Rare Periodicals

The Three Christmasses in Santo Tomas

Media

Part of The American Chamber of Commerce Journal

Title

The Three Christmasses in Santo Tomas

Creator

Hartendorp, A. V. H.

Language

English

Source

The American Chamber of Commerce Journal Volume XXIV (No. 12) December 1948

Year

1948

Rights

Fulltext

The Three Christmasses in Santo Tomas By A. V. H. Hartendorp 1942 CHRISTMAS in the Camp; the First “Movie” — Had anyone during the first half of the year of internment hinted that the internees might pos­ sibly have to spend Christmas of 1942 in the camp, he would have been mobbed. But in spite of the mental depression resulting from the continuing cap­ tivity, it was, under the circumstances, a good Christ­ mas. This was in large part due to the efforts, be­ gun months in advance, of hundreds of brave people who determined to do what they could to create a real Christmas atmosphere and feeling in the camp, and they fully succeeded. Carpenters, electricians, and other men with a knack for tools worked for months at making all sorts of toys, — doll-beds and other toy-furniture, minia­ ture trains, tumbling-toys, tops, and practical wagons, wheelbarrows, scooters, stilts, etc., all brightly paint­ ed. The women labored as hard at making rag-dolls. Over 1400 toys were gotten ready and were distribut­ ed to excited and happy children on the afternoon of Christmas Day around a big, decorated Baguio pine tree which was set up between the annex and the old hospital. Teachers, preachers, actors, singers, a cir­ cus magician, all worked together to produce a num­ ber of enjoyable concerts, plays, and shows. There was even a puppet-show. One of the happiest events for many in the camp was foretold in the minutes of the internee Executive Committee meeting of December 18: “The Chairman1 stated he had finally been able to obtain permission for -wives and children of internees residing out­ side the camp to visit their husbands [and fathers] Christmas morning between the hours of 9:30 and 12 noon under certain definite restrictions.” The room monitors began right away to take down the names of people whose admission was re­ quested, — wives, children, grandchildren... but sons- and daughters-in-law, No. Perhaps the latter could be smuggled in with the others. Some were, when the time came, through the efforts of the internee-guards at the gate. Attractively-wrapped gifts from friends outside began to come into the camp through the PackageLine as much as a week in advance of Christmas,— cigars, cigarettes, cakes, books, the latter bearing the censor’s rubber stamp: “Examined by the Office of Japanese Military Administration.” On Tuesday evening, the 22nd, a joint chorus of men and women, under the direction of Krutz and Osbon, presented a program of Christmas carols, sung in the open air in the square in front of the main building. A Japanese plane, probably attracted by the light cast on the singers by a row of foot­ lights, flew over the camp several times, coming down quite low. One man was heard to say, “There’s a Nip in the air!” The last song was “Holy Night.” The plane had gone away, and the song, floating on the cool December night, transported many a man (Excerpts front a still unpublished history of the Santo Tomas Internment Camp and of the Jnpanese occupation 1 C. C. Grinnell. of the Philippines.) ’Truer than the writer knew at that time. and woman in the audience of several thousand peo­ ple to homes and fire-sides far away. On the night of the 23rd, the internees attended a showing of the first moving-pictures in the camp, in the same square. The picture, “The Feminine Touch,” was second-rate, but it was good to see some views of civilized life again and some decent inter­ iors, with no more than two beds, or a reasonable number of people, in one room. “By order,” a Jap­ anese propaganda picture was shown first, which gave point to the preliminary announcement over the loud-speaker that the Commandant has asked that the audience refrain from applauding any part of the program. The Japanese film was a “sports-short,” showing Japanese children and youths at various games and mass-exercises. It -was accompanied by music and the voice of a girl narrator speaking in English in the thin, childish treble which seems to appeal to the Japanese. There was nothing objec­ tionable in the film except the lying title flashed on the screen in big letters, “Toward a Free Asia.” The close-ups of the faces of the groups of smiling child­ ren were well chosen. The picture ended with a view of a torch-light parade, and at the close, in an effort at artistry, flames filled the entire screen. This suggested a very likely ending for Japan itself.2 One could not help but curse in one’s heart the men whose criminal aggressions were certain to bring misery and death upon the innocent children shown in the film, as they had already brought misery and death to the people of other lands. The next day there was a Christmas program for the children in front of the annex, — songs and dances by a number of little boys and girls, puzzling and amusing tricks by an internee “magician,” and a marionette-show, — of a good little boy, Santa Claus, and the Virgin Mary. That night, an abbreviated version of Dickens’ “Christmas Carol” was read and more Christmas songs were sung. The First Visiting Day — On Christmas Day, every one was up very early. Many attended the open-air mass celebrated on the campus before dawn, or the Anglican communion service in the Fathers Garden. At the Package-Line that morning, all re­ cords were exceeded. After the putting up of the inner sawale fence in October, the average daily num­ ber of people coming to the line had dropped to around 600, but on the day before Christmas, some 1900 people filed in to bring packages, and on Christ­ mas Day no less than 2900 people, bringing some 6000 packages. The tons of gifts included not only over 100 roast turkeys, but scores of whole roast pigs, in the form known to the Filipinos as lechon. Many Manilans were later reported to have stood outside the camp to watch this spectacle. The Japanese were too astounded to be immediately indignant at this new demonstration of friendship and loyalty. The visitors began to come in at 9:30, at first with agonizing slowness as the Japanese checked their names against the lists they held. Only some 50 or 60 had been allowed to pass through the inner gate after the first half-hour, but later the process 130 was speeded up a little. Many of the visitors, how­ ever, had only a few minutes within the camp before they had to go out again, for the order was that they had to begin leaving at 11:30 and had all to be gone by noon. Nevertheless, there were many happy family reunions for the first time in a year, for this was the only general visiting day the Japanese in their “kindness” did set, and even on this occasion visitors were limited to immediate family members. Some 700 visitors were admitted. The usual breakfast of milkless corn-mush and black coffee was enriched that morning with a spoon­ ful of stewed dried fruit, and that night there was a “pudding” extra. Many people that day and the next did not go to the food-line, but feasted on the good things that had been sent in to them or on the delicacies in the Red Cross package from South Africa, which had been distributed, as already re­ lated,3 on the 23rd. It was a good Christmas, as good as it could pos­ sibly have been. In contrast, very little was made in the camp of New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. On the 31st, lights went out at 10:30 as usual, and few people sat up until midnight, as they might have done if they had wanted to, to see the new year “come in.” Many a man and woman, however, lay awake in bed that night until one solitary siren down-town sounded for several minutes and a few fire-crackers were exploded in the neighborhood. The year 1942 in the Philippines had begun in terror and ended with no semblance of celebration by any but some of the Japanese, perhaps. The people of the Philippines, within and outside the camp, were only waiting, waiting for the relief that had been promised, pray­ ing for it. Though they were sure it would come, it was so slow in coming! It had been a year, a whole year, of death and loss, of grief and fear, of depriva­ tion and misery and humiliation. How much longer was it to last? 1943 ATO VISITING — Christmas, 1943, the second Christmas Day spent in Santo Tomas, was a day of disappointment for the camp because the family visiting, allowed on Christmas morning of 1942, and looked forward to for a whole year by thousands of people in the camp and their relatives and friends outside, was ruled not to be “practical” by Command­ ant Kato. The Executive Committee and Robb, for the in­ ternees with non-interned families, worked for a change in the Commandant’s decision until Christmas morning, and hundreds of wives and children out­ side, although they had already learned the bad news earlier in the week from the men working at the Package-Line, came anyway in the hope of a lastminute concession, but they were turned away, many of them weeping bitterly. Yet “special visits” were “granted” between the hours from 9 to 3 on both December 26 and January 2 to “civil prisoners” in the New Bilibid Prison at Muntinlupa and the Correctional Institute for Women, at Mandaluyong. According to the announcement in the Tribune (of December 23), the visitors were “al­ lowed to bring cooked foods and to lunch with the prisoners.” The Santo Tomas internees and their wives and children outside were not thus favored. There were some small holes in the inner sawale fence through J Not included in these exceruts. which internees sometimes sneaked a look at their loved ones as they came in to deliver their packages, but on Christmas morning the people from the out­ side were not even allowed to enter the main gate and had to stop there and hand their packages over. The inner gate was now and again opened to let through some official or a carromata loaded with camp sup­ plies, and then the internees within and the people at the front gate and across the street would stand on their toes and crane their necks in the hope of get­ ting a fleeting glimpse of their loved ones, but it was hard to pick out even a familiar face and figure at such a distance. The older men in the camp would try to get to the front of the group of men standing at the inner gate in the hope that though their own sight was too dim to see, their children and grand­ children might perhaps see and recognize them. That, at least, would be something, they said. More Packages from the Outside than the Year before, but not so Large — People in the camp, know­ ing the scarcity everywhere and the impossible prices, had sent out word in one way or another asking their relatives and friends not to send them anything for Christmas. The number of people who came to the gate on Christmas morning was 2142, or many more than on Christmas of 1942! They brought over 5000 packages, baskets, bags, etc., presents of all sorts, in­ cluding much food. There were not so many roast pigs and turkeys as the year before, but more fried chickens. Home-made preserves were much more in evidence. So Chittick noted. There were more packages than last year, he said, though they were smaller.4 At prices of everything from 10 to 20 times the normal, no one would ever know the self­ denial entailed in this generous giving. And what made this thought the more poignant was that with the distribution of the American Red Cross food-kits, the people in the camp were, for a while at least, far better off for good things of various sorts, canned meats, chocolate, coffee, etc., than the people outside. And these they were forbidden to share. At the Executive Committee meeting on the 13th, attended by the Commandant, a memorandum had been taken up on the proposed Christmas activities in the camp, and the Commandant, according to the minutes, had made the following decisions: “(1) He believed it will be in order for the children of in­ ternees at the Holy Ghost College to visit the camp on Christ­ mas Day. (2) He will see if he can arrange for a Japanese photographer to take photographs of children for the benefit of their parents. (3) He has no objection to movies provided that we can make arrangements to obtain the necessary pro­ jectors. (4) He has no objection to the two religious lectures planned, provided that scripts thereof are handed him for censorship beforehand. (5) No midnight masses will be al­ lowed, but there is a possibility that internees will be allowed to attend a special day-time mass at the Seminary. (G) No community dances will be permitted. (7) He is investigating the possibility of the writing of letters to war-prisoners, but doubts that it will be possible to send gifts. (8) With refer­ ence to allowing visits of non-interned families with their husbands in camp on Christmas, such as took place last year, he stated that he believed this is not practical, but that he will give his final answer tomorrow.” The final answer under item 8 was “no.” The only children from outside the camp allowed to come in were the 60 or 70 interned with their mothers in the Holy Ghost College; the mothers were allowed to accompany them. Some scores of parents had their (Continued on page 457) • The actual figures show that this was an error, but as this mnnuscript was secretly written and hidden away as written, these could not he checked at the time. 431 December, 1948 AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 457 THUS the picture. What are the conclusions? (1) That the financial situation, in general, is sound, made so by the large balances of international payments due the Philippines as a result of war oper­ ations. (2) That on the basis of pre-war output in the major industries, the coconut and lumber industries are fully restored, rice, sugar, and abaca are twothirds rehabilitated, with mining and tobacco bring­ ing up the rear. (3) That the business of motor vehicle trans­ portation, sea transportation, and air transportation are also almost completely rehabilitated. (4) That the problem of unemployment will con­ tinue to be serious until the important pre-war in­ dustries, notably mining, cigar, embroidery, and cer­ tain public-utility enterprises are fully rehabilitated, or else new factory industries are introduced to ab­ sorb the excess labor. (5) That business in general during the fiscal year, stimulated by an abundance of cash supply and and in spite of a growing buyers’ resistance, is fair­ ly satisfactory, comparable to that of the year prev­ ious. (6) That the shortage of our main staple will continue to plague us until we shall have planted enough acreage to rice. (7) That agrarian disputes will even be bigger in the ensuing years unless the social amelioration program becomes effective; and (8) The cost of living will continue to be high. The picture indeed is confused. Much must be seen in perspective. The Three Chrislmasses. . . (Continued from, page 431) children photographed in the Fathers Garden by a Japanese photographer who came into the camp for the purpose on several successive days. The price was P5 for 4 prints, passport size, unmounted. A moving-picture projector was borrowed and a secondrate feature film, a travelogue, and a comic cartoon were shown one night, Christmas week. Neither notes nor gifts were allowed to be sent to the men in the prison-camps, but relatives in Santo Tomas were allowed to file mimeographed check-forms in lieu of notes on which a bare minimum of personal informa­ tion could be indicated. No notes were received from the men. The midnight mass on Christmas Eve, a tradiSAVE BY SPEEDY CLIPPER CARGO CCJ 1 »/G SAVINGS ON OTHER WEIGHTS AND CERTAIN COMMODITIES, TOO TO RATE per LR. CHICAGO $2.00 CLEVELAND 2.02 DETROIT 2.01 NEW YORK 2.05 PITTSBURGH 2.03 PORTLAND 1.88 SEATTLE 1.88 Take advantage of these new low rates to the U. S. on 100 lbs. or more... 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Downtown Office, 270 Plaza Cei vantes Manila • Phone 2-82-61 PAN AMERICAN / World Airways Clippar, TmU Mari, Pan A $ 458 AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL December, 1948 tionally important service in the Philippines, could not be held, but a special day-time mass was celebrat­ ed on Christmas morning in the Dominican Seminary which internees were allowed to attend. All out­ siders were first shooed out. Masses were also held in the hospital chapel and other religious services in the Fathers Garden. As for the censorship of the two “religious lectures,” the internee department of religion had made a tactical error in including them in the Christmas program which had been drawn up, instead of merely listing them in the program of re­ ligious services presented to the Commandant in ad­ vance each week as a matter of routine. The censor­ ship of sermons, ordered by the first Commandant, had lapsed. As it was, the speakers concerned sub­ mitted merely the outlines of what they wanted to say, and these were approved by Kato. The Camp Does its Best for the Children — The camp did its best. There was a Christmas pageanton Monday night, staged by the camp’s Sundayschool children. On Tuesday night an internee chorus sang Handel’s “Messiah” with the accompani­ ment of a Hammond organ, a piano, and a small SMmtBtLucalrb. TRACE ANO COMMERCE BLDG, MANILA You’ll sense something differ­ ent when your fingers touch the highly responsive keys. It’s Rhythm Touch ... to make your type­ writing easier. Your fingers will find comforting ease in the light­ ning key response. You’ll note better-balanced finger action . .. the free-and-easy rhythm of Underwood’s finest typewriter... the popular choice of secretaries and executives. With Rhythm Touch . . . plus other new refine­ ments . . . you get all the time-tried famous Under­ wood features .. . they make typing easier. See this new Underwood Standard Typewriter...with Rhythm Touch ... NOW I pick-up orchestra. The organ had been brought in­ to the camp some time before by Chittick, whose company was the local agent of the manufacturer. The conductor was Father Visser of Iloilo. The movie show came on Wednesday night. On Christ­ mas Eve there was a program of Christmas carols. On Christmas Day there were various parties for the younger children and those of teen age. The young children had been told that Santa Claus would come through the camp gate at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Little boys and girls expressed the fear that Santa might not be allowed to come into camp. But at 3:30, ten minutes late, he did come in, with a white beard and dressed all in red. One or two curious Japanese soldiers of the gate-guard looked on as a crowd of little children shrieked a welcome. Some of them were so excited that, running, they fell down flat on their faces but forgot to cry. A small, decorated Baguio pine set on a table on the lawn served as a Christmas tree. There were several long tables piled with toys for the children 10 years and younger. Most of the toys had been made by hand by men and women in the camp, but the Distributors: F. E. ZUELLIG, INC. 55 Rosario St. _ _ ^S^rBlue Ribbon fl fl fl sthi Manila Tel. 2-95-43 9:00 P. M. I(7np 8:30 P. M. Sundays RfcHu Wednesdays • " -MUSICANA-KZRH December, 1948 AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 459 men in the Los Banos camp hacl also sent many hand­ made toys. Some of them had been donated by peo­ ple outside. The children filed past the tables, ac­ cording to their age, and were handed 3 toys7 each, stuffed animals and dolls, little wooden wagons, etc. It was a sort of wholesale or cafeteria Christmas, but a joyful enough occasion for the little ones, and the older people could not help but be affected by the pleasure of the children. The men with families out­ side, however, thought of their own children whom they had not been allowed to see or to help with the food from their Red Cross kits. The family-aid com­ mittee had handed out kilo-packages of rice which they had been allowed to send out to their families and also some simple toys and bags of candy, but only about half of the men concerned had done so; the rest, in protest, and grieved at being able to do so little, gave up doing anything other than sending out what money they could borrow. That night there was an organ recital and some special piano, violin, and vocal numbers by internees, and three hours later Christmas, 1943, passed into limbo. 1944 CHRISTMAS preparations had not been nearly as extensive as in 1942 and 1943. People had looked forward to spending another Christmas in the camp with a heavy heart, and there was little that could be done for the children because there was very little of anything in the camp and nothing could be brought in, despite the appeals of the Internee Committee to the Commandant’s office. However, on the 22nd, a small amount of supplies, donated by the Neutral Welfare Committee of the International Y.M.C.A., was permitted to enter the camp “through the cour­ tesy of the Commandant’s office.’’ Rumor had it that only a fifth of what this committee had wanted to send in had been admitted by the Japanese, but according to Carroll the Committee had no way of confirming this. The supplies admitted consisted of the following: Mongo beans, 8 sacks (401 kilos) Brown beans, 2 sacks (92 kilos) Sugar, 4 sacks (114 kilos) Coffee, 1 sack (34 kilos) Chocolate, 1 box (98 cakes, small) Tea, 10 pounds Pepper. 14 jars, small Salt, 5 sacks (227 kilos) Calamancis, 9 sacks Cigars — 19,993 "Chicas" 3,600 "Alhambras” 445 "Vice-Presidentes” Cigarettes, 4:'-9 puckages Pipe-tobacco, 104 packages Chewing-tobacco, GG pieces Women and children’s clothing, 1 sack Shoes, 1 case Sandals, 2 bags; soles and heels, 1 sack Socks, 2 bundles Men’s clothing, 2 boxes Sewing thread Knitting yarn Mosquito-nets, 2 bundles Toilet articles, 3 packages Pnonograph records, 25 packages Medicines nnd drugs, 9 packngcs (>,'. of those supplies were set aside for I.os Ilarios nnd were sent there by army truck on the 31st.) That evening the camp had a serving of hot calamanci drink at supper time because the fruit had ar­ rived in a badly bruised condition and could not be given out, one or two each, to individuals. The next evening there was another serving, somewhat more watery. Beliel said in the evening broadcast (over the camp loud-speaker) on the 22nd, speaking of the Christmas program: “...You can readily understand that the Christmas pro­ gram this year is necessarily limited, but for what we lack in material advantages or festive possibilities we can make up in hope, mutual helpfulness, and a true Christmas spirit.” 5 A Christmas morning party to be given at the children’s play-house under the auspices of the A YOUR SECURITY SEAL! J The Philippine Guaranty Co., Inc. FIRE, MARINE, MOTOR CAR, WORK­ MEN’S COMPENSATION, MISCEL­ LANEOUS INSURANCE, FIDELITY, SURETY BONDS, MORTGAGE LOANS. 3rd Floor • Insular Life Bldg. • Plaza Cervantes MANILA Telephone 2-81-12 C iU protect you*. 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CO., INC. 673 DASM ARINAS (Gibbs Bldg.), MANILA j TEL. 6-72-36 J BIGGER LOADS BIGGER SAVINGS Yala Hlflh-Lift Fork Truck, CopacJHei up to 60,000 Ibtt WHEN YOU MOVE IT YALE FORK TRUCK DOLLARS ARE IN THE AIR . .. waiting to be banked. They are yours when you use a Yale High-Lift Electric Fork Truck to lift, move end stack to the ceiling. For this most versa­ tile of all power trucks can handle tons of material at one time with ease, speed and efficiency that topple high costs and boost production. Convince yourself. Get the complete story of Yale Material Handling Machinery and what it can do for you. A letter or phone call will bring it to yourjdesk—promptly^ THE EDWARD J. NELL COMPANY 1450 Arlegui St. Tel. 2-26-15 TOOLS THAT KEEP INDUSTRY < yA I F ON THE MOVE . . . MADE BY \ TML~L. parents association, was scheduled for children up to and including those 15 years of age, they being re­ quired to register their meal-tickets on the 23rd in order to obtain admission. The registration had to be cancelled that day because of the air-raid and was held the next day. Special permission to give a pro­ gram of Christmas music on the evening of the 24th, Sunday, between 6:00 and 6:45, had also been granted by the Commandant’s office, but the air-raid on that day forced its postponement, too. There was, how­ ever, a general distribution of one 2-pound tin of jam and nine 50-gram pieces of native chocolate, remain­ ders of the camp stock, to every group of 18 people presenting three (6-people) canteen ration-cards, this giving everyone in the camp around 2 spoonsful of jam and i/2 of a small disk of chocolate about the size of a silver peso. A general distribution of 5 cigars (green and of a poor brand) and 4 cigarettes were distributed through the room monitors to all persons 16 years of age or over. These “smokes” came from the neutral welfare committee donation. Some men gulped down the jam and the small piece of chocolate without even waiting for supper time, but most ipternees made the jam do for several days, eating a little of it on the end of a spoon as a dessert. Supper that night consisted only of the usual serving of one level ladleful of rice and a little larger than usual serving of the soy-bean refuse sauce, but it was pathe­ tic how the camp spirit had risen with the minute distributions of that afternoon. A solemn high mass, conducted by Father Koelman, was held in the hospital chapel that evening, taking the place of the traditional midnight mass by special dispensation. Grinnell, Duggleby, Larsen,6 and Lee were still in the camp jail, despite efforts by Carroll and Lloyd to secure their release if only temporarily. Accord­ ing to the minutes: "In response to a request from the Committee for the temporary release from the camp jail on account of Christmas of the 4 internees held in the custody of the Japanese author­ ities, the Commandant’s office (Abiko) stated that Lee should be kept where he was. With regard to the others, the ques6 C. C. Grinnell, 46, A. F. Duggleby, 62, C. L. Larsen, 34, nnd E. E. John­ son, 59, were arrested in the camp on December 23, the three former being lodged in the camp jail and the lutter being taken out of the camp by the Japanese military police. After liberation a Bearch was made by a special committee and the bodies of all four were found nnd identified, the men having been secretly executed on or about January 15. The remains were brought back to Santo Tomas and re-interned in a plot just east of the Seminary, the funeral services taking place on February 23. The graves are still there. SWAN, CULBERTSON & FRITZ | BROKERS IN LOCAL AND FOREIGN SECURITIES $ Member—Manila Stock Exchange f! New York — San Francisco j| Correspondents — Honolulu — Uruguay M Shanghai — Hongkong J fl $ 701 S. J. WILSON BLDG. TFT q J 2-74-55 U { 143 JUAN LUNA (2-80-53 f December, 1948 AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 461 tion of their temporary release was beyond the control of the Commandant’s office as they were being held on instructions from the Japanese authorities outside. It was very doubtful whether they could be released, but the Commandant’s office would advise the Committee if arrangements could be made.” The Joyful Surprise of the U. 3. Army Christ­ mas Leaflets Dropped by Plane during the Night — Three or four bombs were dropped in the direction of Nichols Field a little after 8 o’clock, and the mutter of planes was heard overhead a number of times dur­ ing the night. In the morning came excitement, joy! Early risers in the shanty areas had found a number of leaflets on the campus which had been dropped during the night from some American plane, — Christmas greetings from the Army, which they hastened to show to their friends. The Japanese soldiers went about looking for groups of people reading them to confiscate them, but many copies had already been made in pencil. The greetings read: “The Commander-in-chief, the officers, and the men of the American Forces of Liberation in the Pacific wish their gallant allies, the People of the Philippines, all the blessings of Christmas, and the realization of their fervent hopes for the New Year. Christmas, I.944.” The leaflets were neatly printed on good paper and bore a small religious picture of the scene of the Birth at Bethlehem. Internees said that was wisely done in a largely Catholic country, — much better than if the leaflet had carried some less religious Christmas emblem or decoration. They also called attention to the fact that the people of the Philippines were referred to as “gallant allies,’’ showing that the Americans were giving no importance whatever to the false declaration of war, or of a “state of war,” by the puppet “government.” The reference to the people’s “fervent hopes” indicated that the Amer­ icans were well aware of their real state of mind. The music at reveille was a rousing instrumental transcription of “Onward, Christian Soldiers.” Another solemn high mass was celebrated in the hospital chapel by Father Landwehr, with special music written for the occasion by Mario BakeriniBooth, an internee from Shanghai. The Protestant service was held at 10 o’clock, the Rev. F. Chambers preaching the Christmas sermon. The Samurai Steal Some of the Children’s Candy — The children’s party was held at the play-house between 9:30 and 11:30, with Dave Harvey as the master of ceremonies. As a special treat the child­ ren all received two pieces of native bocayo candy (coconut and muscovado sugar) each about the size jj AUTOMOTIVE PARTS • ACCESSORIES GARAGE & SHOP EQUIPMENT fl a BATTERIES • TIRES • TUBES if, W $ $ $ $ if 230 13th ST., PORT AREA TEL. 2-65-27 jf FERTILIZERS SULPHATE OF AMMONIA SUPERPHOSPHATES SULPHATE OF POTASH MENZI & CO., INC e Iloilo MANILA Cebu V. J. M. MENZI Bldg. CORNER REINA REGENTE & SOLER STREETS TEL. 4-79-29 Prompt Delivery JENTERPRISE HEAVY DUTY DIESEL ENGINES Exclusive Distributors k .. MANILA MACHINERY & SUPPLY CO., INC. f $ 675 Dasmarinas Tel. 2-72-98 if. 462 AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL_______________ December, 1948 is IK $ ft ft ft ft ft ft ft ft ft LUZON STEVEDORING COMPANY, INC. MANILA I ★ Sole Distributors in the Philippines KUENZLE & STREIFF, INC 31 Tayuman, Tondo, Manila—Tel. 2-64-94 Branch Office: 306-308 Dasmarinas, Manila 'ft ft $ $ & if. if. if. if. if if if if if I if if if w if if if if. of a stick of chewing-gum, but a little thicker. Parents had clubbed together and paid P5 for each of their children for this delicacy. It was bought through the Japanese at P170 a kilo. The candy was in the Commandant’s office for about two hours after delivery and before being turned over to the parents association, and during this brief time several pac­ kages of it disappeared, — the samurai not scrupling at stealing this poor candy from the children. It was all the children received at the party, but a few parents were able to give their children privately some home-made toys and dolls. One little boy re­ ceived a printing press made from an old hand cigar­ ette machine. At noon, at the annex, the children got a thin chocolate drink in addition to the usual cup of soy-refuse soup. The Camp’s Christmas Dinner — The older peo­ ple also got something extra in the way of food, though nothing additional was furnished by the Jap­ anese. In the morning there was mush and coconut­ milk slightly sweetened with chocolate cake, and a cup of coffee. For lunch there was a really thick soy-bean soup. And that night! A double serving of fried rice and camotes and other vegetables from the camp garden, mixed with some canned meats and five times the regular daily ration of cooking-oil, in­ cluding some lard that had still been held in the slender camp reserves. What a meal that was! Under the circumstances, it was a culinary triumph, and the camp was grateful to the whole kitchen staff, from chief supervisor Hick, Hunter, the chief cook, and Gildow, his chief adviser and assistant, down to the pot-stirrers and fire-stokers. As a matter of fact, despite the successive de­ ductions in the camp cereal rations, the meals had actually improved as to tastiness with the availability of the soy-bean refuse, and the addition of camotes to the diet added a variable which made a somewhat greater range of meals possible than rice and riceand-corn alone. If only there had been enough even only to fill the stomach!7 In the evening the postponed music and story­ reading program was held on the plaza, under the auspices of the department of special activities, with the cooperation of the music department, and under ■ in December, 1H1, the Santo Tomas diet had been reduced to 90U ca­ lories per capita a day supplied by the Japanese, supplemented by 99 calories from supplies the internee Finance and Supply Committee was abie to bring into the camp. — a total of 1059 calories as against r. normal requirement of from 3000 to 4500 calories. In addition to the low calorific value of the diet, it was unbalanced, consisting almost wholly of carbohydrates, with almost no protein or fat. In January the diet was still further reduced to from 500 to 700 calories a day. $ ft ft ft ft ft ft i! ft ft ft ft j! FOR RE-WINDING OF GENERATORS - MOTORS CALL E. J. MORA ELECTRIC CO., INC Address: jj 170-2 M. de Comillas Tel. 6-65-85 Ji December, 1948 AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL 463 the direction of the Rev. Nolting. Dr. Holter read H. C. Booth’s “Song of the Angels,” — a story of sacrifice with the early Neronic persecutions as a background. The Commandant’s office had given “special permission” for curfew to be extended to 8 p.m., with lights allowed until 8:15. No Visiting. No Packages alloived to Come in — In spite of official discouragement, hundreds of relatives and friends had been at the Santo Tomas gate that morning in the hope of being able to send packages in to their dear ones in the camp, but they were all turned away, still carrying their gifts pre­ pared with love and care and who knows at what sacrifice. The Knifing in the Gymnasium — Crime and tragedy of another kind had shown itself in the camp that Christmas morning. According to the minutes: “The chief patrolman of the gymnasium (N. M. Cockran) was slashed with a knife by C. W. Staples at 8 a.m. while in the performance of his duties. The slash just pierced the jugular vein and also cut his chest, but owing to prompt at­ tention on the part of the medical staff it is hoped he will recover. His assailant was taken to the hospital with a cut on the back of his hand.” There was a connection between this incident and the food situation. Some of the hungry men in the gymnasium who still obtained their breakfast at the central-kitchen line had gotten into the habit of rushing off before the dismissal from roll-call was given, and that morning Staples had reached the door when Cockran laid his hand on his shoulder and asked him politely to return to his place. Staples refused and as Cockran tried to take him back Staples resisted and shouted, “Keep your hands off me! My heart! My heart!” A struggle ensued during which Staples fell between two beds. He lay there for a moment, fumbling at his pocket, and Cockran walked back to the door, Staples then get­ ting up with a drawn knife which he held behind his back. Others warned Cockran, “He’s got a knife!” and Cockran stepped outside and picked up a pole as Staples reached the doorway. Cockran came back to the stoop and Staples knifed him in the neck, after which Cockran, before collapsing, knocked him down with the pole. Staples sustained a cut on his hand and also a bleeding head which he might have obtained either in falling against the bed or against the «dge of the stoop. Cockran was taken to the hospital seriously wounded, and Staples also went to the hospital to have his head and hand bound up. This was the first serious incident of the kind in the Shipyard: Navotas, Rizal Tel. 40 Ask 499 Office: Room 507 Insular Life Bldg., Manila Tel. 2-89-06 OFFERS COMPLETE HULL AND ENGINE REPAIR THREE SLIPWAYS AND DRYDOCK AVAIL­ ABLE. MANILA SHIPYARD, DRYDOCK AND ENGINEERING CO. i! SEASON’S The GREETINGS i! % C. M. HOSKINS & CO., INC. ft A. B. AQUINO J President ft C. M. HOSKINS Chairman of the Board J! ANTONIO VARIAS Vice-President HUME PIPE & ASBESTOS J MANUFACTURERS of ft ft for ft $ B/S Concrete Pipes 4” to 16” x 1 meter Sewers and Storm Drain. T/G Reinforced Concrete Culvert Pipes js 18” to 60” by 5’ or 10’ made to ASTM Designation C 76-41. X Reinforced Concrete Sewer Pipes 18” to 60” by V 5, or 10’, plain ends for use with external bands (collars) at the joints. X All pipes are manufactured by the Hume high speed jolt-spun process. {ft We are the only manufacturers in the Philippines using this method. ft ft ft $ Distributors: THEO. H. DAVIES & CO. Far East, Ltd. 6th Floor, Ayala Building, Manila 464 AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE JOURNAL__________ December, 1948 GIFTS FOR MEN Shulton (Old Spice) Yardley ft Lentheric * Colognes • Shave Bowls • Shave Sticks ft Lotions • Toilet Water • Talcs • Shampoos ft Scalp Stimulants • Hair Oil • Shave Creams $ Kirsten Pipes and Cigarette Holders • Poker ft Chips in Racks • The New British Buttner ft Pipes • Schick Electric Razors (single and double) ft i! Ansco i! Cameras • Rollfilms Papers • Chemicals Zeiss Ikon ■ft $ Bell and Howell & Precision Built Per- ft sonal Movie Equip- ft ment ft Precision built Cameras with the ft J J famous Carl Zeiss Tessar Lenses ft !! BOTICA BOIE, Inc. J} On the Escolta, Manila . . | camp in three years and evidenced the nervous strain which existed. The Disappearance of the Persian Cat — An in­ cident which pointed to a lesser crime was the dis­ appearance on Christmas Day of the most beautiful cat, a Persian, most persons in Santo Tomas had ever seen. Very large, with sleek mauve-gray fur and a thick bushy tail, he attracted attention at all times. He had been raised from kittenhood by Mr. and Mrs. T. A. Roberts and had shared the major part of the family’s internment. It had been no easy thing to feed him properly, and this had required sacrifice. The poor splendid beast had gone into the pot, like many a more common member of his genus,8 of some one without either conscience or an appreciation of the rarest of feline beauty. Distant bombing had been heard in the morning and it was said that the Tribune of the day before had stated that the Japanese high command had an­ nounced that Corregidor was “no longer considered of military value.” Earlier rumors were to the effect that both Corregidor and Mariveles had been heavily bombed as well as Lucena and Batangas. “And so,” as the announcer had said at the end of the broadcast of the Christmas program the night before — "Insofar as the camp is concerned, that finishes Christ­ mas Day of 1944. Not what we could have wished for, not enough food, not the material things which we would have liked to give our friends and loved ones, not much health, — but have hopes ever been higher? Have wishes ever been stronger? And so, with high hopes and strong wishes, may we, on behalf of the camp internee administration, wish you one and all a courageous Christmas and a gloriously happy New Year?” 1) a CHAM SAMCO & SONS, Inc Direct Importers of General Hardware CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS BUILDERS HARDWARE PLUMBING SUPPLIES PAINTS and OILS SHIP CHANDLERY MINING & MILL SUPPLIES AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS EUMBER CAMP TOOLS RICE MILL SUPPLIES ft ft ft ft ft ft 300-308 Manila, Tel. Sto. Cristo Philippines 2-81-72 ft ft " As well as all the camp dogs. Weekly Changes in Retail Price Level Bureau of Commerce, Market Division November 22-27, 1SM8 SPEARHEADED by rice, the key commodity in the price­ index structure, prices of several essential commodities continued to relax during the week ending November 27, 1948, thus pulling down further the Bureau of Commerce Price Index to the 245.17-mark, off 1.83 from the previous level. Marking a slight relief from the current high prices of rice in the black-market was the recent decline in the prices of native rice varieties. An even decrease of 10 centavos was recorded by elon-elon, first class, at P2.15 per ganta, and P2.05 for second class; Pl.95 for macan, first class, and Pl.85 for second class. The influx of newly harvested rice and the regular and more liberal distribution of NARIC rice through neighborhood distributors and market vendors owing to recent arrivals of imported rice, all aided materially in bringing down further the prices of the cereal. The decline in rice prices was followed by a corresponding decrease in the prices of palay (unhusked rice) and corn. Palay eased off by 10 centavos at 90 centavos per ganta while corn went down by 5 centavos at 85 centavos. Conspicuously resisting the overall tendency during the week and continuing its upward movement since the preced­ ing week, was sugar. Refined advanced by 3 centavos at the average price of 58 centavos per kilo; centrifugal edge up by 1 centavo at 48 centavos for the washed variety and by 3 centavos at 45 centavos for the brown. With only bangus and shrimps recording gains, all other fresh fish items such as apahap, hito, lapu-lapu, dalag, talakitok, bisugo, and tanigue, declined. Dried fish items were generally steady except tunsoy tuyo which went up to P2.63