Wanted: Operators For Jap-Abandoned Farms

San Francisco, March 27 -- The movements of enemy aliens and Japanese-Americans were restricted further at dawn today when a curfew established by Lieut. Gen. John L. DeWitt, commanding the western defense command and fourth army, became effective. A proclamation signed by DeWitt forbade the movement of all enemy aliens and Japanese-Americans between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Failure of Japanese and Japanese-Americans working agricultural land in the county to continue operations until the time they must evacuate will be considered sabotage, except in those instances where sale or lease of the land is previously arranged.

The warning came Friday from Myron C. Frane, farm security field agent for the army's wartime civilian control administration service center in the county.

Concurrently, all enemy aliens and Japanese citizens in the county at 6 a.m. Friday went under the most rigid curfew rule ever placed on citizens or aliens in the nation.

They may no longer be more than five miles from their homes except in traveling to or from jobs or an official alien control office, or for evacuation under army permits.

Beginning tonight, aliens and the Japanese-Americans must be in their homes every night between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. There are no exceptions to this order.

Frane announced the sabotage warning Friday when he was in Santa Cruz to receive listings of evacuees and applications of farmers to take over the land, at the U. S. employment office on Front street.

Scarcity of qualified farmers to take over operations of agricultural land in the county which must be evacuated was reported by him.

More than 40 Japanese and Japanese-American farmers who must evacuate from this county have listed their farming operations with Frane.

Less than half that number of qualified farmers wishing to take over operations have filed with his office.

Japanese and Japanese-American land listed for sale or lease constitutes 342 acres of land, of which 242 acres are planted chiefly to strawberries, bushberries, garlic and seed crops. The farms range from one acre to 30 acres.

A farm-to-farm canvass was conducted that revealed majority of the larger operators already have made satisfactory arrangements.

Frane urges farmers wishing to operate this land to report to him at the U. S. employment service office in Watsonville as soon as possible so that this land may be kept in production.

Financial assistance may be arranged for qualified applicants. Frane declared that all arrangements being made on the outside should be cleared through his office.

Creator: United Press
Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel-News, Evening Edition , page 1
Date: 1942-03-27
Type: NEWS; DOCUMENT
Coverage: 1940s
Rights: Copyrighted by the Santa Cruz Sentinel-News, Evening Edition. Reproduced by permission.
Identifier: LN-1942-03-27-895

Collection

Citation

Press, United. “Wanted: Operators For Jap-Abandoned Farms.” Santa Cruz Sentinel-News, Evening Edition , page 1. 1942-03-27. SCPL Local History. https://history.santacruzpl.org/omeka/items/show/134586. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.