Valuations and General Correspondence

This series contains 2 textual records and other records.

This series was originally one file and was separated into two folders in the initial accession process. The file contains reports and correspondence from Robert J. McMaster’s research in preparation of the Bird Commission. Working for the Co-operative Committee on Japanese Canadians, McMaster coordinated research efforts into the market value of automobiles, fishing nets, radios, and urban and rural real estate in 1942. Of particular note are a series of updates from Anthony E. Cobus on his progress trying to find appraisers who would testify against the government’s agents. These updates reveal something of British Columbians’ attitudes towards the process of forced sale. McMaster’s inquiries to different property owners, appraisers, the Canadian Bureau of Statistics, Japanese Canadians and the former neighbors provide insight into the CCJC’s strategy in approaching the Bird Commission. This file also includes limited correspondence between McMaster and individual claimants (including Ken Hayashi and S. Tanaka).

R.J. McMaster was a committee member of the Co-operative Committee on Japanese Canadians, while he was employed as an attorney for Campbell, Brazier, Fisher and McMaster Barristers and Solicitors law firm (now Davis & Co.) in Vancouver, BC

The digital copies of the records were acquired by the Landscapes of Injustice Research Collective between 2014 and 2018.