Resettlement_Department_Annual_Report_1956-1957 — Page 26

represents the former owners and to which any former owner may make personal representations. In addition the former owner or his legal tenant is entitled to compensation for the crops. If the land is only on a temporary permit or is Crown land being cultivated without a permit the cultivator is not legally entitled to any compensation. In October 1954, how- ever, it was decided that crop compensation should also be payable as an ex-gratia measure to illegal cultivators because of the virtual impossibility of such persons finding other land to cultivate. Towards the end of the year under review it was decided also to pay an additional special ex-gratia allowance, the amount of which depends on the length of time the cultivator has been in occupation and the area of land cultivated. Cultivators are also offered the choice between two alternative forms of resettlement-either a normal domestic upper floor room or a ground floor room in which to open a shop or some other new line of business.

50. The first step in carrying out a cultivation clearance is for an accurate plan to be made, on the scale of 20 feet to the inch, showing the boundaries and exact areas of each cultivated plot. When this has been completed by the department's Construction Unit it is shown to the cultivators who are asked to identify the various plots in order that the amount of ex-gratia compensation due to each of them may be calculated. The market value of the various crops will then be assessed by the Department of Agriculture. These particulars are obtained by the Screening Section which will also obtain particulars of the type of domestic or shop accommodation required and will finally pay out the ex-gratia compensation about one week before the land is required. The total area of cultivation cleared during 1956/57 was 11 acres for which ex-gratia compensation amount- ing to $154,997 was paid.

51. A summary of the clearance and resettlement operations during the year is attached as an Appendix to this Chapter. It will be noted that of the total of 35,627 persons cleared 26,325 (74 per cent of the total) were cleared in order to free 54.5 acres of land, and 9,302 (26 per cent of the total) were squatter fire victims cleared from temporary huts on streets and pavements. The total number of separate clearances was 71.

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