URBAN LANDS.

Auckland Star, 2 September 1933, Page 11

URBAN LANDS.

FARM RATING ACT. ASSESSMENT COURT'S WORK. REVIEW BY MINISTER. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Friday. In reviewing the work of administering the Urban Farm Land Eating Act of last year, the Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. J. A. Young, stated: to-day that a large number of local authorities had been engaged in • the preparation of farm land lists for their respective districts, and it was apparent, that in a number of cases the local authorities' decisions were not acceptable to farmers seeking relief. "Consequently," said the Minister, "it has been necessary to establish several Assessment Courts, and a number of others are in process of being set up. Up to the present an Assessment Court has been appointed for eight boroughs and one road district, and those at present under consideration comprise eight.boroughs and one town district. "In order to remove a certain.misapprehension which seems to have arisen, it is appropriate to mention that the special ratable- values inserted in. the farm'land lists are not to be'regarded as being the valuations of the properties concerned. The ordinary values, as contained in the valuation roll, are still retained as the values of the properties for. all purposes except the assessment of municipal rates. "The Urban Farm Land Rating Act is not a valuation measure, but rather its object is to try to assess a fair rating liability for the farms to bear, having regard to the limited scope to which ordinary municipal services are available to these properties. It.is possible to decide this measure of relief by means other than resorting to the valuation entries, but on a careful examination of the position it was found that other means might be unduly cumbersome, and the method adopted under the' Act was preferred on account of its simplicity. "It should also .be mentioned that while farming properties of less than three acres are not included in a farm land list when it is first prepared, there are special provisions in the Act enabling this class of property also to be considered for special relief from excessive rates."