VALUATION OF LAND.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20918, 27 July 1933, Page 8

VALUATION OF LAND.

♦ RIGHTS OF OBJECTORS. LAW TO BE AMENDED. ±TXS3 ASSOCIATION' 'J K-KuKA X.) WELLINGTON, July 26. Speai.ing at the luncheon tendered to-day to the delegates to the annual conference of the New Zealand Counties' Association, the Minister for Lands (the Hon. E. A. Ransom) said that it had been suggested that the Government should hold itself liable to county councils for the indebtedness of occupying Crown lands. If the Government adopted that course the money would have to be found by the Consolidated Fund, which would involve extra taxation. Mr Ransom said that strong representations had been made for a Revaluation of farm land. If he believed that a revaluation would place the industry on a sound footing it would not take him long to place legislation before the Cabinet, but he knew perfectly well that if a revaluation did take place county councils would immediately strike a higher rate in order to carry on their affairs, and the individual farmer would be no better off so far as his indebtedness to local bodies was concerned. _ Mr Ransom said that under the Valuation of Land Act, 1925, property owners could obtain a special valuation of their properties, on failing to obtain a value whicn was low enough in their estimation, they could offer the property to the Government at its own valuation, the Government did not purchase the property at that value it had to reduce the value for rating purposes to that figure. The question of amending those sections, said P.Li Ransom, had been exercising the mind of the Government for some time, and it had been decided to proceed with the amendment during the coming session of Parliament.