No Fixed Price For Trees

War Damage Commission Decisions

THE Pacific Territories Association re cently asked the Australian War Damage Commission: (a) what was the fixed value allowed by the Commis sion for coconut, coffee, rubber and cocoa trees; and (b), in the case of an evacuee returning to one of the Australian Ter ritories before final assessment of dam age to his property could be made, would the Commission give him advance pay ments to assist in his rehabilitation?

The replies received from the Com mission are as follow: (a) We wish to advise that after thorough investigations, the Commission came to the conclusion that justice could not be given to all claimants by deter mining a fixed value for each type of tree, and that the values would be depen dent upon many variable features, such as productive capacity and labour con ditions operating on the respective plan tations. As an example, our investiga tions indicated that values of mature coconut palms in early 1942 could vary from 2/3 up to 18/- per palm.

Much the same position was found in relation to coffee, rubber and cocoa trees. (b) It is the Commission’s desire to assist in every possible way in the re habilitation of war damage claimants in Papua and New Guinea, An active policy of payment of com pensation assessed and recorded was im plemented early in 1945, and in those cases where final assessment and re cording is not yet possible we are pleased to give sympathetic consideration to ap plications for advance payments pending finality.

It has also been arranged that pur chases made by the claimants through the Commonwealth Disposals Commis

sion, can in appropriate cases be financed by claimants authorising the War Dam age Commission to pay the Disposals Commission out of compensation when assessed.