2,000 More Seattle Japanese Ordered Removed This Week.
Groups in Yesler District Scheduled for Evacuation Friday and Saturday; Registration Tomorrow and Tuesday.
Approximately 2,000 more Japanese from two additional Seattle areas will be evacuated to the Puyallup assembly center Friday and Saturday forenoon, bringing the number removed from this city to 4,000 it was announced yesterday by the Army's Western Defense Command.
The Japanese must be out of both areas by Saturday noon, according to two civilian-exclusion orders issued by Lieut. Gen. J.L. De Witt.
Areas Defined
The two Seattle areas which are affected by the orders are:
1. That portion of the city within the boundary beginning at the intersection of Maynard Avenue and Yesler Way: thence easterly in Yesler Way to 12th Avenue: thence southly 12th Avenue South to Dearborn Street; thence westerly in Dearborn Street to Fifth Avenue South; thence northerly in Fifth Avenue South to Jackson Street; thence easterly in Jackson Street to Maynard Avenue; thence northerly in Maynard Avenue to point of beginning. This area is included in Exclusion Order No. 36.
2. That portion of the city within the boundary starting at the intersection of 12th Avenue and Yesler Way; thence easterly in Yesler Way to 23rd Avenue; thence southerly in 23rd Avenue South to Dearborn Street; thence westerly in Dearborn Street to 12th Avenue South; thence northerly in 12th Avenue South to the point of beginning. This area is included in Exclusion Order No. 37.
No evacuation order has been issued for Japanese living in the area north of Yesler Way to the north city limits and east of Fifth Avenue, Eastlake Avenue and Roosevelt Way.
Two Offices Opened
Meanwhile, the agricultural division of the Wartime Civil Control Administration yesterday opened two new offices in the White River Valley in efforts to speed the transfer of nearly 3,000 acres of rich Japanese-operated land before the final evacuation of Japanese, scheduled for May 20.
Offices were opened in Auburn in the American Legion Hall, 120 1/2 Main S.W., and in Sumner at 908 Cherry St., it was announced by Frank Kershisnik, W.C.C.A. district officer.
Both Japanese farmers and farmers capable of taking over Japanese operations were urged to report immediately to one of the offices, or to the Kent office at 229 First Ave., to make arrangements for transfer of the property.
Nearly 300 truck and berry farms, most of them under ten acres in size, are available to experienced farmers, in the White River Valley. Approximately 40 farms totaling 800 acres still are available in Pierce County.
Branch offices of the King County War Board of the Department of Agriculture will be opened tomorrow at Kent to assist farmers in obtaining a War Board certificate of competence.
Kershishnik urged both Japanese and persons leasing land to Japanese to make immediate arrangements to transfer operations. In cases where Japanese or other persons involved are unable or unwilling to make reasonable arrangements, all property and interests can be "frozen" by the W.C.C.A. and held by the government for temporary operation or future disposition, Kershishnik said.
More in California Leaving
In addition to the Seattle removal. General De Witt ordered the evacuation of 4,500 more Japanese from various California areas and 400 from widely scattered districts in Arizona.
All Seattle Japanese affected must register either tomorrow or Tuesday between 8 o'clock in the morning and 5 o'clock in the evening.
Those affected by Order No. 36 will register at the Japanese Chamber of Commerce, Rooms 111-112, 316 Maynard Ave. Those covered by Order No. 37 will register at the civil control station to be established in the Buddhist Temple. 1427 main St. The head or a responsible member of each family can register all members of a family.
The movement of the Japanese to Puyallup will start Friday afternoon and must be completed by Saturday noon, the orders said.
California Japanese will go to assembly centers at the Santa Anita and Tanforan race tracks, those from Arizona to the Cave Creek reception center, 50 miles north of Phoenix and the Mayer reception center, 85 miles northwest of Phoenix.
Coincident with issuance of the orders, Col. Karl R. Bendetsen, assistant chief of staff, civil affairs division, reiterated his previous announcement that there is no basis of fact to rumors that Japanese in rural areas will not be removed until crops are harvested.
"Military necessity is an unrelenting taskmaster, and the harvesting of crops or other agriculture tasks cannot be allowed to retard the evacuation program," the colonel said.
[Photo caption]: The Western Defense Command yesterday ordered the evacuation of 2,000 more Japanese from Seattle. The upper sketch shows two new areas to be cleared. They are indicated in black on the map of Seattle (lower). The area marked in diagonals already has been evacuated, leaving only the areas in gray where Japanese still may life.