CITY LEASES

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2128, 21 April 1914, Page 11

CITY LEASES

THE PROBLEM OF VALUATION.' Valuation of the city leaseholds was a subject raised at the messting of ike City Council last evening by Councillor A'. H. Hindmafsh. Be said that lie understood that if the present stood and airftiter valuations Were made the council woulaVlese , ahOiit £12,000 a ysar, '■. •. ■ ■ '. Ccrtineiljor Lwekts: Not lose; it was over-estimates! last year-. " • : Ctoutipillor Hindmarrfi said that tie position was serioiis. Tlie council employed a very experienced man to make the Valuation —a man employed, by the Gotfefnttietit. and even tenants., h& was told, ifid.offefed-in some cases nearly twies as much fls ibi valuators had afterwards was a most extfaot* dirnjry ut&te of things. Councillor Luckie:. "Without prejudiee. Couneillpir Bindmarah Said tM> /this was a. very serious matter, and it seemed to him that it was a very great Reflection upon tie business men of 'Wellington tjiat the Wellington Cit-y Council foitfid strcli an extreme ■ difficulty in selecting men it could trust t<3 make these valtiatiotoSi It jiiight seem to be a sweeping thing to say, lint it was .a fact thati it was a. most difficult thing to , find a ftian TThoin the <x>uncil could , tharoiiglw h> trust to "make these valuations..' JJe didWtsay that t%is was due fe die-. nones : t£-. -Plenty of • meft • we- ■feneftt enougjii but thflre.irss a strong hia-s iii favour of the iiidivWual as against:. a■. publse body. l -Tlie .only tWjiR lie could ; vras .feftt the la,* shWrd b<J so, ■aitere<l that. &b v.a.luatiens might bo fiseij' by a judge of the Supreme Court, assisted by .assessors. ■ Councillor lAiekie said that-tlie matter Taieed was already is t-l»o hands of ■a. ssl#M committee., whi?h hoped to report in time to enable the council k> take action iifrxt-session.. C&uncillor Histon *at Couficillor Hin/lniarsh slvould make before th« special committee fte -.eloquent, statepenfc'he had made befete the council that, eveainpr. . The Mayor said that the special com-mittee-would go-thoroughly into tiio mattei-. ~...„,,.„...,,,