A Japanese man bought five dresses but wouldn't allow us to print five slips or wrap them in paper. "No, no," he said excitedly, "save paper, save paper." We found out why when he presented his business card — head of the paper division — Japanese Military Administration.

In the last two days, two local Japanese ladies purchased ten expensive lots of dress-material from us. They returned today to buy three more lots, paying with military currency. As an afterthought, they bought a fourth lot, but this time, they rummaged in their bags for a long time before resignedly dishing out Philippine money. Even they know the latter is more valuable.

Incidentally, before the material is cut, they always insist on getting an extra foot thrown in for free. These two never quibble about price, but gosh how they love an extra 12 inches or so.

The Japanese deal to buy TVT for P500,000 is off. Alejandro Roces, pro-Japanese as anyone, finally drew the line at a particularly vindictive article on MacArthur. So one night at 0200, the Japanese took the great Alejandro to Fort Santiago for four hours before releasing him, it turns out, from his work, his plant ... everything!

Only last week, old man Sotelo, who is married to a Roces, was telling Alejandro that the Japanese shouldn't have taken the property of a Filipina whose American husband had died. Alejandro's answer surprised him: "Well, she married an American, didn't she?"