VALUATIONS OF RURAL LANDS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 519, 28 May 1909, Page 5

VALUATIONS OF RURAL LANDS.

:■'.;•■; ,'-.".:„.'■""'♦.'",.. '~' a"'' •.,'"■"-. STRONG WORD OF PROTEST, .''■'■' lßT TBLKOEiPK—FKESS ASSOCIATION.) '■'■.■ , . ■ '■; Auckland, May 27. ' During the course of his presidential address this, morning at tho Farmers' Union Conference, Mr.; Allen Bell '(president) said that, one very important work that had ,beeii continued by, this executive' during tho past year had beon the agitation for reform in the present system of assessing land values. Ho regrotted-to have to report"that the latest returns showed that the valuations'of rural lands made; by 'the Government were still boing' rushed, up at an alarming rate...' The i proscnt financial and tho accompanying probable decrease in land values were totally disregarded,-and the abnormal booming of the past'few .years went on merrily. ."' , The annual 'increase, in : the unimproved value.now reached the large amount of over 12 million pounds per year on the unimproved value. This enormous increaao wasmadoto .'the detriment of the farmer, and to the bftnefit: of the land boomers and speculators. Ho was convinced that, the very worst thing that.coulil happen,to them as a farming community was'this unwarranted inflation Of ' land values. ;.' "In my official capacity," he continued, "I havd conducted the agitation against tho' present system, and, as a result of meetings held, a largo number of objections have been lodged and a .solicitor employed to fight the cases, at the Assessment Court, and I' feci certain that, .if wo stand Bolidly proparcd to fight to:a fmith, wo can, in tho near future, bring about this innoli-noeded reform.' It is a significant' fact that, since tho agitation started,'tho valuer lias again visited the objectors,, and, in somo cases I believe,' out down his former'valuation by SO per cent. ;.'!ln my last forecast, I sounded a note'of warning against the.creation of higli ] an {[ values. I-would again do so, for, .although the suggestion'may, at tho timo, be' unpopular with a largo number of farmers, tho day will assuredly come when-the bona fide farmer will curse those who'assisted in their creation, not only: to tho detriment of uimself,..but t»«Terjj sootion of the ccnwaunibi."-