UNIMPROVED VALUE RATING.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 143, 20 June 1927, Page 6

UNIMPROVED VALUE RATING.

Your correspondent, "Lover of Takapunt," is hard-pressed for arguments against tha system of rating on the unimproved vain* which is being so rapidly adopted in tie suburbs of Auckland. People are not to easily frightened by name-calling as they used to be, and to bawl out "Single tax! 0 and "Land nationalisation!" or even "Wolf!" aad "Crank!" is not having the effect it had ia the days when the system was on trial. I write, however, to refute a definite misstatement of your correspondent. An ounea of fact is worth a ton of fiction. ''Lover of Takapuna" refers to some of the Auckland districts that live under the new system and says that Onehunga "cannot raise any life," that Its ratable value "decreases." Tnew statements are so ridiculous that they an hardly worth while giving an emphatic denial. I am a resident of Epsom-Onehunga, a property-owner and ratepayer of the borough. In the last three years a vacant section of mine has risen in value on Government vain** tion from £600 to £1100, and I am perfectly satisfied to pay a rate of £26 per annum as against £4 per annum under the old system. I voted for the change. The Gμ buildings at present being constructed » Queen Street, Onehunga, not to mention unprecedented expansion in the suburban and residential parts, simply make the "Lover of Takapune" look silly. I will leave the other places concerned to speak for themselves, but what reliance can the voters of Taktpun* place on the arguments of this anonynioui scribe in face of the definite - informatioa above mentioned ? Further, if the new rating system has had a disastrous effect on the fortunes of the rapidly increasing number of districts that are adopting it, why do they not rerert to capital rating, which they a» at liberty to do? I have not the slightest doubt that Takapuna will carry the poll, «• Onehunga\s nearest neighbours, Mount Roskttl and Momnt Albert have done, and will never regret it, G. HENRY.