World War II Chinatown

     More Letters From Paradise
       World War II Chinatown

I enjoy taking the bus to Chinatown. Some of the sidewalks are paved with large square blocks that were used as ballast in sailing ships. The old buildings, shops, bars, and fresh tropical produce I find interesting.   Some very fine restaurants are located there also.

I sometimes think of the many brothels that used to be located there. For prostitution was legal, as there were 375 servicemen in Honolulu for every woman. The police kept a blind eye on the situation in Chinatown.

 Big money was made by madams,$150,000 a year (now about $2million). Prostitutes earned $25,000 ($350,000 today.) They could not have a steady boyfriend, own a car, go to golf courses, or ride a bicycle. These women also paid income tax and bought war bonds.
 
I often think as I stroll these streets about all the young, lonely men who were going to war, and to die somewhere in the Pacific, without ever having known the love of a woman. It's all so very sad.

     Aloha
     Grant

The facts and figures I stole from a recent story in our local paper by Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi.