Marconi Club Chief Appeals To Governor

James J. Scoppettone, acting as president of the Marconi Civic Service club, wired Governor Olson Wednesday urging that a local board be appointed to co-operate with the sheriff and police departments in an effort to prevent dislocation of aliens who, though loyal to this country, are required to move out of coastal areas defined by the U.S. attorney general's office.

Explaining that the Marconi Club's major aim has been to foster naturalization of Italian nationals who have been living for many years in this country, Scoppettone said the organization is now trying to see if it is possible to create some procedure whereby loyal residents might remain on their farms and carry on occupations useful to the nation's defense.

"IT CAN BE DONE"

"I believe it is logical to think that something can be done to prevent disruption of the important agricultural industry on the coast and at the same time prevent hardships being imposed upon hundreds of innocent people," Scoppettone said. "A majority of my neighbors and fellow Americans in this community seem to share that viewpoint. I think we can render a service to our government by conserving industry and sustaining the morale of hundreds of persons who, though classified as aliens, have sincere loyalty to the United States in the present crisis."

It was announced yesterday that Italian, Japanese and German aliens in all of Santa Cruz county will be subjected to 9 p.m. curfew and be permitted to travel only between their homes and jobs after Feb. 24.

COMPENSATION

The regional director of the social security board announced in San Francisco that federal unemployment compensation will be given enemy aliens who lost their jobs because they were employed in restricted areas.

Enemy aliens may draw up to $20 a week for twenty weeks, depending on their former wages, while the federal employment service tries to get them other work.

Investigations will be made of each enemy alien living in restricted areas of the state, Thomas Clark, alien co-ordinator for the western defense area, declared. Only those aliens considered potentially dangerous will be removed from the restricted zones. Clark advised all enemy aliens, whether now living in prohibited or restricted sections, to keep in touch with their local social security board offices.

WRITTEN NOTICE

All enemy aliens changing their residences or places of employment are required to give written notice to the nearest U.S. attorney ten days before making the change, social security offices pointed out. This would apply to aliens moving from prohibited areas.

Attaches of the U.S. attorney's office added that, if the alien is moving more than 50 miles he must have a permit from the U.S. attorney.

Most of the California coastline is in the area in which aliens are permitted to live and move about with certain restrictions including a curfew law. Clark pointed out that the restricted areas should not be confused with prohibited zones from which all enemy aliens will be excluded, without exception, after the middle or end of February."

Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel-News, Morning Edition , page 1
Date: 1942-02-05
Type: NEWS; DOCUMENT
Coverage: 1940s
Rights: Copyrighted by the Santa Cruz Sentinel-News, Morning Edition. Reproduced by permission.
Identifier: LN-1942-02-05-873

Collection

Citation

“Marconi Club Chief Appeals To Governor.” Santa Cruz Sentinel-News, Morning Edition , page 1. 1942-02-05. SCPL Local History. https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/items/show/134564. Accessed 2 July 2024.