<Begin Segment 6>

SF: What, what kind of strikes me about that arrangement that's so unusual is how, how did they avoid conflicts with all of the different organizations wanting to use the hall?

FM: Oh.

SF: And, it seems like an amazing feat to be able to accommodate everybody and then not get into squabbles and little...

FM: I don't know, I don't know what conflicts occurred. I didn't, I never got the impression of there being very much conflict. I suppose the hall must have been scheduled well before hand, annually, perhaps for this event and that and so on. And if an organization could not get a meeting there, then they would go somewhere else, to the churches or whatever other structures that were available. Part of the answer I think is this -- that the Japanese, that the Japanese community was vertically organized. It was organized with the Japanese Association at the top and the Japanese Association had the control over other things. The Japanese Business Association, known as the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, whole slew of business associations such as the Hotel Organization, Material and Grocers Association, the Dye Work and Cleaners Association, the Restaurant Association, all these things were part of the Chamber of Commerce and they were under the umbrella of the Japanese Association. Also, the Japanese Association had an educational branch, one of the divisions within the Japanese Association and they were the overseers of the Japanese Language School or had direct contacts. And this umbrella organization also had kind of a religious branch to it and the ministers would tie in rather, in a not tightly tied in, but they had a kind of organizational contact there. Therefore, with the Japanese Association as the lead organization, they probably -- this, here I have to guess as to what happened -- but I would guess that Japanese Association had first dibs as to the scheduling of all their main activities and then they would be sure that the Language School would get in their lick and that the kenjinkai who were also organized within the business, within the Association would have their arrangements taken care of. And then there were other kin, community activities then that the Association approved of, such as the Kendo Club and the Judo Club and so on. And they would want to schedule their events so they would get in. I, my guess is that the Japanese Association played a critical role in making sure that scheduling went smoothly and that there was a minimum of conflict. And as I say, if events could not be held at the Japanese Language, at the Nippon Kan Hall, then the people would go elsewhere for taking care of their activities.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 1998 Densho. All Rights Reserved.