Page Hight

AU tebdoy | 12) Ue) ob) 1)

November 4, jj

hold on Japanese nationals in this province.

Admitting that he had no knowledge of convictions against Mori, RCMP Assistant Commis-
sioner F. J. Mead said that the Japanese, who had been appointed by the B.C. Security Commis-
sion to assist in evacuation of nationals from the coast, was a gambler and president of the notori-

Probe Bares Fascist Activitie‘
Witnesses Claim Morii Gang
Terrorized B.C. Japanese

Out of an enquiry into the activities of an insignificant, unperturbed little Japanese, Etsujii
Morii, charged and acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter many years ago, is emerg-
ing a picture how Japanese fascism, operating through individuals and organizations linked
with the hated and feared Black Dragon Society in Japan, has for years exercised a terroristic

ous Nippon Club, supposed to have
been closed by the police in De-
cember, 1941.

Intimating that he considered |
the ‘gang’ was still operating, El-
more Philpott, editorial director of
the Wews-Herald, whose exposee
provoked the enquiry, declared that
while the building may have been,
closéd that did not necessarily mean |
the gang had been disbanded.

Later, Rev. W. H. Norman, United |
Chureh minister, testified that he
had personally visited the building
early this year known to be the
Nippon Club, to obtain information
on Japanese children, and it cer
tainly was not closed.

Other Japanese in BC, stated
another witness, seemed to know
Morii as “the big boss of gambling
houses and brothels on Powell
Street.” The majority of nationals
to whom this witness spoke con-
sidered Morii “a very low charac-
ter.’

Reverend W. H. Norman, called
to the stand to translate a certain
article in a Japanese nationalist
magazine of the Sokoku-Kai, Fa-
therland Society, remarked that
he would describe him as a ‘ward
boss’; that he had heard from
various other sources Morii was
taking money for evacuation de-
ferment; that Morii himself had
admitted to another Japanese,
Yoshiaki Sato, that he had en-
tered the country illegally. Sato
said he knew ‘scores of other
Japanese had entered Canada il-
legally and were being shielded
by Morii.”

Gertain groups of Japanese, de-
clared Norman, considered it best
to maintain ties with Japan and
they told him Morii had always fol
lowed this policy.

Identifying two copies of the
magazine, Norman said he had
made a translation of one article
in it, a speech made by Morii at a
mecting sponsored by the Canadian
Japanese Society, describing him

| Jingo,

as president of the Canadian Bro-
therhood of the Fatherland Society,
head of the intelligence section of
the Japanese Association, and pre-

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639 Commercial Drive
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at 8:30 PLM.

Get Your Tickets Now — at THE PEOPLE
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sident of the Nippon Club.

This article had previously been
referred to by Elmore Philpott as’
proving, in his opinion, that Morii
was “a fascist type of Japanese
who had not the slightest
reason for having a position of au-
thority.”

The Federal Bureau of Investi-
gation in San Francisco had a
very complete file on Morii, stated
Philpott, and it was made quite
elear to him “that the FBI were
quite willing for me to publish
the material I had.”

The speech given by Morii, trans-
lated by Norman, was read to the
court by Claude McAlpine, KC, co-
counsel to Senator J. W. DeB. Far-
ris, appearing for the News-Herald.

Entitled ‘Fundamental Duties of |
Subjects of the Empire,’ it declared |
that “our fatherland is fighting for
the peace of the Orient’; that Ja-
pan’s destiny was ‘divine’ and
founded to carry to completion
God’s wishes’; that the war against!
China was ‘carrying out the wishes |
of the gods’ and not for territorial |
gains.

“Through we in. foreign coun-
tries,” Morii had stated, “cannot
bear arms, we should not feel we)
are different from our heroes on |
the battlefield. If we are not very)
careful, the living space which we)
have built up over a number of}
years will be lost... . I beg you all
to continue marching splendidly |
on.” = i
Reference in the speech to the}
fact that they “were living in a/|
country at war,” Canada, gave Nor- |
man the impression that the speech
was made after Canada was at war
with Japan.

Several complaints that informa-
tion or rumors passed on to the
Security Commission or the RCMP,
had been ignored were heard on the |
witness stand.

G W. McPherson, custodian of
enemy property, told the court that
certain stories came his way in the
nese property and he felt it his duty
to pass these on to the police for

the Rhine’

PEGGY HILL

course of his dealings with Japa-
investigation. i
One such story. verified by him-
self personally from the Japanese
man and woman involved, de
scribed a bribe enclosed in a box of)
chocolates sent te Morii, who then |
arranged release of the Japanese |
man from Immigration sheds.
When McPherson informed Mead
that he wished to get hold of the|
Japanese man to verify this story,
Mead told him the man had been

sent to the insane asylum the pre-)|

vious day. However, determined to
get to the bottom of the story, Mc-
Pherson sought out his wife and
found the man was still in town.
Subsequently full details of the
story, given in front of witmesses
and two translators, were sent to
Austin Taylor, Chairman of the
BC Security Commission. Taylor
accused McPherson of ‘rumor-
mongering,’ but no reply was ever
received to McPherson’s informa-

tion.

Rev. W. H. Norman also com-
plained that he had personally given
a copy of the Japanese magazine
containing the imperialistic speech
by Morii to “Mr. Jenkins, who I

j/understand was connected with the
RCMP,” but a whole month passed

and nothing was done about it.

Questioned as to why he did not.

go to Inspector Mead on these mat-
ters, Norman replied that Mead
had told him the RCMP had ac-
cepted Morii’s figures on the Japa-

nese without check or audit. “I felt)
that since Mr. Mead accepted the,

word of such a man as Morii with-
eut checking, then Mr. Mead had
an attitude which I could not pos-
sibly change by giving him the in-
formation I had. Consequently I
felt the best thing to do would be
to send the information direct to
Ottawa.”

This information went to Prime
Minister Mackenzie King, Minister
of Justice St. Laurent, and Opposi-
tion Leader Hanson, in the form
of a brief from the Consultative
Council to the Security Commission.

Another witness, Food and Sani-
tary Inspector J. K. Smith, testified
that he had been approached by a
Japanese, Frank Koyama, and
asked if he would arrange transfer
of ten families into a part of the
country with which he was familiar.

*“T submitted a list of the names
he gaye me and my proposals to
the Security Commission,’ said
Smith, “but was informed later by
Grant McNeil] that the list had not
been received, although I have sev-
eral witnesses to the fact that I en-
closed and sealed the envelope.

“Tater I was told not to bother,
since Morii had all the names any-
way," he remarked. “I told McNeil

Huge London Rally
Urges 2nd Front Now

By GARRY ALLIGHAN
Allied Labor News Writer

LONDON, Eng. — With banners of 30 trade unions fl
tering at the base of Nelson’s Column, framing a billbo';
which read: “Save the Allies with a Second Front No}
more than 50,000 workers rallied recently in Trafalgar Sq
to demand an immediate offensive in Europe to beat Hit

_ “The organized workers of Britain, speaking throug
hundred powerful trade unions, say that we must havi
second front in Europe immediately,” Chairman Joe Sco
the Amalgamated Engineering Union said. “Fascism can )§
be finished off by defensive measures. The present offens’, 4
in Egypt will receive the unstinted support of British worke })
who will give everything they have to make it a success, |}
only a second front in Europe can bring about a major div

sion of German forces and ensure the speedy defeat }

Hitler.” soa

Speakers included Aneurin Bevan, MP, and John Gord
editor of the Daily Express, both of whom called for ani
mediate public trial for Rudolf Hess.

Other speakers were Hileen Smith, champion shock bri-
dier in a war factory who is known as ‘Britain’s Stakhanc §
Fred Cottam, who lost both legs at Dunkirk and is now wo §
ing in a Birmingham arms plant, and Ben Tillett, vetei
trade union leader who in 1920 led the longshoremen’s str.
which stopped the Jolly George from carrying munitions §—
the armies fighting against the Soviet Union. A

The rally closed dramatically with the huge crowd ada |}
ing the following pledge: “We will not rest until the enei }
has been attacked and defeated. We will not hang bi f
through fear, neither will we be held back by treachery. a.
will let no lathe stand idle, no work hour be unused, no sla §
ness creep into our effort. We will suffer no half-heartedn
either on the part of our leaders or ourselves. We will g
life itself if it leads to victory. The decisive front is in Kure
and we must have action on that front without delay.”

Continued

Pritchett

ing our civic war effort anc
vancing the people’s welfare.

lieve the majority of voters,
satisfied with the present
eouncil, desire and will elect {

Guerrnilias
Pperating
In Austria

LONDON, Eng. — A guerrilla
army many hundreds strong is
operating in Austria, according to
reports reaching here froni occu-
pied Europe.

Armed with rifles stolen from
Nazi munitions trains, the guer-
rillas, according to the reports,
recently attacked troops stationed
on the Slovene frontier. They are
also stated to be sabotaging Ger-
man communications.

Recently the Germans were
forced to rush SS troops to Vi-
enna to cope with rising oppo-
sition.

an administration. But only if |
vote is united will they be

to break the hold obtained oy
period of years by the Non-F
san Association, which does
represent the interests of the ©
jority of our citizens.

It is regrettable that the €
at its nominating convention
Sunday, rejected the Vancor_
Givie Labor Committee’s prop |
that it leave a vacancy in ©
aldermanic slate, which wi
have enabled me to accept ©
committee’s invitation with
Gividing the progressive +
Since the CCF did not leav
vacancy and because I am «
vinced that a united progres

I had no arrangement to be paid

for this, but Morii apparently had

arrangements made for sums up to

$500 to be paid by families to be

transferred to the town of Minto.
The enquiry is continuing.

—

NOW MEET HIM
FACE TO FACE!

fro

) vote is necessary to elect 2 j
Starts gressive civic government, I
oe not intend toe stand for city cc
Friday cil this year. |
Nov. 6 I shall, however, be a cand
Also— for parks board, where the
SPECIAL SHOW has named only two candic

SUN. MIDNIGHT for four vacancies and where
action will strengthen unity
labor-progressive forces, and ]
hesitatinely call on all my
porters to unite their vote be
the CCF candidates and those
dependents who by their rec
have demonstrated their consi
desire to serve the people’s i:
ests.

=,