HUGE DAMAGES

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20832, 16 June 1939, Page 8

HUGE DAMAGES

50,000,000 DOLLARS

TO BE PAID TO AMERICA GERMANY HELD RESPONSIBLE (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received June 16, 3.15 p.m.) WASHINGTON, June 15 The German-American Mixed Claims Commission to-day ruled in favour of the American claims for approximately 50,000,000 dollars damages, arising from the wartime Black Tom and Ivingsland disasters. In the Supreme Court, Mr Justice Owen Roberts, an impartial umpire of the three-man International Tribunal, said he was convinced that German agents had presented fraudulent evidence leading to the Commission’s previous decisions in rejecting the claims. It is believed that this is the first time that the International Tribunal had found a major Power guilty of fraud.

Mr Roberts said he believed that the Commission still had jurisdiction to decide the claims, despite the fact that the German Commissioner, Herr Victor Huecking, resigned on March 1.

Approximately 35,000,000 dollars are held by the United States Treasury as bond for the payment of the award by Germany. The payments will probably be made to individual claimants, regardless of tile German Government’s attitude.