COMPENSATION CLAIM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 142, 18 June 1930, Page 8

COMPENSATION CLAIM.

» PROPERTY AT PANMURE. EFFECT OF POWER LINE. SUBDIVISION SCHEME. Further evidence was heard by a Compensation Court to-day in a claim for £3820 brought by James Donald, wool broker, of Auckland (Mr. Leary), against the Public Works Department (Mr. Meredith), in respect of* a property of 50 acres at Panmure affected by the construction of high-tension electric power lines. Mr. Justice Gstler presided, and Mr. John Alexander (for the, Crown) and Mr. J. B. Paterson (for the claimant) 6at with him as assessors. Under the claim £1200 Was sought as compensation for 4J acres of land taken by the Department, £720 for injurious effects upon the balance of the property, and £1900 for diminution in value of the balance on account of the electric transmission line. Certain valuable features of the 50-acre area, from a town planning viewpoint, . were spoiled by the loss of the strip taken by the power transmission line, said Ralph Palliser Worley, civil engineer and surveyor. He added that formerly the property was. ideal for subdivisional purposes. In the original subdivisional plan there was provision for 84 chains of new roads, which would have cost £100 a chain. By an alternative scheme adopted later 25 sections were lost, but only 63 chains of new road were, required. Tho whole 50 acres were valued at £175 an acre by Thomas B." Arthur, land agent and valuer, who said the part taken by the Public Works Department should realise £250 an acre, because of its special advantages. The alternative subdivisional scheme gave a return, after meeting costs, of £3288 less than the original scheme. Witness admitted, under crossexamination by Mr. Meredith, that he would hesitate to-day to advise anyone to put money into the property for re-sale, as a subdivision. At an average of £150 a section, he considered the sale of sections would be reasonably well forward in 12 months. In 1926 the property had good prospects as an area for subdivision. Sales at Tamaki Heights. .Sales of other estates in the Tamaki district were dealt with in the evidence of A. A. Coates, solicitor, who said that 150 sections out of 700 in the Tamaki Heights subdivision had been sold at an average of £375 a section; end, in the Tamaki Gardens estate, 200 had been sold out of 350, at an average of £300. Opening the case for the Public Works Department, Mr. Meredith commented upon the fact that the claimant had not given evidence in support of his claim. The Department completed its power line during August, 1927, and the first information that a claim would be made for compensation was not received until October, 1928. Any claim on account of poles arid power was therefore barred because of the lapse of more than twelve months. (Proceeding.)