This excerpt from the New Canadian reflects the mood of Tashme residents at a point in time when internment camp life had settled down from the flurry of activity in the beginning. The routine was disrupted by a Commission order to lay off young men as part of their plan to indefinitely disperse the Japanese away from coastal BC.
Scout Troop and Girls Stars Are Bright Points in Tashme World
TASHME B.C. Laying off of about 50 young men from maintenance and adminstrative positions on the payroll following recent Selective Service developments has given Tashme the biggest jolt in its brief history.
Both the excitement aroused by the thought that the young men are to be "shipped" east and families again separated, and the confusion caused by the loss of a large number of workers in key posts throughout the community are factors responsible for this.
Laying off of the men, including Commission office employees and male school teachers, followed the posting of a notice on November 8 by Assistant Supervisor T. Orford that all single men between 18 and 55 would no longer be employed from that date.
Thus far single men employed in the Hope road camps have not been affected.
The question being heatedly asked most freely in the community is simply why the Government should choose to impose citizenship responsibilities upon Canadian-born and naturalized citizens at the present time when it has treated them since the outbreak of the war in no way different from enemy aliens.
Apart from this the mountain-hemmed settlement, which gives the casual visitor the overwhelming impression of a closely guarded jail, is going into its second winter not materially different from a year ago.
Throughout the year minor improvements have been made to the rude shelters, to make them look a little more like homes. Remains of garden plots and flower beds show up buth e sight of 300 identical houses, row on row, is a depressing one especially in raw November.
Two weeks ago traces of snow had fallen, but this had turned to slush and the roadways were muddy molasses.
In the fields surrounding the settlement the remains of family garden plots were also still visible – rows of cabbage stumps, carrots, lettuce and other vegetables.
The food situation is relatively good, however, thanks to the productivity of the gardens and to the fact that the centralization of buying through the Commission store enables the purchase of very large quantities of goods.
Very llttle has been done to improve or expand recreational facilities either for young or old during the winter months. The school hall is the sole centre for community activity, and is in great demand for shows, dances, concerts, judo, Church and Sunday Schools – both Christian and Buddhist – and athletics such as basketball.
Perhaps the brightest spot in the whole picture, which Tashme can boast of over any other "ghost town" is its Boy Scout organization. Headed by Shige Yoshida, former Chemainus scoutmaster, over fifty teen-aged boys are well organized into several troops, headed by older youths. Among them are Tom Seki, Vic Kadonaga, Nobby Hori, Harvey Moritsugu, Jimmy Shino and others.
Girls of the same age group have also been organized along similar lines in the Tashme Stars. This group, strictly a Tashme product, proudly wears a uniform modelled that of the scouts, with blue and while neckerchiefs and white blouses. Among the leaders are Myea Inouye, Martha Hori, Marge Takahashi, Emy Nakano and Kazuko Kawabe.
Despite its disadvantages the settlement appears to be affected with a degree of inertia greater than that of any similar community. Probably this is due to the steady routine of life, to which the people have become so accustomed after a year within that is often described as a natural internment camp. Here, owing to its seclusion and its distance from any beaten path, the settlement is an entirely self-contained world.
Notwithstanding, there is an unquestioned growing interest in the track away to more normal living conditions. Once begun, it may well be that the movement will sweep thorough the community in much and same manner as it appears to be affecting Lemon Creek. The jolt given by the Selective Service is likely to have repercussions and it is probable that before another winter rolls around many changes will have been wrought. New Canadian 1943.11.20.08