Value of Palms and Driers Headaches

Driers Headaches for War Damage Conditions

VARIOUS reports from New Guinea plantation owners, who have been in consultation with the War Damage Commission, indicate that the Commission is experiencing difficulty in trying to assess the value of plantations on the new basis permitting compensation for in direct war damage.

Under the old regulations no compen sation was payable for plantations which had deteriorated through neglect. Under the new regulations, all such deterioration is assessable as war damage.

Among other things which the Com mission has to decide is: What is the value of a palm that was abandoned in 1942, that is still healthy but which has suffered from neglect?

What was the value of a palm that was destroyed as a result of war operations in 1942? In 1943? And in 1944?

The old pre-war valuation of one coco nut tree was approximately £l. It is estimated that it costs 5/- to clear the ground and get one palm growing strongly.

Then there must ensue from five to seven years of attention and cultivation before the palm bears. In spite of all this, a number of NG planters have been putting in claims to the War Damage Commission in which they assess the value of their individual palm trees at 5/-.

In many cases, copra driers have to be claimed for as property lost, directly or indirectly, as a result of war conditions.

What is the value of a copra drier? The estimates vary widely. As far as can be ascertained, it costs not less than £lOO to

build a good copra drier of the Ceylon type. Yet a number of people have put in claims for copra driers as low as £2O.

A statement by the War Damage Com mission, outlining the basis upon which such damages are assessed, would be wel comed by the majority of planters from Papua and New Guinea.