<Begin Segment 18>

EO: And why didn't you leave?

HU: Well, I'm afraid outside you hear so much news of Japanese being attacked. Even that, if just myself, I don't care. But small children, you know, it's kind of difficult. If they go to school, and some discriminate people might attack them or hurt them. I'm afraid, see. So I said, "Until war stop, I won't go out," I tell him. So I think he's looking for the chance to get rid of me.

And another thing, after I organized... that was in September, I think. They give us an old 1920 or 1919 old used military clothes, army clothes, you know. They give us. And they said in camp, Free Press, you know, "We give you army clothes, so this month, no clothing fee." The clothing fee for the, like my family -- three children and two adults -- means lots because those days, you could buy the working shoes for three dollars and jean pants maybe dollar and a half or two dollars for children. So very important, that. I get three and a quarter, my wife gets three and a quarter, and children get $2.75. So that's very important for a lot of families with children. So, they give us army clothes. You know, the army clothes from World War I and like pants like horse-riding pants -- [laughs] -- and old jackets. That big coat was good; it kept warm for adults. And so I went to Kimball, and said, "Mr. Kimball, I couldn't talk for other people but mess hall people like to have a clothing fee better than these army, old army uniforms. We can't use 'em all. Some we could use, but not all of them. So we'd rather have a clothing fee. So, if you give us a clothing fee, we're going to return all the old clothes," I tell him. And about ten days later in the Free Press, it said, "You kept your old army uniform. We're going to pay your clothing fee." So that's, maybe it hurt the administration to save some money.

And soy sauce, too. You know, they charged 50 cents to other camps, asking how much it cost to make the soy sauce. Mr. Nakamura said, "You know, in camp, warehouse, they don't charge us." So we don't have a rent for the warehouse, people work for sixteen dollar. I'm the only one get $19. So we could make the soy sauce between twelve, maximum fifteen cents. Maybe thirteen or fourteen cents is more likely. They're making a profit more than three times, fifty cents a gallon, to sell to the other camps. Not only use in Manzanar. And they even said, "We're going to make the soybean paste," miso the Japanese call. Make the soup, use the sugar. I never hear in Japan they use the sugar in making miso. Never use it. So they tried to get away with all kind of excuse, but we know better than that. [Laughs]

<End Segment 18> - Copyright © 1994, 2003 Densho and Emiko Omori. All Rights Reserved.