negotiated for purchase. (However, the committee has not received an official request regarding the 10 vessels requisitioned by the Army, but the committee did receive an unofficial request.)

For approximately half the boats mentioned above, the committee had owner approval and is completing the documents of sale.

September 17:

Negotiations regarding the BATM’s offer to purchase progressed. The committee obtained 17 owner approvals and completed the documents of sale. The sales contracts for a remaining three boats are also going to be agreed upon soon.

September 24:

The committee obtained signatures from boat-owners on 28 Navy and Air Force sale contracts. Negotiations for two boats requested by the BATM were settled; consequently, there is just one unsettled case.

October 1:

The Army officially requested to purchase 10 requisitioned boats.

October 6:

The Custodian reported to the committee that due to the late-comer salmon gathered in mass in the Fraser River, they have sold 43 boats from the 1st of August up until today. The Custodian sent six additional boats for safekeeping, under special conditions, to the Nelson Brothers Fishery Company.

October 8:

It was decided that Mr. S.V. Roberts, supervising treasury officer, would start inspection of the committee accounts as its appointed chief.

October 15:

The committee had one administrative clerk handling procedures for damaged fishing vessels transferred to the office of the Custodian. Negotiations regarding the Army, Navy, and Air Force moved forward, and the committee received approval from about 80 per cent of boat-owners.

Transferring the Committee’s Remaining Tasks to the Custodian

October 31:

Inspection of the account began on the 22nd, and it was decided that all committee tasks would be transferred to the Custodian after its completion.

The sale of requisitioned boats is progressing smoothly, with completion in sight. Among 152 small boats sold without the owner’s permission, the so-called forced, 16 of those cases remain unsettled. The committee will transfer several procedures to the Custodian: boat registry, claims against the Navy if necessary, and money from sales, amounting to $8,000. On reflection, things were thought to be much simplified if the committee were to complete the transferral of boat registries, then transfer sale amounts to the Custodian. The Custodian preferred this option, and with its authority signed the document transferring boat registries on behalf of the owners.

The removal of all Nikkei people from the coast is nearing completion, and it was decided that, after today, any Nikkei people remaining in the Coastal Defence Region without permission from the RCMP will be detained.

Although there was an offer from the RCMP to issue a permit for me to stay, I declined their offer. I could not have my wife, and especially my young children, reside in a Vancouver where they could not even go to school. It would also be very sad for the family to leave Vancouver by themselves, so for the time being, we have all moved to Christina Lake (PO Box Cascade), joining those who have come before us.

I visited Vancouver on November 17 and helped to organize the remaining tasks. Negotiations on boats with ties to the military were settled, and a comprehensive report to the minister of fisheries was completed.

Various records were organized, and necessary records on individual boats were reorganized after the inspection of accounts, and all of them were made ready for transferral to the Custodian.

On December 23, I finally said my good-byes and returned home to Christina Lake.

Following are the main statistics:

The Fishing Boats Dealt with by the Committee

  1. Boats sold                                                             Number of vessels                                 Sales amount

Seiners                                                                                                  67                                                                  $455,256

Packers                                                                                                121                                                        $393,948.60

Trollers                                                                                                  69                                                                  $109,590

Gill-netters                                                                                          632                                            $397,838.99

Cod-fishing, trawlers,and other boats   61                                              $49,422.30

Small pleasure boats, fishing boats, barges                                                                                $326

Fishing tools, boats parts, scows for camping                                                   $16,800

Total                                                                                                                950                                          $1,423,181.89

  1. Boats released to the registered owners

Seiners                                                                                                                         1

Packers                                                                                                                        9

Trollers                                                                                                                        5

Gill-netters                                                                                             145

Cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and other boats   40

Total number of released boats                                        200

  1. Boats transferred to the Custodian Number of vessels

Packers                                                                                                                        18

Trollers                                                                                                                       46

Gill-netters                                                                                                      82

Cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and other boats   41

Total number of transferred boats                                   187

(The above total includes 52 boats kept by the Nelson Brothers Fishery Company)

  1. The breakdown of sold, released, and transferred boats

Seiners                                                                                                                          68

Packers                                                                                                                        148

Trollers                                                                                                                        120

Gill-netters                                                                                                      859

Cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and other boats   142

Total                                                                                                                   1,337

(Note: Boats of absent and interned owners, under the custody of the Custodian, were also required to receive approval from the committee. Therefore, the above total number includes these boats. The true number of boats owned by Nikkei people in the registry was 1,137 boats, that being the difference after subtracting the 200 boats released to the registered owners from the total number. We assumed that a substantial number of released boats had sale contracts with Nikkei people yet had only made partial payment. Therefore, ownership had not yet been transferred. Approximately 130 applications for release of boats were in place by April 1 (10 among them with applications filed on that day), but the applications of the other 70 boats were delayed until September 24 (which is the end of the fishing season). The applications dribbled in as little as one to three boats every week, so we cannot say for sure, but we assumed that the slowness was because they had to apply for release when they had settled accounts with Nikkei buyers. If our assumption was correct, we can say that at least 70 fishing boats were semi-owned by Nikkei people.

The Breakdown of the Buyers

  1. Canneries, fishery companies Number of vessels                  Amount

Seiners                                                                                                                                    42                                                        $236,896

Packers                                                                                                                                    74                                                        $163,134

Trollers                                                                                                                                    18                                                          $27,750

Gill-netters                                                                                                          507                                      $323,036.99

Cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and other boats   19                                   $14,146.30

Total                                                                                                                                660                                      $764,963.29

  1. Individual fishermen and the general public

Seiners                                                                                                                                    11                                                          $64,900

Packers                                                                                                                                    20                                               $50,789.60

Trollers                                                                                                                                    39                                                          $47,550

Gill-netters                                                                                                          118                                                    $64,552

Cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and other boats   39                                              $28,776

Total                                                                                                                                227                                       $356,567.60

  1. The BATM (see page 12, lines 11–14)

Packers                                                                                                                                    16                                                          $58,345

Trollers                                                                                                                                      3                                                            $8,420

Cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and other boats     1                                                            $3,650

Total                                                                                                                                        20                                                          $70,315

  1. Canadian Navy

Seiners                                                                                                                                    14                                                        $153,460

Packers                                                                                                                                      8                                                        $102,580

Trollers                                                                                                                                      2                                                            $6,600

Gill-netters                                                                                                                    2                                                            $3,250

Cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and other boats     1                                                $1,800

Total                                                                                                                                                    27                                                        $267,690

  1. Canadian Air Force

Packers                                                                                                                                      3                                                          $19,200

Trollers                                                                                                                                      3                                                          $10,800

Total                                                                                                                                          6                                                          $30,000

  1. Canadian Army

Trollers                                                                                                                                      4                                                            $8,470

Gill-netters                                                                                                                    5                                                            $7,000

Cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and other boats     1                                                $1,050

Total                                                                                                                                        10                                                          $16,520

  1. Canneries, fishery companies

Fishing tools, boat parts, and scows for camping, etc.                                                  $16,800

  1. Individual fishermen and the general public

Small pleasure boats, fishing boats, lighters (barges)                                                   $326

Grand Total                                                                                                                     950                              $1,423,181.89

(Note: We assumed that the majority of small fishing boats sold to canneries and fishery companies were resold to individual fishermen.

Among the items “cod-fishing boats, trawlers, and others boats” sold to individual fishermen, five “log-tender boats” are included.

Among the boats sold to the Canadian Army, Navy, and Air Force, 15 boats were presumably resold after the war as surplus war supplies by a bidding process through the War Assets Corporation. We assume that there were other boats disposed of in the same manner.)

Monthly Sales

February 1942             46                    $124,729.85

March                              256              $401,575.39

April                                238                   $202,046

May                                 136                   $133,243

June                                 120                          $73,150

July                                         58                                $30,698

August                                    41                    $          123,269

September                     7                    $12,661.65

October                                   29                        $236,723

November                               19                                $85,095

Total                                950   $1,423,181.89

(Note: The increases in October and November were caused by the sales of requisitioned boats. The total amount includes sales of fishing tools, boats parts, and scows for camping, small pleasure boats, fishing boats, and lighters, etc.)

The Age of Vessels

The Age of Vessels          Number of Vessels         Percentage of Total

From 1–3 years                                   210                                          18.8%

From 4–6 years                                   209                                          18.3%

From 7–9 years                                   157                                          13.8%

From 10–12 years                               236                                          20.7%

From 13–15 years                               175                                          15.3%

From 16–18 years                                 60                                            5.2%

From 19–21 years                                 44                                            3.9%

From 22–24 years                                 34                                            3.0%

25 years and older                                 16                                            1.4%

Total                                                                               1,141                                                 100%

(Note: The ages of the boats shown above are all based on the date of manufacture reported by the owners, with repairs not considered. This record is not cross-checked with the registry of boats. Also, boats with unreported ages were not included. On the other hand, the record includes a small number of boats that were considered to be owned by Nikkei people in the early stages of the impoundment order and were later released to registered owners.)

Cases of Compensation for Damages

Number of vessels        Amounts

  1. Expense for shipyard repairs 264                              $55,191.69
  2. Total loss: compensation                                  15                              $6,833.12
  3. The same as above (unsettled)     4      (unsettled, amount unknown)
  4. General compensation 400                      $27,270.69

Total                                                                                                    683                      $89,295.50

(Note: Apart from boats damaged and sunk by drifting ice, there were many other boats damaged because, under emergency circumstances, the Navy had to impound and lock them up in a very short period of time without proper preparation. As stated above, there were as many as 264 boats in total waiting for repairs at the shipyards. Nineteen boats were considered to be a total loss, with compensation paid to the owners of 15 of them after negotiations and price evaluations. However, price agreements could not be reached for four remaining boats, and these cases were transferred, unsettled, to the Custodian. General compensation is the expense required to replace missing boat parts and fishing tools. When the remaining boats were transferred to the Custodian from the Navy, except for the four boats mentioned above, surveyors from both sides surveyed the boats and removed all naval culpability for damages.)

The General Accounts Report

Revenue

Commission (1% of sales amount)                             $14,231.81

Collected survey fees                                                                                       $2,427

Total                                                                                                                            $16,658.81

Expenses

Wages (clerks and surveyors)                                                 $15,937.41

Office expenses

(Rent and all other office expenses).                             $5,576.79

Travel expenses and car allowance                                   $952.08

Expenses for legal matters,

advertising, management, etc.                                                   $2,447.21

Total                                                                                                                      $24,913.49

Balance due                                                                                                       $8,254.68

(Note: Although committee members, the deputy director, and Liaison Committee members are all volunteers, the account showed a loss, which was covered by the Ministry of Fisheries. This account includes large expenses for surveyors and related expenses not expected at the time the committee was established, namely:

  1. Expenses for managing damage compensation and general losses: $ 7,655.04
  2. Expenses for purchasing the BATM vessels (the amount of net loss subtracting the commission): $1,748.66

Total                            $9,403.70

Accordingly, if there was no expense for these two matters, the committee account could be covered by the 1 per cent boat sale commissions.

The Number of Cases Investigated by Surveyors

  1. Checking for damages and estimating the cost of repairs 727 cases
  2. Estimating the value of boats                                                                                     927 cases

Total                                                                                                                                                                               1,654 cases

The Number of People Who Looked at the Boats

Viewing permission was issued to 3,862 people between January 28 and July 15.

(Note: The committee issued blank permits, or permits without specifying the number of people looking at the boats, to canneries and fishery companies. Our assumption of two people per permit is modest, and we assume that the number of people who actually saw the boats far exceeds this number.)

Unusual and Exceptional Cases

  1. The Case of Mr. I

Not long after we established the committee office, an old man we will call Mr. I came to call. He said, “A very kind man is willing to buy my boat, and I want the committee to approve this deal.” I checked the catalogue but could not find anything to match the boat, so I questioned him further. Mr. I replied, “In order to receive my pension [or allowance?], I registered my boat with the government as my sole property and didn’t report it to the committee. When I receive the $400 boat payment, I would like to give that money to the Compensation Board.” It happened that Mr. Pilkey came along, so I asked him what he thought about the price of the boat. He replied that it was hard to estimate the price of any boat without actually seeing it, but Mr. I was an old man and would not operate the boat in a reckless manner; consequently he thought it would be worth about $600. I told Mr. I of Mr. Pilkey’s estimate and told him not to rush into a sale. Mr. I insisted that since the boat had supported him, so to speak, he wanted to hand it over to someone kind and able to take proper care of it without fussing over the price. So I created the necessary documents and phoned the clerk in charge at the Compensation Board. The clerk said that it was all right to hand over the whole amount of the sale to the owner. But the old man said, “It is worrisome to move with such a lot of money; if I lose it, I will be destitute. If I pay the Compensation Board now, I will continue to get my pension. That is much better and safer.” So I processed it in the end as he wished.

  1. The Case of Mr. E

Mr. E had a plan to replace his boat engine during winter and put his boat in the shipyard with a new engine right beside it. As soon as the announcement of the Vessel Impoundment Law, a group of people looking like marines, with military caps on, came in and ordered him to “Tow the boat to the gathering spot as soon as possible.” While he was installing towlines and blocks, part of the engine was destroyed by someone. Because it cost money to repair and return the engine to the store, he wanted us to negotiate with the Navy to cover that cost. Of course, an engine was not a fishing boat, and it was outside our jurisdiction. But if his story was the fact, it was a terrible thing, so I pushed the Navy to do something about it. But the individual who had done it was unidentified, and there was no way of investigating.

We heard a rumour that the engine of a Nikkei fishing boat tied at the Gore Street dock had been destroyed, but the facts were unclear to us. It was right after the outbreak of war, and ignorant fanatics might have taken the announcement of boat seizures as a chance to take such actions to express their enmity. But there was no obvious evidence, so there was no way to take action.

  1. The Case of the Skeena Fishing Group’s Boat.

From Navy headquarters in the Skeena area, there was a report that the boat Mioria was damaged, foundering, and drifting on the Skeena River, so the committee immediately reported this to Mr. Kunisaburo Miwa. “The boat was not usually used during winter and was kept in dry dock, the same as in other years. I think someone forcibly towed the boat into the water,” and then he said, with his usual frankness, “Because it is wartime, such things tend to happen. It can’t be helped,” he continued.

Around this time, because of the removal order, all Nikkei people in the Skeena area had already been moved into temporary lodgings in Hastings Park. They were in a situation where there was no way to find out the facts; thus, he realized it was useless to say anything while the guilty person was unknown. The committee appreciated the Navy for its report and requested the boat be towed to a convenient river ford, if possible.

  1. The Case of Mr. A

Mr. A was a carpenter who lived in a small village about 200 miles north of Vancouver. In September of 1941, he purchased a fishing boat from a Hakujin, and on land he leisurely started repairing it, but the transfer of the boat registry was incomplete. (Thus, officially it was a boat registered under the name of the Hakujin.) After the announcement of the order to impound vessels, marines came and said the boat was to be transferred to the marine impoundment area near New Westminster. Mr. A worried about possible damages and attempted to make excuses why it couldn’t be moved, but eventually it was moved to the impoundment area, and Mr. A registered himself with the committee as the real owner of the boat and the Hakujin as the registered owner.

There was no applicant wanting to purchase the boat by the end of the boat liquidation period. When boat custody was transferred from the Navy to the Custodian, with the presence of the surveyors from both sides, it was decided that the boat had become a total loss since its impoundment. Because the committee had heard about the situation from Mr. A, the committee claimed that the boat had been further damaged by forcibly being towed to the area of impoundment. This happened despite it being already incapable of navigation at the announcement of the vessel impoundment order. The committee requested $300 as compensation for damages, but Navy surveyors showed a piece of the ship’s planking which was riddled by teredo worm damage, and this bolstered their opinion that the boat was a total loss. Other surveyors agreed with this, so there seemed to be no hope for compensation. The committee left the record of the claim for compensation, complying with Mr. A’s request.

  1. The Departure Bay Case

This concerns a seiner that belonged to the Nanaimo Shipyard. Because the stockholder of the shipyard was in Japan at the outbreak of war, it was under the control of the Custodian. The boat was very well equipped, with a very strong searchlight, so, at the beginning, the Navy requisitioned it and used it as a guard boat within the marine impoundment area. The Navy flag flew on the mast, and two guards with bayonets were always on the boat. However, one day the boat suddenly caught fire. It was quickly extinguished, but the boat suffered considerable damage and was sent to the shipyard for repair. It is unknown how much repairs cost, but, as with other requisitioned boats, this boat was purchased by the Canadian Navy according to the surveyor’s price evaluation after going through the committee’s review process.

  1. The Case of Mr. N

Soon after the establishment of the committee, Mr. N and a company manager making a purchase brought us a sales contract that was already notarized and requested transfer approval. However, this contract included, besides several fishing boats: fishing nets; boat parts; a camping scow; and various tools to go with it. The committee approved this comprehensive contract, charging 1 per cent of the sales amount as a commission. The committee suggested that Mr. N make a separate contract just for the fishing boats. However, because the contract needed to be completed immediately, Mr. N was okay with paying the extra commission. They insisted the committee approve the contract, and the committee accepted the request.

  1. The Case of Mr. T

Mr. T entered into a sales contract with a cannery in order to sell all five of his fishing boats. He submitted the contract to the committee and requested their approval. In the contract, besides an instalment plan, there was a section stating that the repair costs and remodelling that the buyer wanted would be subtracted from the payment. Of course, because all Nikkei-owned fishing boats were impounded after the fishing season, there might be some boats that required repairs, but if the buyer were to use the conditions stated above as a legal statement, the former owner would be in a very disadvantaged position. The committee pointed this out and advised Mr. T to cancel his conditions, even give a discount, or set a maximum amount for repairs. He was advised to reach an amount which deducted repair costs, making an arrangement to get the remaining sum, if there was one, after repairs. However, Mr. T entreated the committee for approval, repeating that there was no need for such concern because this was a contract with a company he had been dealing with for a long time. The committee eventually accepted the agreement. According to what was later discovered, because the packer, The B, was remodelled as a seiner at large expense, the remodelling cost exceeded the price of the vessel. Due to it being a package deal, this exceeded amount had to be deducted from the price of the other boats. (In other words, Mr. T could have gotten more money if he had given away The B for free.)

In the early spring of 1944 when I visited the city for business, Mr. T took the trouble to attend a tea gathering, and we had an opportunity to talk there. Recalling the past, he said, “Regarding that matter of the fishing boats, you helped me a lot. I learned the hard way how much the war had changed people’s minds and their sense of honour.”

  1. The Case of Mr. M

Mr. M sold his boats to Mr. K when he went back to Japan in 1941.

There were proposals to decrease the number of fishing licences given to Nikkei fishermen, and there was counter-litigation from Nikkei people, which achieved some result in 1929. After that, the government kept a policy of maintaining the number of the fishing licences given to Nikkei people. Therefore, it was understood implicitly among Nikkei people that the trading of fishing licences accompanied the sale of fishing boats. (In other words, it was useless to purchase a fishing boat if a buyer could not get a fishing licence with it.) Because of such a situation, just like paying a price for a certain brand, the value of fishing licences was naturally included in the price of boats. I am not sure if this was exactly the case with Mr. M, but buyers tended to postpone registering their boat until getting a licence. Usually, licences were applied for after January 2 at the earliest each year. When war broke out, Mr. M’s fishing boat was put under the control of the Custodian (the Department for the Liquidation of Enemy Property), since the boat belonged to an absent owner. If Mr. M returns to Canada after the war, he will get the sale amount, but I do not know if Mr. M is still alive or not.

  1. The Case of Mr. U

Mr. U’s boat was very old, built in 1921, but because the engine had been replaced in 1931, it had been evaluated by the surveyor at $316. In late April, he sold this boat to a cannery for $75 (thus, 13.07 per cent of the estimated value). The committee did not have a chance to meet Mr. U, so we did not know the details of the transaction, but probably it was not only due to the anxiety of having to relocate. Mr. U had bought the boat about a year before the outbreak of war and had given a mortgage to the cannery; thus, it seems that Mr. U stated the amount deducted from the mortgage as the sale price. Among cases similar to this one, there were 10 other cases where the sales contracts were agreed to at below 50 per cent of the estimated value.

  1. The Case of Mr. C

Mr. C owned a boat built in 1920, and he maintained it in immaculate condition. The surveyor evaluated his boat at $661 because it did not look like a 20-year-old boat. However, because of the old registry date, no one seems to have actually surveyed the boat, and the boat wasn’t sold for a long time. Around mid-July, it was eventually liquidated based on the method of forced sales, with a price evaluated by a surveyor. I felt sorry because the date of registration disadvantaged this boat.

  1. The Case of Mr. G

It was in the beginning of March that I happened to meet Mr. G. He said, “I’d like you to sell these boats as soon as possible because we have to relocate, and if we don’t have any money we’ll be in trouble.” I was surprised at Mr. G because, when I was collecting documents to make a fishing boat catalogue, I heard a rumour that Mr. G was saying, “Report the price of your boat as high as possible, and never sell it, even though it decays.” Because it was wartime, I expected there to be false rumours among Hakujin. I realized that even among Nikkei people there are those who spread false rumours and slander.

However, in mid-April, I heard from someone else that Mr. G was telling people, “I’ve sold off all three of my boats. If I’d hesitated, they would’ve soon been worthless.” I felt strange and checked the accounts book. It turned out that the agreed price of his sales contract had been one-third of the catalogue price. When this was happening, surveyors had not yet systemically evaluated the boats, so it is unclear whether Mr. G’s sale price was one-third of the market price or the reported price of the boats was an inflated 300 per cent of the market price. To this day, I am still mystified with Mr. G’s motives for saying and doing these things.

  1. The Case of Mr. Y

Mr. Y was a fisherman on the Skeena River. Following the order of impoundment, he navigated his boat to Prince Rupert and at the request of the Navy, further navigated as far as Steveston. The boat was impounded in the New Westminster marine impoundment area, but later, at the request of a cannery that turned out to be the registered owner, the boat was released and passed on to that company. Mr. Y did not have to navigate a boat that wasn’t his, so it was assumed that he hadn’t registered the boat yet because there was a balance remaining with the company. Similar to the case of Mr. Y, there were six other boats navigated from Prince Rupert that were later released to their registered owners.

  1. The Case of Mr. T and Mr. Y

A boat owned by Mr. T and Mr. Y sank in the impoundment area and was towed to a shipyard for repairs. The cost of repair exceeded the value of the boat, so the Navy declared the boat a total loss. With the mediation of the Liaison Committee, the boat-owners submitted a $400 compensation claim, but when the committee tasks were transferred to the Custodian, this case remained unsettled. In May of 1943, there was a request from Mr. T and Mr. Y to speed up the settlement. I visited the Custodian to find out that the payment of $393.50 from the government had just arrived, so I asked the Custodian to make an arrangement to send the payment. (However, because the Custodian could only send a maximum of $100 a month based on an agreement with the BC Security Commission, it took four months to complete.) There were 12 other boats in total that the Navy determined to be total losses.

  1. The Case of Mr. S

Mr. S was a gill-net fisherman on the Fraser River, but he also used his boat to ferry children to school. When the impoundment order was announced, he requested special permission from the Navy and continued to ferry the children until April 24. After that, he navigated his boat to the impoundment area. This was the only case where a boat belonging to a Nikkei person continued to operate for four months after the outbreak of war.

  1. The Case of Nikkei Veterans

This is an opposite case to the ones above. It concerns the Nikkei people who volunteered to the Canadian military at the time of the First World War and fought courageously on the European front. After coming home from the war, they acquired Canadian citizenship and the right to vote. However, they were not exempt from the impoundment order, and their boats were liquidated. They, as well, had to follow the order for removal of all Nikkei people from the coast.

  1. The Case of Mr. T, a Logging Operator

Mr. T owned two log-tender boats for his logging operation. Since he had to close his business and move somewhere soon, he contracted a sale with a Hakujin for his two boats. He demanded permission for the sale from the committee. I explained to Mr. T that they were not fishing boats; therefore, there was no need to get our permission. However, Mr. T insisted, to satisfy his buyer even paying 1 per cent commission, so I decided to give him the committee’s permission.

Apart from this case, I handled three other cases of tender boats for Nikkei logging operators in the same way.

  1. The Case of Small Pleasure Fishing Boats Owned by Nikkei People

Mr. K at Ocean Falls requested us to approve the sale of a few small pleasure fishing boats. Of course, these were not professional fishing boats and were free to be sold, but the buyer insisted on obtaining the committee’s approval. We decided to give it to him.

By the way, we collected money from the boats we handled, but because of the relocation of all Nikkei people, some of the owners’ addresses got lost, and we could not send their money to them. In those cases, we sent it to the Custodian and asked them to keep it for the owners.

  1. The Case of Mr. F

Mr. F did have a boat, but this story concerns something else.

On a day when many Nikkei people had already been moved, two RCMP officers came to see me regarding a request from Mr. F.

When Mr. F was relocated, he was anxious about carrying a large sum of cash with him, so he buried it in his garden. Now he wanted RCMP officers to dig it up, following the instructions on his map, and send the money to him. The two officers wanted me to come along with them. I thought of going with them, but a past incident came to mind.

It had happened when I was in back-and-forth discussions with the Navy about missing parts and tools from the boats of Nikkei fishermen. A newspaper had reported, “Many boat parts and tools are being found under the empty houses of Nikkei fishermen.” When the impoundment order was announced, many fishing boats were navigated from faraway places to Steveston. The Navy allowed Nikkei fishermen to take their personal belongings with them when they disembarked from the boats. However, some removed boat parts or tools from the boats. There were people in the Navy who believed this report.

(Nikkei people place a high value on tools and equipment, and they would not bury them. If they had something of value, they would report it to the Custodian before moving.)

I was worried about being the subject of a newspaper report and told this to the officers. “I haven’t met Mr. F in person,” I said, “but I hear he is very honest man. There is no need of my being a witness. I firmly believe you will find exactly the amount of money written here. Please follow up on his wishes.” I was very much relieved later on when I received a report from the RCMP that they had found exactly the amount of money mentioned by Mr. F and they had forwarded it to him. Newspaper reports and gossips kept this a much repeated story.

Afterward

A few weeks after the remaining committee tasks were transferred to the Custodian, the chairman of the committee, Justice Smith, was again appointed by the federal government to be chairman of the Advisory Committee for the Liquidation of Nikkei Property (I describe this matter in Part II). After that, he continued to work as the chief justice at the BC Supreme Court and as a full-time justice at the Marine Court. He passed away in 1959.

Mr. Johnson, a committee member and representative from the Ministry of Defence, went to the Port of Halifax on May 29, 1942, where he was in active service. After the war, he was promoted to Navy captain and transferred to the reserves. Returning to Vancouver, he lived a tranquil life. In 1968, he passed away in Shaughnessy Hospital.

Mr. McMaster worked as a deputy director on the Advisory Committee on Japanese Properties, directed by Justice Smith. He was then appointed by the Hon. C.D. Howe, the minister of munitions and supplies, to work in his ministry. After the war, he worked as a port manager at Vancouver Harbour, retiring in 1958. He died from an illness in 1960.

The following members of the Nikkei contingent who served with devotion have all, regrettably, passed away: Mr. Kunisaburo Miwa in New Denver; Mr. Hideo Fukuyama at Christina Lake; Mr. Kohei Nakai in Toronto; Mr. Matsunosuke Shinde in Greenwood.

The following members are still alive: Mr. Unosuke Hashimoto in Richmond; Mr. Mitsujiro Noguchi in Guelph, Ontario; Mr. Ritsu Ide in Toronto, although he was not a member but the former director of the Nikkei Liaison Association.

My Impressions

Although there is no document that records exactly the total worth of the fishing boats owned by Nikkei people, I have the impression that it was approximately $2,000,000 in total, taking into account what I heard before the war.

  1. The actual sales amount was $1,423,182.
  2. There were 187 vessels transferred to the Custodian with an estimate of $400 per vessel, equaling $74,800, although the exact price is unknown.
  3. There were 20 remaining vessels under the control of the Custodian of Enemy Property, estimated at $350 per vessel, making $7,000.
  4. There were 70 vessels semi-owned by Nikkei people, estimated at $400 per vessel, equaling $28,000.
  5. Nine vessels for which compensation for total loss was requested. (However, one of them was denied. See “The case of Mr. A” and “The case of Mr. T and Mr. Y.”) $3,918.
  6. Three vessels where the procedure of request for compensation of total loss was not completed, estimated at $400 per vessel, coming to $1,200.
  7. Cases where the sale price was written down as the sale amount minus the rest of the mortgage, $5,116.

Total = $1,543,216

This figure is the assumptive total amount. If we suppose $2,000,000 as the correct amount, the total amount above equals 77.2 per cent of $2,000,000, and we can tentatively say that the boats were sold at a 22.8 per cent discount.

Except in the cases of the 152 boats the committee had to forcibly dispose of due to the urgency of the situation (among them, 136 cases later approved by the owners), the committee left all of the sales contracts as free negotiations between buyers and sellers.

Despite that, if the owners suffered a loss, it was because they were heavily pressed by the emergency situation of wartime and the order to remove all Nikkei people. They were concerned with various points:

  1. Anxiety about the expense of keeping a boat during a war that no one knew how long would last.
  2. There was no guarantee that the boats would not be damaged if the owners kept them.
  3. Owners could not expect any income even if they made charter contracts.
  4. Anxiety about the cost of living at their place of relocation.

Therefore, the owners were not in a position to negotiate a fair price.

At one time, volunteers from various places examined the possibility of compensating the loss of Nikkei property. Three Greenwood committee members visited me and requested I submit documents relating to the sale of Nikkei fishing boats. They said they would amalgamate the accounts from Nikkei fishermen with other property under the care of the Custodian. They would submit them, through Mr. McMaster, a lawyer, the associate partner at Norris and McLennan.

Even though we arrived at the loss figures mentioned above, there was no documentation on individual fishing boat estimates authorized by surveyors to prove the total amount was $2,000,000, the basis on which the result was reached. Also, the committee left the sales negotiations to the discretion of the boat-owners, so I think it unfair to complain there were problems in the process.

However, if we generalize the matter of compensation to include everything that was sold, even voluntarily, to consist of: real estate; fishing vessels; fishing tools; forests; furniture; shops; rooming houses; business brands; and so on, you can argue that Nikkei people had to sell at bargain prices because of anxiety about their forced removal. The Order of Removal was definitely a biased order, which was applied only to Nikkei people, from among all other enemy foreigners. We could make a convincing claim that property sold under pressure should be compensated for. Testimonies could be collected from various fields. Even if somehow the claim proved unsuccessful, it would at least contribute to making the general Canadian public recognize the sacrifice Nikkei people had to make.

“Why don’t you suggest this claim to Mr. McMaster, the lawyer?” “I would respond to a summons and certainly testify,” I replied.

This attempt at a claim did not materialize for some reason, maybe because they did not acquire enough support from the Nikkei community, or they failed to obtain an agreement with Mr. McMaster, or for some other unknown reason.

In eastern Canada, this issue of general compensation was debated, but it was called off there as well. I heard there was some difficulty raising expenses, but it remains unclear.

Now, some might argue that these fishing boats, which used to be owned by Nikkei people, could have been a resource when Nikkei people returned to the west coast if they hadn’t been sold, but at the time, no one could predict the future. Moreover, the boats were necessary “to ensure food supply,” a government policy, and in the end Nikkei people gave up their boats.

After the war, there was progress in the quality of fishing boats and equipment, and I think Nikkei people would eventually face the necessity of having to renew their boats. Be that as it may, if Nikkei people suffered the estimated losses mentioned above, I would like to investigate whether they came out with something positive.

It has not been investigated, but I think it is a small matter that the owners saved costs for boat maintenance and damage repairs, which they had to cover, in case their boats did not sell.

Even though these are invisible achievements, they are very significant:

  1. All Nikkei fishermen not only followed the law to impound vessels, navigating their boats to the impoundment area but also:
  2. Accepted the request by the Navy and took further trouble navigating the vessels to the impoundment area at New Westminster.
  3. All Nikkei fishermen understood the necessity to ensure the food supply, giving up their boats and cooperating promptly to release the boats to go out fishing.

I think these are meaningful points because they could make the Canadian general public recognize that Nikkei Canadians carried out their responsibility as Canadian citizens in spite of extremely difficult circumstances.

At the end of January, soon after the committee started the liquidation of fishing boats, one newspaper that usually reported anti-Nikkei stories reported that “Nikkei boat owners are insisting on absurd prices.” This was according to a Hakujin fisherman. Another rumour was that “Nikkei owners removed boat parts and equipment and stored them in warehouses with fishing nets,” related in the typical manner of some abusive Hakujin fisherman. Moreover, the newspaper reported that it was predicted that “the Committee would suffer from hundreds of old, unsold vessels.” In late April, the newspaper reported “We give praise to the Committee which is successfully managing difficult problems even Solomon might fail to manage. The Committee has already released more than half the vessels to people who need them.” Also, in late May the newspaper reported, from a speech made by Mr. McMaster, that “Mr. McMaster gives praise to the Nikkei owners of vessels who were willing to cooperate.” I felt that this might be evidence that the profile of Nikkei people with the general public had improved and the newspaper could not ignore it.

Two years after Nikkei people were allowed to return to the west coast (beginning in 1949), I was asked by an acquaintance to accompany him to Vancouver. We had a meeting with Mr. C, section chief of the N fishery company. I had known him for a long time since Mr. R and his brother were fresh-fish traders. Mr. C suddenly hugged me and said,

“Thank you for coming! My flagship packer, the Dara-Dog, was alone and lonely, but fortunately I could purchase the Kitaka and the Nakamoto from the Custodian. Now I have the same number of packers as long ago, and I am going to keep them for a long time, for sentimental reasons. I was pleased to meet with R. Also, I saw S at the office a while ago. He has been working here for two years. He would be happy to see you!”

Mr. C got so excited to see me that my acquaintance was surprised. Both of us could understand the conversation, but for those who didn’t know the circumstances, it was of course odd. I finished the business with my acquaintance, and when I was talking with other old acquaintances, Mr. S arrived.

Soon after Nikkei people were allowed to return to the coast, Mr. S went to Vancouver. He pioneered the revival of fishing by Nikkei people. He was expecting threats from Hakujin fishermen. The cannery he had worked for before hesitated to work with Nikkei fishermen, so he switched to the N fishery company.

“Remembering the old days, I was tense and nervous, but, contrary to my apprehensions and as if the world had completely changed, people kindly assisted me with all sorts of matters. It was dream-like, I don’t know how many times I pinched myself,” he recalled.

All Nikkei immigrants have suffered from the anti-Nikkei movement since they landed in the province of BC, but especially Nikkei fishermen. Although they were all naturalized citizens, they suffered from continuous, severe exclusion practices. The number of fishing licences was limited, and moreover, the licences themselves were limited by discriminatory conditions. So throughout the fishing season, they operated only within the small fishing areas accorded them by licence. However, after the war the limitation on the number of licences was abolished (note: the current law for limitation is merely to protect certain kinds of fish and to increase the revenue of fishermen and is not anti-Nikkei), and all types of licences are granted to Nikkei fishermen. They can fish any areas, the same as other fishermen.

Common sense among the general public no longer condones anti-Nikkei practices, and I believe there is no room for anti-Nikkei propaganda. It was definitely the behaviour of the Nikkei fishermen who created such an atmosphere, by following the law, making sacrifices, and cooperating with government policy during the war.

There might be some people who insist that this is “because Nikkei people received suffrage,” but it is too simple to conclude that it is a matter of course that naturalized citizens and Canadian-born citizens have suffrage. In reality, Nikkei people in general raised their profile with the Canadian general public by demonstrating their diligence, pleasant character, law-abiding spirit, and patience toward past discriminatory treatment, and these formed the basis whereby Nikkei people were granted suffrage.

To the Second and Third Generations

From the current perspective, at a time when protests and demonstrations are the trend, there might be some who laugh at the Nikkei who conducted themselves with silence and obedience for decades. In fact, there were lawsuits claiming suffrage in the old days by Nisei representatives. Regarding the limitation of fishing licences, Nikkei people fought in the Supreme Court of Canada and the Privy Council in England, winning both cases. But Parliament gave the minister of fisheries the authority to discriminate when they issued fishing licences. We swallowed our tears. Recently, the Nisei conducted a protest against the draft of the removal of all Nikkei people, but this also ended with disappointing results.

Depending on the time period, situation, environment, and social standing, the outcomes are different. There might also be different opinions among us; however, I just want young people to understand that the Issei were by no means ignorant or stupid.

At the risk of sounding too insistent, I would like you to understand that the Issei were not an inferior ethnic group. They had to take care of their families in Japan. Even if they studied, sacrificing their families at home, there was no way for them to find good employment. They did not have suffrage, their English was not good enough, and their fields of employment were limited because of exclusionary practices. They had to take care of their family in Canada, and they somehow built up a base in the face of a vicious anti-Nikkei campaign. You might laugh at my slim advice, but I would like to urge you not to foment unconscious ethnic self-hatred.

Last year when the atomic bomb exhibition was held at a department store in Tokyo, a magazine reported that many young people who saw the photos of the terrible scenes of both Hiroshima and Nagasaki said, “There was notice of bombing from the United States, why didn’t people evacuate? They must have been really dumb.” These young people laughed without knowing that the atomic bomb was kept strictly a secret and people of the era did not know its power. I do not want similar thoughts repeated among Canada’s Nikkei community.

When you criticize, I would like you to investigate, face squarely, and consider the time period, the circumstances, situation, and environment that the Issei and some in the Nisei were placed in. I would like you to recognize that Nikkei people were rewarded for their struggle and finally reached the dawn of a new era after the war. With this understanding, I would like you to leap forward into various fields with self-awareness and self-respect.

An Example from the Fishing Boat Catalogue

 

Please refer to “Certificate” of British Registry in filling this blank; special attention is required in case of “Length,” “Width,” and “Depth.”

Name of Vessel                                   Official Number          Naval Control Number

Port of Registry                                   Date of Registry

Gross Tonnage                                    Net Tonnage

Length                                                 Width                          Depth

Make of Engine (Present)                   Date When Re-installed

Horse Power                                       Knot (Speed)

When Hull Built                                  When Hull Rebuilt

Type of Vessel                                    Seiner  Packer Gill-Netter Troller Trawler  Other

Formerly Used as                                Value (Replacement)

Date When Surveyed Last                   Value (Present)

Place of Operation                               Value (Insured)

Charter Rate 1940                               Chartered To:  1940

Charter Rate 1941                               Chartered To:  1941

Amount of Mortgage, If Any              Mortgaged To:

Registered Owners Name                   Actual Owners Name

Address                                               Address

Remarks:

Part II: The Advisory Committee on Nikkei Properties in Greater Vancouver

The Course of Events Leading up to the Establishment of the Committee

Advisory Committee on Nikkei Properties, Rural Division

Clarification of Orders-in-Council and an Explanation of the Function of the Custodian

First Meeting of the Committee

Inspection of the Properties Owned by Nikkei People

List of Real Estate Owned by Nikkei People

Main Policy Decisions

Items under Deliberation

Special Deliberation Regarding Lots Next to Munitions Factory

The Liquidation of a Fraser River Farm

Drafting Real Estate Advertising

Consultation Regarding Sale Advertisements

Approval of Resignation

Recollections:

Various Anti-Nikkei Campaigns

Board of Review Report on Illegal Entry

National Registration: Report of Dr. Carrothers, etc.

Standing Committee for Special Registration of Nikkei People

The Statement of Prime Minister Mackenzie King

Special Registration of Nikkei People

The Outbreak of the Pacific War and the Removal of All Nikkei People

The Condition of Nikkei Properties in an Area Heavily Populated by Nikkei People

Comment

Attachment:

Letters Advising Resignation from the Advisory Committee on Japanese Properties (Kaslo, Slocan)

The Course of Events Leading up to the Establishment of the Committee

March 13, 1943:

In the evening, a telegram came from Colonel C.H. Hill, divisional commander of the RCMP, stating:

“Regarding property owned by Nikkei people, the Custodian, as well as Mr. George Collins of the BC Security Commission (where he is a Commissioner of Japanese Placement), wishes to consult with you. Please come to Vancouver as soon as possible.”

I thought I would travel to Vancouver in a few days’ time. The next day (Sunday), Corporal William Durnin of the Grand Forks RCMP detachment came to visit and prompted me to go to the head office in Vancouver, handing me a travel permit to do so. That same night, I left Cascade for Vancouver.

March 15:

I met Col. Hill, who told me that he would report to Mr. Collins about me. He prompted me to see Mr. G.W. McPherson, executive assistant to the Hon. Mr. McLarty, secretary of state. Mr. McPherson said he was creating an advisory committee to deal with the liquidation of Nikkei properties and wanted me to represent the Nikkei community.

It was a serious matter, and I had no experience of property evaluation. So I declined the offer and recommended several other people. I should have consulted with those people before recommending them, but I had no time to do so. I recommended four people, all of them Nikkei businessmen, to deal with Vancouver properties and Mr. Yasutaro Yamaga to handle rural properties. If he needed more people, I suggested he ask those who had been recommended to put forward other names for consideration. Mr. McPherson asked me to stay in Vancouver a few more days while he spoke to Ottawa and investigated candidates before reaching a decision.

Two days later, Mr. McPherson told me they had accepted Mr. Yamaga to be in charge of rural properties and that he would soon be coming to Vancouver. The government did not accept any other candidates for Vancouver properties, and he wanted me to accept the position. They were going to reappoint Justice Smith as the committee chairman and suggested I consult with him. I wanted to know why none of the candidates I believed to be appropriate were accepted by the government, but I refrained from asking in case that put them in an awkward position.

March 18:

Mr. Yamaga came to Vancouver from his place of evacuation and expressed his resolve to do the job, stating: “I thought I would devote my life to farming in the Fraser Delta, but it turns out that this will be my final life’s work. Fortunately, my friend Mr. Halbert Menzies, a real estate agent who knows the Haney district well, will also be a member. This work shall be my own funeral. You as well, must again, give your best.”

I had already shut down the salted salmon business I had devoted myself to since 1920 when I accepted the job of liquidating the Nikkei fishing boats. (On another occasion, I’ll disclose why the Nikkei salted salmon business could not be rehabilitated while the salmon fishery could.) When I was burying the Nikkei fishing industry, I was well supported by a few like-minded members of the Liaison Committee. This time around, I didn’t feel as comfortable or confident. I knew nothing about property liquidation and had no support staff. I said this to Mr. Yamaga and then decided to consult with Justice Smith.

Advisory Committee on Nikkei Properties, Rural Division

March 20:

At 10:30 in the morning, in the Custodian’s office, the first meeting of the Advisory Committee (Rural Division) was held. Mr. McPherson recommended I attend the meeting as an observer. The committee consisted of the following people:

Chairman: His Honour, Justice Whiteside of New Westminster

Member: Mr. Yasutaro Yamaga, Tasheme, BC

Member: Mr. D. MacKenzie, New Westminster

Member: Mr. J.J. McLellan, Fort Langley

Member: Mr. Hal. Menzies, Haney

Besides these, from the Custodian’s Office there were Mr. McPherson and his deputy Mr. Shears, as well as their lawyer, Mr. Wright. Mr. McPherson made introductions, explained the duties and rights of the committee, and then explained that Mr. Shears would consult with the committee from time to time. After that, the chairman said that the meeting would usually be held in the New Westminster courthouse and if not, a notice of assembly would make clear where the meeting place would be. Then the meeting was dissolved.

March 19:

I visited Justice Smith, who informed me that he had sent a letter to me in Cascade. In the letter, he said that when he was asked by the secretary of state to form the Advisory Committee under the Custodian, he told them that he would appoint Alderman Charles Jones and me. I said that the Custodian is supposed to protect and manage the property of Nikkei people after they have been relocated. People who wanted to sell or lease their property could request the Custodian to assist them. Also, there should be a few bilingual people in the office. They could certainly deal with these demands and facilitate them more efficiently than Nikkei committee members like myself who had no experience dealing with property.

He persuaded me that this Advisory Committee was different from the Fishing Boat Disposal Committee. This committee would simply give advice after consultations with the Department of Japanese Placement within the Office of the Custodian. We had Mr. Jones, who was well versed in finance and city zoning. Furthermore, Justice Smith had informally appointed Mr. McMaster (see Afterward) as deputy director. Justice Smith spoke at length on a proposal, from the BC Security Commission and the Custodian that had taken place during cabinet discussions, about Nikkei properties. He persuaded me to accept the appointment, and I said I would try my best.

On returning to the hotel, I found the letter that Mr. Smith had sent from Cascade. The authorities checked the mail, and often letters took a long time to arrive. Reading this letter, it became clear why the government had not accepted the people I had recommended to handle Vancouver properties. They had already selected the Nikkei committee member.

March 22:

At 10 o’clock in the morning, after receiving word, I went to Justice Smith’s room at the courthouse. Besides the chairman, committee member Kimura, and deputy director McMaster, Mr. McPherson and his deputy, Mr. Shears, acting director of the Custodian, were present. Alderman Jones could not attend because of a conflict with city council scheduling. We decided to postpone the meeting until the next day, and we listened to Mr. McPherson’s explanation, as follows:

Clarification of Orders-in-Council and an Explanation of the Function of the Custodian

By Order-in-Council PC 1665 of March 4, 1942, and Order-in-Council PC 2483 of March 27, 1942, both issued based on the War Measures Act (chapter 206 of the Revised Statutes of Canada, 1927), property (except fishing boats, bank accounts, bonds, securities, and stock, etc.) owned by all removed Nikkei people was put under the protection of the Custodian. People on the street called this the “Enemy Property Disposition Act,” but it is the “Consolidated Regulations Respecting Trading with the Enemy Act” of 1939. This originally applied to enemy products. This regulation would be applied to the protection of property of removed Nikkei people, with necessary modifications.

According to these regulations, the property of Japanese nationals who lived and were not interned in this country was not necessarily considered to be enemy property. On the other hand, the property of Canadians or naturalized citizens who resided in enemy countries would sometimes be treated as enemy property. The Custodian has already disposed of a few properties, based on a request from removed Nikkei people and, with the cooperation of the BC Security Commission, are sending a hundred dollars a month until the account is exhausted. This policy will be ongoing, with an increase beyond the hundred-dollar limit if necessary.

Later on, to clarify and to make partial changes to the two orders-in-council mentioned above (PC 1665 and 2483), another order-in-council was passed (PC 469 of Jan. 19, 1943). According to this order, the right of entrustment and responsibility of the Custodian consisted of the control and effective governance of property owned by Nikkei people. Therefore, it became clear that the Custodian functions to liquidate, sell, or dispose of by other methods all Nikkei property when the Custodian finds it necessary to fulfill their responsibility.

The Custodian had been making an effort to fulfill their mission of protecting the property of Nikkei people left in the area of coastal defence. They observed that under the circumstances, properties could not escape theft or damage and thus concluded to sell them in due course. Please understand that this was not a confiscation of property because we applied the Enemy Property Disposition Act only after adding the necessary modification to it, as mentioned previously.

Points the Custodian wanted to put to the Advisory Committee were as follows:

  1. Considering the present circumstances, is it right to sell properties owned by Nikkei people, as its primary function?
  2. If the answer is yes, please indicate what is considered to be the best way or conditions or terms of selling these properties.
  3. What is the best way to evaluate them?
  4. Is it in the public interest to dispose of, as soon as possible, property owned by religious groups?
  5. Under the circumstances, it was difficult to protect movable assets, and theft and damage of these assets was rampant. The BC Security Commission considered sending assets to removed owners not only inconvenient but unnecessary. Whether this was just or not, these assets were disposed of. (Because the Custodian has no intention to dispose of religious objects or things of sentimental value, the committee doesn’t need to advise on this issue.)

First Meeting of the Committee

March 23:

From 11 o’clock in the morning, all of us, including Mr. Jones, gathered in Justice Smith’s room and had the first meeting of the committee.

Mr. McPherson repeated the points he discussed yesterday in the unofficial meeting and informed us that he had to go to eastern Canada immediately. Mr. Shears would replace him while he was absent. Therefore, when the committee requires a report or information or the Custodian’s opinion, the committee should get in touch with Mr. Shears. Also, when the committee came up with recommendations regarding their principal policy, he wanted us to inform him as soon as possible.

We expressed our wish to inspect a selection of properties representative of those owned by Nikkei people before we came up with recommendations. We asked Mr. Shears to facilitate the inspection for us. We proposed to create a list of properties under the protection of the Custodian, and this proposal was accepted as well. After that we discussed the location of the office and decided to rent Room 1012 in the Royal Bank Building at 675 West Hastings St., Vancouver. After that, Mr. McPherson and Mr. Shears left the room. It was decided that:

  1. McMaster would be the deputy director.
  2. The committee would be named The Advisory Committee on Japanese Properties in Greater Vancouver, and for short, The Advisory Committee.
  3. The property would be inspected at two o’clock the next day.

 Inspection of the Properties Owned by Nikkei People

March 24:

Judge Smith, Mr. Jones, and Mr. Kimura, with a guide from the Custodian, went to view stores and rental rooms around Powell Street. These were places already rented out through real estate agents, but they were generally humble and on the level of temporary dwellings. The situation was the same on Cordova Street. It seemed that there were a considerable number of places that required large sums spent on them to comply with city bylaws. It seemed impossible for such a small patrol of people to protect so many properties. Due to the war, the general public turned a blind eye to vandalism of empty houses. Vandals had grown increasingly bold, under the illusion that everyone approved of their conduct. It was easy to see that damages were increasing daily.

The Custodian received a request from the evacuees to send books that were stored in two places. They, being Hakujin, had been unable to read titles and get the requested books. We thought this would be an opportunity to see the properties as well, and all of us went to view them. On the second floor of a store it seemed someone had gained entry through a window. A ruined gramophone and records were strewn across the floor. The Custodian informed the owner, but nothing was stolen. Although it was reported to the police, the vandals have yet to be found. We proceeded to the United Church, where the belongings of believers were stored, and fortunately there had been no vandalism there. We were able to locate the fishing-related books requested.

Along the way, I asked if we could go to my acquaintance’s house on Cordova Street. He had asked me to check on some flower vases he’d hidden under the floorboards. When we got there, someone had already pried up the boards, and there was nothing there. Because the owner had carelessly used new floor boards, it had been easy for the thief to notice the variance. There was a similar case on Powell Street where the owner had hidden precious items in the ceiling and pasted over the cache with new wallpaper. Apparently, that had attracted the eyes of the thief.

At a store called Maikawa, two sales clerks, a man and a woman, were hired by the Custodians at the request of the owner to sell the remaining stock. They said there were hardly any customers coming to the store and almost all business was mail-order sales from removed Nikkei people. They locked up the store tightly at six o’clock, but they felt uneasy until they opened up the next morning and saw whether or not everything was safe.

List of Real Estate Owned by Nikkei People

We received a list of real estate placed under the Custodian’s jurisdiction, owned by removed Nikkei people.

premises,                     empty lots                    total

houses,

empty stores

others

  1. City of Vancouver, north of False Creek 193                              15                                208
  2. City of Vancouver, south of False Creek 191                              42                                233
  3. North Vancouver and West Vancouver   16                              14                                  30
  4. Burnaby                                                   13                              14                                  27

Total                                                                                                                                        413                              85                                498

Evaluation for tax purposes

premises                                  buildings                      lots (empty)                         total

  1. $257,847.00                $481,917.00                $6,265.00                    $746,029.00
  2. $199,800.00                $250,010.00                $8,955.00                    $458,765.00
  3.             $9,461.50                  $19,210.00                $3,965.00                      $32,816.00
  4.             $5,421.83                  $12,830.00                $3,360.00                      $21.611.00

Total    $472,710.33                $763,967.00        $22,545.00     $1,259,222.00

The total tax amount for the above properties                                       $45,464.20

There were 379 cases where Nikkei owners appointed real estate agents or lawyers. The Custodians were in the middle of creating cards for each of the 496 cases mentioned above. If we leave the over 400 pieces of real estate scattered over the city, as well as the movable assets stored in them, it is clear that the rate of loss and damage would be far more than under usual circumstances. We all agreed, unofficially, that there was no other way but to sell everything, although we would have to adjust the details. (Religious and educational materials should be exempt.)

March 26:

The Custodian requested our help to send a sewing machine from Steveston to some removed Nikkei people. There were Japanese tags attached to it that they couldn’t read. They also wanted us to investigate whether or not the machine was in working order. This was outside of our jurisdiction, but we went to Steveston with permission to inspect a few other warehouses as well. The sewing machine was in the former Fishermen’s Association building, and because a guard was stationed at the hospital section, there was no damage. However, furniture and boxes kept at the former daycare were all opened, and Japanese carpentry tools and Japanese dolls were strewn about the floor. We could not tell how much had been stolen and which stuff belonged in which box, and it seemed impossible to clean it up properly.

We went to the Buddhist Temple because we’d heard that someone had broken in through a window. It seemed to be simple mischief, and there were about five pots of ashes of the dead with their contents scattered. It was not unusual for Nikkei people to honour the dead collectively, so we told the guard to put the ashes into the large pot.

Main Policy Decisions

March 30:

At 11 in the morning, we all gathered at the room of Justice Smith and decided the following:

  1. Under the circumstances and in order to stop losses, we decided, in principle, to sell all property owned by the removed Nikkei people.
  2. Regarding the sale of the above properties, there were a few points to be investigated further. Therefore, the sale details will be decided after we see the documents and hear the Custodian’s views.
  3. The sale of religious and educational properties shall be put off unless there is a request or permission from the person responsible or a compulsory sale due to debt.

April 7:

At 10 in the morning we all gathered at the room of Justice Smith. The Custodian requested us to deliberate urgently on three Nikkei properties next to a munitions factory. The sale contract had to be completed as soon as possible. According to city zoning, all three properties were in an industrial area. In the opinion of Mr. Jones, “Once the city declares that the present houses are not fit for habitation, only a factory will be allowed to be built. The evaluation for tax purposes is based on a certain rational formula to be fair, but it’s not necessarily the same as the market price.”

Consequently, the Custodian wanted advice on the following points.

  1. The buyer’s price.
  2. The evaluation of the real estate agent the Custodian is using for the Department of Enemy Property Disposal.
  3. After deliberating on these prices, please advise us of a proper price.

We decided to have regular meetings every Wednesday at 10 a.m. in the private room of Justice Smith.

Items under Deliberation

April 14:

At the weekly regular meeting, the Custodian and Mr. McMaster, after deliberation, presented the following items to us.

  1. The method of real estate sales
  2. Advice on whether or not to adopt the tender system.
  3. If yes, the method of advertising.
  4. Deadline for tender?
  5. Sale condition. Cash payment? In case of installment method, how big should down payment be? The terms of payment.
  6. How to provide opportunity for prospective purchasers to survey the houses.
  7. Listing with real estate agents?
  8. How much should agent’s commission be?
  9. Is it possible to persuade Nikkei people to entrust their certificate of land title to the Custodian?

(Note: There was a note attached to this stating that the Custodian was already selling properties under the Department of Enemy Property Disposal through a tender method. They wish to do the same with the property of relocated Nikkei people.)

  1. Form of the catalogue and other items
    1. Is it necessary to create a catalogue for the general public? If yes, in what form?
    2. In this catalogue, shall we include properties under the Department of Enemy Property Disposal?
    3. Should we create the catalogue according to districts and carry out separate tenders accordingly?
  1. How to evaluate the properties
    1. Evaluate individual properties?
    2. Who shall we ask to evaluate?
    3. Who will pay the cost of evaluation?
  1. How to deal with existing rental contracts
  2. Shall we give priority to renters in place at the time of sale?
  3. How to deal with the expired rental contract?
  1. How to dispose of the movable assets
  2. Shall we employ the tender method? If yes, how to evaluate and decide on a minimum price.
  3. Shall we employ the auction method with proceedings open to the general public? How do we allocate the auctioneers?
  4. At auction, how to evaluate and decide on a minimum price?
  5. How to share the auction costs (including the transportation of assets).
  6. In the case of assets being in rental houses, shall we give priority of purchase to the renters?
  7. How to store religious objects or objects considered having sentimental value.
  8. How about setting up a deadline for those who want to have their movable assets sent to them?

(Note: There was a note attached that in some cases the Custodian is renting Nikkei houses to store the movable assets, and in those cases they want to sell the movable assets before liquidating the houses.)

To the above items, we came up with general suggestions, and after discussion with Mr. McMaster and Mr. Shears, we deliberated further and added modifications.

  1. 1. Yes to the tender method.
  2. It is all right to advertise everything at the same time but to create separate deadlines in order to avoid market saturation and to maintain prices.
  3. The terms the Custodian is using are all right.
  4. An instalment method is acceptable, but judgment needs to be used according to individual situations.
  5. Because the majority of Nikkei owners appointed agents, we will use them. In the cases where owners did not appoint agents, the Custodian will appoint them.
  6. Not necessary.
  7. The general standard rate.
  8. Encouraging Nikkei people to entrust their certificate of land title to the Custodian will only increase their sense of alarm.
  1. 1. Make a catalogue which includes listing headings to register the real estate, such as: the lot number; block; district; name of town; house number; building classification; appointed agent; etc. (However, real estate belonging to religious and educational institutions shall be excluded from the catalogue.)
  2. The decision lies in the hands of the Custodian.
  3. Yes.
  1. 1. Yes.
  2. The evaluation should be kept secret until the end of the tender; therefore, the Custodian should use surveyors already employed or, if necessary, make a careful selection from among them.
  3. Pending.
  1. 1. Impossible.
  2. Houses with a completed contract shall be leased until the sale of the house. Those with uncompleted contracts shall be sold with the lease.
  1. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are all pending.
  2. (Pending.) However, at one time, the BC Security Commission was against sending movable assets to removed Nikkei people because there were no storage spaces, but now their storage facilities have gradually improved and they are capable of storing some movable assets. We would like the Custodian and Security Commission to now allow the sending of some of these movable assets.

April 15:

I went home by night train for a break, with permission from Justice Smith. My family had moved to Christina Lake but was still living in a hotel. I settled my family into a cabin at long last, returning to Vancouver early in the morning of April 27.

Special Deliberation Regarding Lots Next to Munitions Factory

April 28:

The regular meeting was held. (The regular meeting of April 21 was postponed.)

The pending subject from April 7, regarding properties adjoining the munitions factory, was debated. The Custodian provided us with the prices offered by companies wishing to purchase, as well as the price estimates of the realtor, Mr. Douglas Reeve (from Johnson, Reeve and Watson). We came up with the following recommended prices.

1                                              2                                                          3

Buyer’s price                                       $1,100.00                    $1,400.00                    $800.00 (full payment)

Mr. Reeve’s estimate               $2,000.00                    $1,500.00                    41,000.00 (full payment)

Our recommendation               $2,000.00                   $1,750.00                    $1,125.00 (full payment)

After the meeting, we moved into unofficial discussions, and I was asked my opinion of a newspaper article in The New Canadian.

When removed Nikkei people entrusted their properties, they understood that it was for the sake of safekeeping. They did not realize that, after their removal, the properties would be transferred to the Custodian by an order-in-council. Therefore, they rather entrusted their properties to lawyers or realtors, and some even neglected to report to the Custodian. Therefore, the Custodian will constantly face opposition to the forced sale of their properties.

From the Custodian’s viewpoint, it is reasonable to sell the properties because they cannot protect them sufficiently. However, it would be difficult to obtain comprehensive consent of all Nikkei people. If there is any basis for a legal challenge, Nikkei people would take this to the courts. The sooner the outcome of the legal challenge becomes clear, the easier the problem for the Custodian.

When we deliberated the possibility of encouraging Nikkei people to deposit land title certificates, I was allowed to put my opinion in the draft. From the beginning, I had an apprehension that such a legal challenge might occur.

May 5:

At our weekly meeting, we had no particular item for deliberation and listened to Mr. McMaster’s report.

  1. Shears held a meeting with representatives of major real estate companies on May 3, and Mr. McMaster participated as an observer.
  2. The design of the catalogue is almost completed, and we are now making references to the Custodian’s recording system. As soon as that is over, the catalogue will be sent to the printing shop.
  3. The real estate card catalogue is also near completion.
  4. The map showing housing lot numbers is completed.
  5. Shears goes to Winnipeg in two days to meet with Mr. McMaster. He is going to write a newspaper ad as soon as he returns to Vancouver.

At two o’clock on the same day, there was a phone call from the Custodian saying they have a piece of registered mail from Kaslo addressed to me, via Christina Lake.

It was a letter from the Assembly of Nikkei Property Owners in Kaslo, advising me to resign. I had expected this would come, after the newspaper article, and reported the news to Justice Smith. We decided to discuss this matter at the coming weekly meeting.

May 10:

Mr. K.W. Wright, counsel to the Custodian, wanted to meet with me regarding the partial right of possession of Mr. Yamazaki, who has been in Japan since 1936.

“There is a property in Marpole under the three-part, joint equal ownership of Mr. Kiyomitsu Yamazaki, Mr. Jujiro Nishimura and Mr. Daishiro Teramura. The unpaid taxes on this property have reached $66.40, by the present date of 1942. Mr. Nishimura, with a letter of attorney from Mr. Yamazaki, proposed that the Custodian release Mr. Yamazaki’s one-third rights to him. Mr. Teramura, the third owner, has passed away, and this made things complicated. Furthermore, since the property seemed to be a school, the Custodian supposed that these three people are likely to be trustees, therefore they are reluctant to release the property to Mr. Nishimura.” He asked me what I thought about the issue.

“I think that Mr. Nishimura is trying to release his ownership because the property will be liquidated as the property of an absentee owner or as part of an inheritance arrangement. I think what the Custodian is supposing is correct, but I shall consult with Mr. Tsutae Sato and Mr. Sadayoshi Aoki, both of them former principals of the Language School in Marpole, Vancouver, before the war. Please classify this Marpole Language School as a property belonging to an educational institute, and at the same time, take measures to stop the possible sale of the property by the city due to overdue taxes.”

May 12:

At the regular weekly meeting, after approving the hiring of Mr. Durkee as an assistant to Mr. McMaster, we discussed the subject of Nikkei people protesting the forced sale of their properties and then referred to the letter advising Mr. Kimura to resign. According to some opinions, once the Custodian is judged to have the function of selling properties for the sake of protection, there would be no reason for Mr. Kimura to resign. He said, “First of all, I was not elected to be a committee member by Nikkei people, and it now turns out that they are not supporting my work and are, in general, against me. Under this circumstance, I should resign. If the Custodian is judged to have the function of selling properties, Nikkei people can elect a representative if necessary and then obtain government approval.” He then requested to be released from the committee. However, the translated letter advising him to resign simply said, “Your continued position as a member, in the general opinion of your fellow countrymen, is considered to be untenable,” and no threatening words were employed. Furthermore, the main mission of the committee, as well as the drafting of advertisements, had not been discussed yet. Therefore, it was decided that Justice Smith would hold onto Mr. Kimura’s letter of resignation for several days.

May 19:

Regular weekly meeting

Commercially zoned real estate had high evaluations for tax purposes, and accordingly, municipal taxes were also high. We have been studying how to lower taxes, and so we listened to Mr. Jones’s explanation.

  1. The city tax evaluations are fair to property-owners and generally determined by a set formula with little modification over the years. These are not necessarily the same as the market price. (The market price is influenced by the general economy, the development of new areas, or improvements to roads and other facilities.)
  2. Every fiscal year, the city, based on its budget, collects the mill rate of tax evaluation as municipal taxes. (That is to say, the evaluations are almost the same every year, but the mill rate can be changed.)
  3. Those who are unhappy with the evaluation can take necessary steps to revise their taxes at the court of revision within a certain time limit.
  4. Those who are not satisfied with the result of the deliberation can apply for reconsideration to the board of assessment.
  5. If that application is unsuccessful, including the options mentioned above, there can be an appeal to the provincial Supreme Court.
  6. The maximum devaluation that can be obtained through the above mentioned three processes (or one of the processes) is determined by the city charter, and that must be within 10 per cent. That is to say, we can get a maximum 10 per cent tax deduction a year. Every property-owner has the right to devalue their property. On the other hand, if other owners do not like the devaluation of surrounding properties, they have the right to oppose and sometimes speak out against the move.
  7. Some actions, such as a factory or a shopping arcade being built in the middle of a residential neighbourhood, negatively impact the properties in the larger vicinity. Owners can then collectively appeal to the city’s court of equalization. In our case, the issue is simply one of devaluation. If some owners think there is an issue of compensation for the loss, they can appeal to the civil court.

After hearing his explanation, we acknowledged that the difficulty we are facing with properties in commercial and industrial districts lay with today’s unusual circumstances; therefore, we decided to seek ways to further reduce taxes before submitting cases to the Custodian.

May 20:

I received another resolution, posted on the eighth, from the Association of Nikkei Property Owners in the district of Slocan advising me to resign. I asked Justice Smith to put my resignation on the agenda of the next regular meeting.

May 24:

Since it was a holiday, I received an invitation from Mr. Charley Moore, our old neighbour before we moved to Christina Lake. I spent a half-day chatting about the good old days and was treated to his stepmother’s, Mrs. Barkley’s, home cooking at lunch and dinner. It felt very nostalgic.

The Liquidation of a Fraser River Farm

When I returned to my hotel, I saw Mr. Yamaga. As soon as he saw me, he said, with a dead serious face, that he had finally decided to submit his resignation. Although he had been expecting challenges, he made up his mind to leave after seeing today’s Advisory Committee decision. (It was a holiday.) They decided, by a majority vote and based on the Veterans’ Lands Act retroactive to January 1, 1943, to approve the comprehensive, compulsory purchase of all properties along the Fraser River owned by Nikkei people. Consequently, the director of the Veterans’ Lands Act would be collecting house rents, farmland rents, and crop fees. Mr. Yamaga was bitterly disappointed with the complete lack of clarification regarding the evaluation of individual properties and the arrangement of the crop fee.

I heard that after the First World War, the government, based on an act similar to this one, created land for fruit farms in the southern Okanagan and sold the lots to returning soldiers and then sold the remainder to the general public. Therefore, I supposed that if there was any property remaining, it would be sold to the general public as well. However, this compulsory purchase happened during the war, and I had no idea whether this was happening through the lobbying power of the Veterans’ Association or the will of the government.

In the middle of December 1942, soon after the establishment of the Nikkei Fishing Boat Disposal Committee, there was a proposal, through Mr. Johnson, asking for special consideration of a few hundred fishermen veterans. I communicated through Mr. Johnson that by the order-in-council we were obliged to treat every fisherman equally concerning sale contracts. He was requested to “Please contact and start negotiations as soon as possible with Nikkei owners or members of the Liaison Committee.” Nothing much developed from this communication. Perhaps only a limited few were involved in this endeavour.

May 26:

Regular weekly meeting

The messages from the Custodian were as follows:

  1. As a result of repeated negotiations, based on requests of relocated Nikkei people, eight houses have been sold up until today.
  2. There are another 17 houses which are being advertised for liquidation. Two of them have already sold, and the registration documents were being drawn up. The remaining 15 houses were in the middle of negotiations.
  3. The real estate catalogue was sent to the printing shop today.

Justice Smith said:

“The Order-in-Council PC 469, issued this January 19, 1943, clarified the right of the Custodian to sell the properties of Nikkei people, and there is no room for Nikkei people to stop this through the court of appeals. Also, it is clear to us how difficult it would be to protect over 400 Nikkei properties, including stores, houses, and other buildings. That is why we have approved the sales, to minimize losses. The committee was always trying to minimize Nikkei losses. You have been doing a great job, and your resignation will not improve the situation of Nikkei people. It would be more beneficial for you to postpone your resignation for a couple of weeks, at least, and participate in the drafting of advertising for the Custodian.”

Because of this advice, I agreed to postpone my resignation until the next meeting, on June 2.

June 2:

Regular weekly meeting (at the committee office)

The Custodian sought the committee’s opinion regarding the following:

  1. Is it necessary to increase the number of evaluators? Should we hire those who were recommended by Mr. Reeve? (approved)
  2. Regarding the advertising of properties, we should divide them equally into three and advertise 150 houses at a time, putting some time between the sale deadlines. (approved)
  3. A list of real estate agents and lawyers appointed by Nikkei owners was presented, and a preliminary draft of the advertisement would be presented at the next regular meeting.

Drafting Real Estate Advertising

June 9:

Regular weekly meeting

A draft of real estate advertising through the Custodian’s tender system was presented, along with two pages of a rough copy of the catalogue.

Following is the abstract of the advertisement.

  1. The bidder must use one envelope per real estate bid. If a bidder wants to bid on several pieces of real estate, he must use separate envelopes.
  2. When a bidder bids on several pieces of real estate using the alternative tender method, the Custodian will recognize only the real estate listed first and negate the others.
  3. A 10 per cent deposit on each bid is required for the Custodian.
  4. Every bid shall use an envelope addressed to the Custodian with “Tender for Real Estate – Catalogue Parcel No. …” clearly written on it.
  5. The bidding can be done through full payment or on an instalment plan. In the case of an instalment plan, the bidder needs to come up with a minimum down payment of …, with the remaining amount paid to …, … each year for … years.
  6. The people with tenders shall calculate a necessary adjustment (for example, of taxes and rent) on the transfer document’s date in the case of full payment and in the case of an instalment payment, on the date of the sale contract.
  7. Real estate with a lease contract or encumbrance shall be a collateral condition.
  8. Before handing over the transfer document, in the case of full payment, and the sale contract, in the case of an instalment payment, the Custodian reserves the right to cancel approval of tender and return the deposit.
  9. The Custodian is not responsible for matters such as the location of the real estate, the condition of the structures, or the degree of improvements.
  10. The deposits of unsuccessful tender applicants shall be returned to them.
  11. The highest bid or any other bids are not necessarily accepted.
  12. The bidding on properties in group A of the catalogue will be accepted by noon on July …, 1943. The deadline for other groups shall be announced later. (Regarding real estate transferred to the Custodian to be sold, see the catalogue in the real estate agency offices in the city, and obtain the necessary information and suggestions.)

The Custodian sought the opinions of the committee regarding the following issues related to the above.

Consultation Regarding Sale Advertisements

  1. The minimum amount of down payment and the maximum period of payment for the instalment plan.
  2. Newspapers to place the advertisements in.
  3. Number of times the advertisement will run.
  4. The date the first advertisement will run and if it is necessary to post more than once.
  5. The Custodian is thinking of setting the bidding deadline about 30 days after the posting of the advertisement. What do you think about this?
  6. The Custodian thinks it desirable that the evaluator keep the evaluation a secret until the deadline. What do you think?
  7. All the bidding shall be kept sealed until the deadline, to be opened in the presence of the Advisory Committee. What do you think?
  8. As stated in the advertisement, on the envelope it shall be clearly written “Tender for Real Estate Catalogue Number …,” but if the envelope is opened by accident because of the lack of this notation, we think it shall be returned to tender. What do you think?

After deliberation, the committee responded to the Custodian as follows.

  1. In principle, the minimum down payment shall be 30 per cent, with the period of settlement within three years. However, depending on the state of the property, if it is necessary to increase the down payment and to shorten the period of settlement, an appropriate measure shall be taken accordingly.
  2. Items 3 and 4 are within the discretion of the Custodian.
  3. Approved.
  4. Yes.
  5. Approved.
  6. Yes.

Approval of Resignation

After that, Justice Smith accepted Mr. Kimura’s resignation and promised to send the telegram to the secretary of state.

(In the evening, Justice Smith invited Mr. Kimura, Mr. Jones, and Mr. McMaster for dinner, and Mr. Kimura went home by night train.)

Recollections

Various Anti-Nikkei Campaigns

Ever since the Japanese arrived in BC, they have had to endure persistent anti-Nikkei campaigns. Aside from the olden days, in March 1938 a member of Parliament, who always took up absurd rumours and used them as material for anti-Nikkei campaigns, made a proposition to Parliament that they cancel as meaningless an existing gentleman’s agreement with Japan. He said that the number of illegal Japanese immigrants exceeded the number of allocated immigrants.

In Vancouver City Council, despite the confirmation of legal advisers that this was an obvious abuse of power, a councillor came up with a proposal to “refuse the application of business licences from Toyojin.” As well, there was a demand to create a law to “restrict the activities of Japanese merchants to within a Japanese clientele.” Around the same time, city council took up the propaganda statement, “The majority of cod-fishing union members were Nikkei people, and they were trying to raise the price unilaterally.” Council created a marketing committee, which held “public hearings” about the price of cod for a considerable length of time. Although the committee had invited many witnesses and spent large sums of money, the result was “nothing.” It looked bad to bury this investigative report, so the committee, to save face, submitted it to the Ministry of Fisheries as a reference at the end of October. The ministry pointed out that four main judgments (discoveries) written in the report were lacking in reliability.

To restrict Toyojin’s business licences, it was necessary to change the city charter. However, city council could not resist their unreasonable aldermen, and a draft of the amendment was tabled in the provincial Parliament in the middle of November. Part of their reasoning was that the ratio of licences issued to Vancouver Toyojin in 1937 was as follows:

Boat-builders                                                                     28.57%

Cleaners and dye factories             53.47%

Dressmakers                                                                     53.01%

Fish shops                                                                         44.44%

Vegetable shops                                                    91.44%

Food stores                                                                       19.82%

Laundry clerical workers                           89.58%

Laundries                                                                          64.28%

Chicken meat and egg shops                     38.09%

Sewing shops                                                                    29.59%

Peddlers                                                                            55.32%

The increase of licences issued to Japanese workers for the 10 years between 1927 and 1937 was 74 per cent. For Chinese workers, there was a 34.7 per cent increase. I supposed that what they wanted to say was that they were an economic threat. (However, the most important statistical numbers, such as amount of production, volume of business, and number of employees, etc., were not there. Of course, they did not refer to the trades Toyojin were not engaged in or the occupations Toyojin were banned from.) Some members in the Private Bill Committee were sympathetic toward city council, but because it was clearly an illegal abuse of power, they could not possibly agree to the draft and refused the amendment on November 23.

Seemingly plausible rumours were spread that Nikkei fishermen had special maps, much more detailed than those of Hakujin fishermen, or that Japanese Navy spies disguised as fishermen were snooping along the coast.

For Nikkei gill-net fishermen, things had been peaceful since 1929, but suddenly in April the boat puller’s licences (the so-called “partner’s licences”), which was related to their fishing operations, were reduced by 40 per cent. (Since then, licence reductions continued yearly, with the licence completely abolished by 1941.)

The proposal to cancel the gentleman’s agreement with Japan mentioned earlier was voted down in Parliament. The government, to prevent resubmission of the draft, appointed a board of review for illegal immigrants on March 14. The meetings were held in strict secrecy in various locations in BC, with testimonies and names coming by mail. (In Vancouver, the meeting was held on March 24, 1938, in the Immigration Hall.) The chairman was Dr. Hugh L. Keenleyside from the Department of External Affairs. The members were Mr. F.W. Taylor, district superintendent of immigration, and Inspector G.W. Fish from the RCMP.

At the same time, responding to a question in Parliament, the government announced that for eight years, from 1930 to 1937, they had sent back the following number of people to Japan as illegal immigrants.

  • 4 people
  • 7 people
  • 59 people
  • 26 people
  • 17 people
  • 10 people
  • 13 people
  • 9 people

In late December, a Nisei pioneer expressed his opinion that Nikkei people were congregated only along the west coast and somehow that put us in a disadvantaged position. He thought it desirable that we spread ourselves across Canada. Some of those who were professional anti-Nikkei campaigners abused this remark and started the propaganda, “See, the Japanese are planning to take over the entire economy of Canada.”

Board of Review Report on Illegal Entry

In the middle of January1939, the board of review on illegal immigrants presented in its report to Parliament that the number of people who testified or reported illegal entry was unexpectedly small.

The following was an example of investigative results from about 100 Nikkei people.

Voluntary return                6 people

Sent home                                     23 people

Residential permit              4 people

Legal entry                        36 people

False report                                   10 people

Residence unknown          21 people

Total                                                          100 people

Besides this report, the results of an investigation by the Department of Immigration and the RCMP were included. According to this result, before 1932 there were about 3,000 illegal entries in total. Among them, about 1,500 cases were related to interpreters at the immigration office, and the other 1,500 were reported by other sources, including people who had run away from their boats. The breakdown was as follows.

Sent home                                                                                                                         161 people

Residential permits                                                                                                47 people

Voluntarily returned to Japan, afraid of arrest       2,300people

Residence unknown                                                                                              400 people

Total                                                                                                                                              3,000 people

There were very few illegal entries after 1932, and the report concluded that the number of illegal entries were miniscule. There was no evidence of the mass illegal entries they were being accused of. Even though the results of various investigations proved them innocent, persistent anti-Nikkei propaganda continued.

February 28:

A member of the BC Parliament submitted a written query:

“There is a rumour that under the supervision of the Japanese Navy, installations for hidden oil tanks are being dug somewhere in the Queen Charlotte Islands. I wonder if the government has investigated this rumour or not, if so, I ask the government to announce the result.” (This question was a friendly one, intended to stop the spread of irresponsible rumours.) Of course, the rumour was a false one, misinterpreting a trial mining dig. After that, there were people who spread the false rumour of a massive illegal entry operation based in the Queen Charlotte Islands.

A newspaper reported in late April that an alderman, who would be a candidate in the next election for the provincial Parliament, insisted on stopping Nikkei people from penetrating the fishing industry and again took up the issue of business licences with the city as if it were a huge problem. He came up with a set of unbelievable licence ratios and insisted that his intention was to maintain a high standard of living for Hakujin citizens, not to persecute Toyojin based on racial prejudice.

In early August, an alderman proposed that the city council attach covenants at the time of sales to properties the city owns (including residential lots) to stop them falling into the hands of Toyojin. By creating this covenant, regardless of whether it would be a civic trade or an auction, the covenant shall be inherited as a condition of the sale. By doing so, we would narrow the scope of the sales but protect them forever by making it impossible for Toyojin to own or rent them.

During deliberation, the legality of the eternal binding condition was questioned, and it was transferred to the Department of Law. It never surfaced again. Perhaps they realized that it could not be done. A week later, another alderman proposed that the council reject all new applications for commercial licences from Toyojin. Newspapers reported that the alderman had gone too far.

“If we make it clear to Toyojin that they have no opportunity to engage in commercial activities in our city, they will go home. I don’t care whether the refusal of the licences is against international law or human morality. The duty of city council is first of all to serve the future welfare of the citizens.”

This sort of proposal will never pass in council, but I suppose it was appealing to some segment of the population.

In the fall, by the order of Hon. George S. Pearson, commissioner of fisheries, the production of salted salmon was banned. Thus, salted salmon produced in Canada and exported every year to Japan disappeared. Chum salmon used to be used for the salted salmon, and now it was used for canning in order to increase food production. In a case like this, usually some kind of compensation was provided to the producers, exporters, as well as workers related to the industry. However, it seemed no such consideration was made in this case. The commissioner of fisheries also ordered the hiring, in the salt-cod factories, of more Hakujin or Dojin workers to render the number of Nikkei workers less than half. Thus, employment opportunities for Nikkei people were getting ever narrower.

According to a newspaper report, the November issue of Liberty magazine praised the State of California for noticing the yellow peril at an early stage and taking appropriate measures against it. In BC as well, many said that unless we considered excluding Toyojin from each industry, in three or four generations time it would be a Nikkei province. If we didn’t solve it now, the solution would be more and more difficult. Therefore, even with the expense of it, somehow we must find ways to deport and get rid of them altogether in a few years. Let them prosper in their ancestral land. That is the only way to stop future disasters.

I don’t think it is enough for some people to simply write in the abstract “persistent anti-Nikkei propaganda continued,” so I have written some of the concrete examples so far. If readers think I am stirring up racial hatred, that would be the complete opposite of my intention. To avoid this sort of misunderstanding, I will simplify hereafter.

Both in 1940 and 1941, similar kinds of anti-Nikkei propaganda continued. Of course, there were considerable numbers of people who rightly argued to give proper rights to Nikkei people. However, news media preferred to report sensational material, appealing to the mood of the times. These moral people could not correct the distorted view of many in the general public.

National Registration: Report of Dr. Carrothers, etc.

In 1940, from August 19 to the 21, national citizenship registration of those over 16 years of age was held. All Nikkei people participated and registered themselves. This registration was about people over 16 years old and does not reflect the total population of Nikkei. However, in February 1937, Dr. Carrothers investigated the issue of the Toyojin population for the Rowell-Sirois Commission, and according to this report the Nikkei population was as follows:

  • 25,886 people
  • 26,288 people

(Note: 1931 – 23,342; 1941 – 23,194; 1951 – 21,663)

And he added:

  1. The numbers above were calculated on the basis of Provincial Statistic Bureau of BC information that the total population of Nikkei was 22,205 in 1931.
  2. Recent immigration from Japan is miniscule, but the majority of immigrants are wives, so the birth rate is rising.
  3. If we estimate the total population of Nikkei at the end of this century with the present rate of increase, it would reach 180,000. However, in reality it won’t be that high because the birth rate will gradually decrease and on the other hand the death rate will increase.

(Note: If we take a look every 10 years at the Canadian census, it is obvious how sloppy Dr. Carrothers’s assumptions are.)

The population of Chinese Canadians:

  1. On the basis of a 1931 population of 27,139, we estimated that they would reach 21,740 people by 1936.
  2. In recent years, the entry of Chinese women was banned, and some old Chinese either went home or died from old age. Therefore, the rate of decrease in Chinese population was 25 per cent annually.
  3. The Chinese population would be zero in 15 years if we calculate it based on the above decreasing rate. However, in reality, the birth rate would gradually increase, preventing such a scenario.

In April of 1938, the Canada Japanese Association investigated the size of their population alongside their occupations. They announced the results as follows:

Canadian-born                               13,143

Naturalized citizens                         2,316

Japanese nationality                         7,381

Total                                                                      22,840

There were some who investigated which result was more credible. Some thought the calculations of Dr. Carrothers, based on the 1931 Bureau of Statistics records, might lack the number of Nikkei people who went home. However, around the time of the above-mentioned national registration, those who were enthusiastic in spreading anti-Nikkei propaganda quoted those two differing results. They condemned the results of the Canada Japanese Association as sloppy and those of Dr. Carrothers as not credible and maintained that there were 30,000 Nikkei people, including illegal immigrants.

They claimed that Nikkei people educate their children differently in their language schools; therefore, they were not trustworthy.

“Don’t enlist them in the military.”

“Don’t give them the honour of participating in military training.”

“Watch out for their acts of spying.”

“Check illegal immigrants, and send them home.”

There was a great deal of noisy propaganda being spread.

Standing Committee for Special Registration of Nikkei People

The government, with the intention of stopping the negative propaganda, promised in early November to hold a special registration in the near future. Members of the standing committee were appointed to oversee registration as follows:

Chairman               F.J. Hume, mayor of New Westminster

Member                 H.F. Angus, UBC professor

Member                 F.J. Mead, assistant commissioner, RCMP

Member                 M.F. Macintosh, Lieutenant General, MLA, BC

Member                 A.W. Sparling, DSD, GSD, Military Dist. No.11

(Special Note: On February 19, 1941, 12 Nikkei people were appointed by the government to the Standing Committee for Special Registration of Nikkei people.)

Prime Minister Mackenzie King issued a very careful statement.

The Statement of Prime Minister Mackenzie King

“In order to protect Nikkei people who are being unfairly treated, and at the same time to remove illegal Japanese immigrants if they exist in Canada, the government has decided to hold a special registration of Nikkei people. After consulting with Nikkei community leaders, a standing committee has been appointed to supervise this registration.

“At the national registration held last August, the question ‘Whether this was a legal entry or not’ was not included. This time we ask this question clearly, and will issue certification cards which will verify the status of those who entered the country legally and those who were born in Canada. We hope that by doing this we will eliminate any suspicions for good. At the same time, the government will take measures to protect law abiding Toyojin and their property from those who act selfishly, illegally, and are influenced by rumours and irresponsible opinions.

“Under the current circumstances, we cannot say there is no possibility of undue incidents, and the government will put off for now the conscription of Toyojin into the military. We ask them to contribute to the country through other venues.

“To deal with the issue of Toyojin creating turmoil in BC, we appointed the following people to be members of a special committee and had them review and analyze the issues. We have received a report from the following:

Lieutenant Colonel A.W. Sparling, DSD (convener)

Dr. Hugh L. Keenleyside, Counselor, Dept. of External Affairs

F.J. Mead, Assistant Commissioner, RCMP

Sir George Sanson, Ex Commercial Counselor, British Embassy, Tokyo

“There is a rumour in the street that in recent years many Toyojin are entering Canada illegally, but that is simply not true. We have received reports that whether they are immigrants or born in this country, the great majority of Toyojin citizens are completely loyal to Canada. The government shares this view. The important issues concerning the Toyojin in the province of BC are based on wrong information, which unjustly attacks the loyalty and rectitude of Toyojin. It is harmful to the public peace to have attacks, such as those of a few weeks ago, arousing public opinion. The government is satisfied that military and judiciary authorities are well prepared to deal with any possible disturbance. Therefore, the general public should understand that the government has made sufficient arrangements to deal with any situation.”

Despite Prime Minister King’s announcement, anti-Nikkei propaganda continued to be rampant in Vancouver.

At the end of January, because someone in city council persistently attacked Japanese language education, there was a meeting of enquiry to study educational policy and school conditions. Representing Japanese language schools, Principal Mr. Sato, Chief Officer Mr. Ishihara, and others attended the meeting. Some Nikkei representatives from the community also attended as observers. I heard that their answers and explanations were received favourably.

(Note: The chairman of this meeting was Alderman Jones, who was appointed to be a member of the Advisory Committee on Japanese Properties.)

Special Registration of Nikkei People

From March 4, 1941, a special registration was held under the supervision of the RCMP, first in Vancouver, then spreading to other places. After an investigation, white cards for Canadian-born Nikkei people, salmon-pink cards for naturalized Nikkei people, and yellow cards for those of Japanese nationality were given as certification.

The cards were carefully elaborated. On the front there was a photo of the cardholder, the date of registration, nationality, the seal of the RCMP, as well as the signature of the registration officer. On the back was the registration number, name, sex, occupation, age, height, weight, distinguishing characteristics, fingerprint, and signature of the cardholder. The polite, straightforward attitude of the staff made a very good impression on Nikkei people, especially the way they carefully wiped off ink after fingerprinting.

(Note: At this registration, they investigated family matters. Later on, I heard that the population of Nikkei stood at 23,427. This was the number reported to the government by the Special Registration Standing Committee.)

The Outbreak of the Pacific War and the Removal of All Nikkei People

On December 7, the Pacific War suddenly broke out. Fishing boats owned by Nikkei people, which had always been the target of anti-Nikkei propaganda, were impounded under the Naval Order of Impoundment in a relatively short period of time. Boat-owners cooperated, and crews went home safely through an arrangement with the RCMP. Later, a curfew was imposed on Nikkei people, and they could not go out after sunset. Their cars, hunting rifles, radios, cameras, and so on were temporarily confiscated by the police.

Anti-Nikkei agitators must have thought that this was a great opportunity to lift up nationalistic spirits. They drummed up the fighting spirit of the military, escalated anti-Nikkei propaganda, and intensified anti-Nikkei sentiment among the general public.

On the 25th, the British territory of Hong Kong fell. Before this fall, Canada had sent reinforcements where defence was generally considered to be militarily impossible. All survivors were captured as Japanese prisoners of war and sent to prison camps. I wonder what went through the mind of Prime Minister King seeing the parallel of Nikkei people in Canada and Canadian soldiers in Japanese camps.

Back in 1907, in spite of it being peacetime, a mob agitated by anti-Nikkei propaganda attacked and damaged Japan Town. The present prime minister, Mackenzie King, deputy minister of labour at the time, had a bitter experience investigating into the real circumstance of this riot. He must have been afraid that now, under wartime circumstances, someone might actually harm Nikkei people and if such awful things were to happen, the Japanese military might take revenge on Canadian soldiers. I think that the prime minister, after deep deliberation, concluded to send all Nikkei people to a safe place as soon as possible.

Due to the many years of anti-Nikkei propaganda, the general public everywhere was hesitant about receiving Nikkei people. (For the sake of simplification, I have not so far referred to this incident, but in July of 1939, someone politically important in Ontario called for the extradition of Nikkei people. Nowadays, Nikkei people can live safely anywhere, but in the beginning, when Nikkei people started spreading to the prairies and eastern Canada, most places accepted them only temporarily to supplement the shortage of labour on condition of them returning to BC after the war.)

Except for a few cases, most Nikkei people accepted the Order for Removal of Nikkei people by the government, followed the instructions of the BC Security Commission, and gradually moved. On October 31, 1942, evacuation from the coast was completed. What warmed my heart during this move was the demonstration of mutual help among Nikkei people, who endured hardships in the places they were sent to. I was also deeply moved by the sincere efforts of young people.

Thus, most Nikkei people safely moved to the interior of BC, with a considerable number of families being sent to southern Alberta. Some Nikkei men who were sent to a road construction camp in the beginning somehow found a way to reunite with their families in their places of evacuation. Government staff in charge of the removal felt it was a job well done, but as a consequence of the removals, a lot of Nikkei properties were left in the hands of the Custodian.

Anti-Nikkei agitators took this opportunity to proclaim, maliciously, that all property belonging to Nikkei people should be disposed of to prevent their return to the west coast. They also said that they should all be sent back to Japan after the war whether they liked it or not and regardless of whether they were naturalized or Canadian-born. With these campaigns, Nikkei properties, on top of the damages incurred from being vacant, were suffering from theft and break-ins. The Custodian, in an effort to stop the increasing damages, concluded that there was no other choice but to liquidate them, an opinion he shared with the government.

The government, which had made every effort to ensure the safety of Nikkei people, now faced the issue of their properties. They debated the Custodian’s proposal in a special cabinet meeting and decided to allow the liquidation due to the lack of an alternative. To minimize criticism toward liquidation sales by the Custodian, the government set up the Advisory Committee as an independent organization. That is the background to the events I covered in this article.

The Condition of Nikkei Properties in an Area Heavily Populated by Nikkei People

According to the zoning bylaws, the areas where the properties of Nikkei people were tightly packed were as follows: (I think these zonings remain the same.)

  1. In Alexander Street, the eastern half of the 100 numbers and the western half of the 200 numbers were commercially zoned. East of this was industrial zoning.
  2. Powell Street was the same as Alexander Street.
  3. East Cordova Street, the 100 numbers and the western half, the 200 numbers, were commercially zoned. East of them was industrial zoning.
  4. In Hastings Street, numbers up to 300 were commercially zoned. To the east was industrially zoned.
  5. The Fairview area was all industrially zoned.

Therefore, when someone demolished an existing building and tried to build a new one, he had to build conforming to the zoning or ask for an exemption of the zoning from the city. This was cumbersome. Or again, if we tried to sell a lot for a factory, under the circumstances when construction rates were down, that was not easy either. Among the old buildings, there were many that required repairs to conform under the Fire Prevention Act. In addition, buildings with rental contracts were shabby and appeared to be only temporary lodging quarters. To make things worse, under the circumstance of rampant anti-Nikkei propaganda trying to stop the return of Nikkei people, prices of the properties kept dropping. It was a very pessimistic state of affairs.

Comment

As I mentioned previously, I resigned from the Advisory Committee position on July 9, so I did not know the sale price of individual properties. It is not difficult to imagine that prices were generally far below what most Nikkei people had expected. That is to say, the underpinnings of their lives that they had worked so hard for, over long years, were to a great extent destroyed.

Concern about physical assaults was mitigated by virtue of the removal into camps. Losses from quick voluntary liquidations that didn’t go through the Custodian seemed to amount to a considerable sum. Furthermore, they endured emotional pain and hardships in the places they were moved to. There were very sad cases where mental worry and the result of enforced travel hastened death. There were cases of unexpected sudden death.

I would say that these miseries were the result of the war and the persistent campaign of anti-Nikkei agitators.

I heard from an elderly man that Mr. Tomekichi Honma’s appeal to obtain the right to vote was not successful because of the constitutional Natal Act. (Those who are not listed on the provincial voting lists do not have suffrage with the federal government of Canada.)

In May of 1936, four representatives of the Nikkei second generation, with a petition to present to the Parliamentary Election Committee, went to Ottawa to ask for change to the 1934 Election Act that would give voting rights to Nikkei people. They seemed to get a very sympathetic response and laid the foundation for voting rights, but that goal still lay in the distance.

As people actually encountered Nikkei people who had moved and spread all over Canada, they soon realized that past discrimination was unjust. They gradually came to know the true value of Nikkei people. The accumulated anti-Nikkei sentiment evaporated, and people became open and warm. The designation of BC’s west coast as a defence region was abolished, and distorted public opinions were replaced by more generous ones. In the end, the BC provincial government gave voting rights to Canadian-born and naturalized Nikkei people.

The Canadian federal government followed suit, and consequently, it became possible for Nikkei people to engage in professions it was not possible until then to consider because of lack of voting rights. Nikkei people endured many sacrifices, but now paths for success have opened up in various fields.

Letters Advising Resignation from the Advisory Committee on Japanese Properties

In regard to the liquidation of properties and assets owned by Japanese, it is hereby recognized that your appointment in the Committee runs counter to the general public opinion of your fellow countrymen in Canada. We advise you to resign from the post as soon as possible.

April 26, 1943

To Mr. Kishizo Kimura

From the Assembly for Protecting Properties Owned by Japanese in Kaslo

(Envelope) Examined By Censor

Japanese Property Owners’ Association

Mr. K. Kimura

Forward to:

#1012 Royal Bank Building

Office of the Custodian

Vancouver, BC

Received May 5, 1943

Mr. Kishizo Kimura

Dear Sir,

I inform you that we had the following resolution at the General Assembly of Removed Japanese Property Owners in the Slocan District:

Resolution

Regarding the liquidation of the properties and assets owned by Japanese people, we consider that your acceptance of the Committee position runs counter to the general opinion of your fellow countrymen in Canada and we advise you to resign from the post as soon as possible.

The above resolution was adopted.

April 24, 1943

General Assembly of Removed Japanese Property Owners in the Slocan District

Mr. Kinosita

(Envelope) Examined By Censor

Mr. Kishizo Kimura

c/o Patricia Hotel

Vancouver, BC

Received May 20, 1943

Examined By Censor