U.S. TO HELP KEEP JAP FARMS GOING

Striving to keep farm land being evacuated by Japanese in full production, the Department of Agriculture today opened an office in Seattle to aid Japanese in disposing of land and to aid qualified farmers in obtaining operating credit and transfer of the property.

The Seattle office, in the United States Employment Service Office, 808 Second Ave., will be directed temporarily by C.J. Opperman, tenure specialist for the Farm Security Administration of the Department of Agriculture. The F.S.A. was directed to open the office by the Western Defense Command and Fourth Army.

It is intended to supervise fair disposition of land being voluntarily evacuated by Japanese and help farmers obtain the land and funds to buy seed, fertilizer, labor and other crops production necessities, Opperman said.

The Wartime Farm Adjustment Program office also will help put the program in operation. The F.S.A. will help farmers arrange credit either through private sources or the Farm Credit Administration.

Sixty such offices have been established in California. Others set up in Washington are in Bremerton, Raymond, Tacoma and Yakima.

Opperman said continued operation of farm lands in this area is seriously needed in the national war effort, and that all Japanese who are contemplating voluntary evacuations are urged to accept assistance from the office.