SAN DIEGO, CALIF, April 8, 1954. CHAIRMAN OF THE HOUSE INTERSTATE AND FOREIGN COMMERCE COMMITTEE, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: I have the honor to apply for more compensation from the frozen assets of Japan. I am enclosing 2 photostatic copies of communications received from the United States Philippine War Damage Commission. The first shows I put in a claim for #8,933, but 5,581.80 was disallowed. The committee claimed "depreciation” of property. Most of my claim was for new linens, Peking rugs, and Gorham stering silverware, also furniture. I had taken 25 percent from the value of all articles that had been used and this would more than cover depreciation. The committee approved #3,351.20 of which I received $1,705.36 and 529.02, or a total of 2,234.38, which leaves 1,116.82 still unpaid of the amount the War Damage Commission approved. I respectfully ask that this be paid from the surplus on hand of frozen assets of Japan. Respectfully yours, SRATE OF CALIFORNIA, County of San Diego, ss: MABEL R. CARLSON. On April 8, 1954, before me, the undersigned, a notary public in and for said county and State, personnally appeared Mabel R. Carlson, known to me to be the person whose name is subscribed to the within instrument and acknowledged that she executed the same. Witness my hand and official seal. [SEAL] HELEN M. SNOW, Notary Public in and for said County and State. My commission expires June 12, 1955. UNITED STATES PHILIPPINE WAR DAMAGE COMMISSION, Message to claimants from the United States The accompanying check represents your second and final payment for war damages under the present authorization of the Philippine Rehabilitation Act and the appropriations made thereunder. Should the Congress of the United States make further appropriations of funds for this purpose, additional payments will be made. By way of explanation, the United States Philippine War Damage Commission would like to remind you that the act authorized it to disburse #800,000,000 for the payment of private war damage claims. It received, however, 1,250,000 claims with a claimed value of 2,225,000,000. The act required the Commission to pay in full all claims approved for $1,000 or less and to pay $1,000 on all claims approved for a greater amount. In addition to the 1,000 payment on large claims, the Commission was directed by the act to pay an equal percentage to each claimant of the amount of his claim approved for more than 1,000. Obviously, until all claims were adjudicated, the Commission could not determine the maximum percentage it could distribute, but in May 1949, it decided that on the large claims it could pay the original #1,000 plus 30 percent of the approved amount in excess of 1,000. The first check you received constituted that payment. After all claims were processed some weeks ago, the Commission determined that it could pay an additional 221⁄2 percent of the approved amount in excess of 1,000 on the large claims and not exceed the 800,000,000 of the Philippine Rehabilitation Act. The check that you are receiving now constitutes such payment on your claim. Consequently, you and all other claimants whose claims were approved for more than 1,000 are receiving in payment that sum plus an aggregate of 521⁄2 percent of the approved amount in excess of 1,000. This is less than the statutory maximum of 75 percent fixed by the Rehabilitation Act, but is all that is possible under the P800,000,000 authorization contained in that act. As you perhaps know, all of the money paid by this Commission for private claims was derived from taxes paid by the people of the United States. The payments were unprecedented because at no other time has one nation paid for the war damages of another. They were made because of the long-standing friendship which exists between our two countries. The American people knew of the loyalty of the Filipinos to the United States during the war, and, when independence was granted to the Philippines, they were well aware that this new Republic would require financial assistance because of the devastation of its economy caused by the war. The Commission, which was created by the Rehabilitation Act to disburse these payments, is concluding its work well in advance of the legal deadline fixed by law and at considerably less administrative expense than was authorized by the United States Congress. The Rehabilitation Act was designed to assist in the rehabilitation of the Philippines. The Commission is convinced that the payments it has made to you and others have helped to fulfill this purpose. Its members and staff are proud to have taken part in this accomplishment. FRANK A. HAEING, DEAR SIR: I have the honor to report that by October 16, 1948, Philippine Government had paid me 1 year's salary (P4,500) and 3 months' advance pay (P1,125) or a total of P5,625. The balance of back pay 8,598.72 was to be paid, without interest, within 10 years from June 18, 1948 (10 payments). In 1953, I received the first payment, but I had to give power of attorney to someone in Manila, this had to be notarized, then an O. K. was secured from the clerk of courts. These papers then had to pass through the office of the Philippine consul and a fee paid. When the papers reached Manila, they had to go through another office and a fee paid. The Philippine Government charged 17 percent to change the pesos to dollars and the bank charged 1 percent, so the first payment was greatly reduced. I have received no further payments from the Philippine Government. It is urgently requested that all internees (especially the older ones) be given either a pension or a lump sum from the frozen assets of Japan. My medical form WC-3-B, dated April 8, 1954, stated I am 80 percent disabled and that the disability is permanent. Prognosis: Poor at my age of 76. A medical form can be furnished if desired. Respectfully yours, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, County of San Diego, 88: MABEL R. CARLSON. On April 8, 1954, before me, the undersigned, a notary public in and for said county and state, personally appeared Mabel R. Carlson, known to me to be the person whose name is subscribed to the within instrument and acknowledged that she executed the same. DEAR SIR: It is my understanding that a bill has been or will be presented before the Congress of the United States which will distribute part of the Japanese assets taken over by the United States. The undersigned had an account in the Philippine Trust Co. amounting to $3,071.27 and one in the Bank of the Philippine Islands amounting to P598, both of which were transferred to the Bank of Taiwan and no repayment made. The undersigned also filed a war damage claim for loss on home and personal property amounting to 17,958.00. The War Damage Commission made payment in the amount of P6,998.55. If possible I would like to be reimbursed for these losses, as follows: Philippine Trust Co____ Bank of the Philippine Islands---- Total American equivalent-- P3, 071. 27 598.00 10, 959, 45 $14, 628. 72 $7, 314.36 If approved, please pay to the Wells Fargo Bank & Union Trust Co. for my account. Yours truly, THEO. L. HALL. Subscribed and sworn to before me at Manila, Philippines, on this 30th day of April, 1954, affiant exhibiting to me his residence certificate No. A-0036819, issued at Manila on January 5, 1954. ANTONIO C. CaraG, Notary Public, until December 31, 1955. THE CHAIRMAN, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF., March 30, 1954. House Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee, DEAR SIR: I am taking the liberty of writing you on a subject which is of vital importance, not only to me, but to hundreds of others who are placed in the same position as I am. I am an American ex-internee, and spent 37 months in Santo Tomas and 19 Mabini as a prisoner of the Japanese, which affected my health so badly that I fear I shall never be able to work again and support myself as I did prior to the war. Many of the ailments I am suffering from are incurable and keep reoccurring from time to time. But for the help I have received so far from the War Claims Commission, I don't see how I could possibly have survived. I am asking your help in supporting the legislation that would give us internees the help we so badly need-for loss of health, loss of income and loss of our homes and all we owned. In my case my principal source of income was from my home. I rented, principally to the Navy, small, fully furnished apartments, but in the Battle of Manila, when the Japanese destroyed the city, I lost everything. Not only all I owned, but the means of making a living was taken away from me. It was impossible to get work of any kind, and life was even harder then than it had been in internment. In internment one starved during the closing months of the war but there were no responsibilities. With freedom came responsibilities, and no way of meeting them. The War Damage Commission was a cruel disappointment. For my losses which included a partly furnished house for which I had been offered 8,000, and which brought in a monthly rental of 100, also all the furniture, linens silverware, refrigerators, etc. of 8 small apartments and one three-room bungalow, I received two small checks amounting to P3,838.47 although I had put in a claim for 11,502, which I considered reasonable and a very small return for my losses. The War Damage Commission disallowed #5,095.40, very nearly half of my claim, "for depreciation", which could under ordinary circumstances be taken lightly and termed "utter nonsense" but in the case of one who had lost all, it was simply tragic. The tenant of my house who was a White Russian and an architect by profession, was not allowed to pay me any rent during the occupation, my property having passed into the hands of the Imperial Japanese Government, so he used a great part of it in the upkeep of the house-renovating, painting, repairing, etc. so that the house was really in a far better condition than it had been before. Unfortunately Mr. Kovalew, my tenant, died before the War Damage Commission had been established, but his wife testified on my behalf at the hearings conducted by the Commission, and also submitted an affidavit in support of her evidence. The War Damage Commission had engaged the services of a large group of young Filipino lawyers to investigate American and other claimants. It was not a pleasant situation as some of these men were hard and from their manner gave the impression that they suspected one of not speaking the truth, while others were just the reverse and were real gentlemen. I had my experiences with both. To make matters even harder to bear, I had to appear once again, and give the exact dimensions of the rooms, windows and doors, etc. It seemed so utterly fantastic and uncalled for, that I almost threw up the whole thing. Here was I, a person who had lived in the Philippines for over 40 years-and although I have to say it myself-in very good standing in the community, having to almost beg for something our Government was giving us. While we were going through the ordeal of being investigated and having large amounts deducted from our claims, the War Damage Commission was spending a great deal of money on laying out the grounds of the Commission, as many as four gardeners and a supervisor being employed to look after the lawns and flowers. Besides this, there were guards stationed day and night at all places where any American employee of the War Damage Commission happened to be living. I know this for certain because I knew one family personally and often visited them. One of the guards on duty was a former houseboy of mine, and I often spoke to him. It seemed inexplicable why it should have been at all necessary to have guards to protect ordinary persons just like the rest of us Americans in the Philippines. I don't know whether there was any special appropriation for this but it seemed so unnecessary when there were so many of us so hard-pressed for money to pay the enormous rents being charged for houses and exorbitant prices for food. I paid $200 a month for a place that used to rent for $25 before the war. It had been destroyed by the Japanese, and was rebuilt by the owner with "anything" he could find in the way of materials. It had no ceiling, no windows, just iron grills, making it necessary to hang up thick blankets where there should have been windows in order to keep out the hot sun. There was no such thing as Venetian blinds at that time. In typhoon weather we nearly drowned, and I often feared that the house would collapse. The religious organizations have put in claims for food and medicines supposed to have been supplied to the internees. I never received help of any kind from any religious organization in the Philippines. Neither do I know of any 50190--54--10 |