Yoichi Okuma to Office of the Custodian, 03 July 1944

P.O. Box 77, Picture Butte, Alta. July 3, 1944.

Office of the Custodian,

I have received your statement concerning my land sale and have a few comments to make.

First of all from whom did you get the permission to sell my property? You are taking too much advantage of me. The price for which you made the sale is most disappointing. The house alone is worth more, about $5000.00 at least. And consider the other buildings like barn, 2 garages, 2 lot houses, pickerhouses, wood-shed etc. these cannot be built for nothing. I must say that you've sold my land and all the buildings just as good as free. When I purchased this land it was all bush and I paid $300.00 an acre. By the time I got finished clearing the land it has cost me about $500.00 an acre. And to put in all the different crops has cost me more money. You don't realize the hard labour, money and time it has taken to build up to what I have. Thirty years of hard work and building up one by one has gone to ruins. What is the idea making such an unreasonable transaction? This land is worth one million dollars.

"Yoichi Okuma"