COUNTRY LAND VALUES

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 256, 28 July 1927, Page 10

COUNTRY LAND VALUES

REVISION URGED EMPLOYMENT OF PERMANENT OFFICERS The laying on the table of the House yesterday of a paper dealing with the Valuation Department afforded members an opportunity of discussing the burning question of valuations,. and full ad*.antage was taken of it. the Minister of Lands (Hom IY. D McLeod), admitted that am overhaul was needed. Mr. G. W. Forbes (Leader of the Nationalist Party) said the opinion in the country districts was that tiie valuations generally should now be reviewed. Mr.'H. M. Campbell (Hawke’s Bay) endorsed this statement. The Hon. D. Buddo (Kaiapoi) emphasised the need of revaluing the country lands bordering on city areas, as the present valuations were, “out of joint.” Mr. J. A. Nash (Palmerston) asked if any action had been taken by the Government regarding the cases of soldier settlers whose valuations had been reviewed by the board. Xt \yas high time'.there was a general revaluation, as many of the country lands had been valued during the boom period Mr. M. J. Savage (Auckland West) held that the sooner there was a general revaluation the better it would. be for the Dominion as a whole. Mr. J. C. Rolleston (Waitomo) emphasised the necessity for the general overhaul of country values. There should be a right of. appeal in the case of the freehold Native lands. Mr. J. A. Lee (Auckland East) said the Gisborne purchase was an instate where the ■ valuation should have been reviewed before the transaction was entered into. Mr. W. S. Glenn (Rangitikei) said that at one time a first mortgage on land was looked on as a gilt-edged security. What was wanted was. a stocktaking of the whole country. The Government might make a start with the deteriorated areas. ‘ Mr. W. A. Veitch (Wanganui) suggested that;. there must be something wrong with the advice given the Minister of Lands respecting the purchase of lands for settlement, in view of the failure, of the policy of land purchase in certain instances." Valuations might be based on an average value of the produce spread over a number of years. The Valuation” Department was functioning as well .as it could . under present conditions. Mr. T-. W. Rhodes (Thames) suggested that the Department should avail itself of local knowledge in valuing properties. . The Minister of Lands (Hon. A. D. McLeod) : Local men have been responsible for the high values in the past. Mr. T. M. Wilford (Hutt) stated that the Minister, in acceding to the request for a general revaluation, had to consider the effect, not on the people hblding second mortgages, but on those people-in the towns who in..the past had been keen on lending their money on what was ■ considered -.-the best of "security—the land. “A Good Purchase.” Mr. W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne) mentioned the purchase of the Te Wera block, Gisborne, which was a good purchase. The"'..area comprised 10,000 acres of good land, and the average cost was about £6 an acre. The State had got the land at about the value of the improvements, a good deal altogether. The whole cause of the trouble was not the, price paid for the land, but the unsettled state of the meat .market. Mr. H. G. Dickie- j (Patea) said that with more frequeilt valuations the values",would spar up and down to a worse extent than "at present, and, things would be still more difficult for the settlers. Mr.. D. Jones (Ellesmere) combated a statement by the member for Gisborne that meat prices had fallen by "one-half -in . Gisborne district. Smithfield prices 'to-day were only one penny per pound'less than formerly for New Zealand meat. The statements of the member were quite erroneous. They were damaging to the Dominion, and it was regrettable they had been' made. He (Mr. Jones) recognised the need of getting back to stable values, but that could not be, done by revaluing the land. Mr. R. W. Smith (Waimarino) supported the suggestion that people purchasing Native lands should have the right to appeal against the valuation if necessary. Mr. W. H. Field (Otaki) held that\ the Government valuers did not go> about their work in the right way, being -disposed to fix values at the fancy prices which land may have fetched in one or two cases in the near vicinity. Minister’s Reply. Replying to the ‘debate, the Minister in charge of the Valuation Department (Hon. A. D. McLeod) said that the full facts would be placed on record regarding the Te Wera purchase. Inuendoes had been cast by the member for Auckland East on the -subject, and he could not absolve the member for Wanganui from the same charge. Dealing with the question of valuations, the Minister said that a full revaluation and overhaul of the land values of. the whole country was badly required. Statements had been made in the past, and echoed, and re-echoed, that lands were escaping their full share of taxation bv reason of gross under-valua-tions. When an attempt was made to meet the position by a general valuation—about one-half the counties were

revalued between 1918 and 1921—values were put on that could not be justified. Mr. R. W. Smith: And they are still on. The Minister: “They are still on. But who put them on? In nine cases out of ten they were not put on by the permanent valuers of the Department, but by local men called in from' outside, because it was impossible for the permanent officers to do. the work.” Unfortunately too much was attempted, and in many cases the greatest optimists were the local valuers, especially in regard to the purchases for soldier settlements. The values had been forced up notwithstanding that sensible x men had given warning as to the height the prices were getting to. Wellington City’s Case. “I have endeavoured,” said the Minister, “to have some system evolved whereby we shall employ as few outside valuers as possible. I believe valuers should be permanently in the Department.” A valuation to be complete required to be close. As manj of the counties as possible were being taken up, and no doubt more officers would have to be brought into the Department. Requests had been received for a revaluation in Wellington, in view of the new system of rating, and he had been informed : by his expert officer that with eight'or ten officers that work could be done in fifteen months’ time. .Regarding deteriorated lands, the Minister admitted that the work had been slow, but said that if members knew what was involved they would see the necessity of extreme care being exercised. The paper was ordered to be printed.

TO-DAY’S BUSINESS SOME IMPORTANT MEA- \ SURES The business to be dealt with by the House of Representatives to-day was indicated by the Prime Minister (Right Hon. J. G. Coates) prior to the adjournment last night; Mr. Coates said the. House would deal with the two Agricultural College Bills, the Rent Restriction Continuance Bill, and the Imprest Supply Bill, No. 2. Regarding the order of the business, the Prime Minister suggested that the measures dealing, with the agricultural subjects be taken first. Negotiations had to be completed with interests out of Wellington, and payments made by the end of the month, and, in addition, the Bills had to be passed by the Legislative Council. The rent restriction measure could be dealt with by the Upper House on Friday or Saturday, arrangements having been made to that end.

SAMOA ACT OVERHAUL NEXT SESSION An overhaul of the Samoa Act next session was foreshadowed by the Prime Minister (Right Hon. J. G. Coates) in the House of Representatives yesterday morning, when replying to a suggestion of the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. H. E. Holland) that the amending Bill before the House should include a provision making members of the High Court of Samoa ineligible for elec--tion or appointment to the Samoan Legislative Council. Mr. Coates said it was quite obvious that several amendments to the Act would have to be made, and legislation. on the subject would be placed before Parliament next session. It would not' only concern the case mentioned .by the Leader of the Opposition; an overhaul would be made. licensing Legislation A GOVERNMENT PROBLEM. Referring in the House last night to the licensing question, Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central) maintained that the Amending, Bill should be brought down by the Government in a responsible way. Ou important matters like that there should be no subterfuge, and the Government ought to face * responsibilities. Mr. J. Mason (Napier): Do you say licensing should be a party measure ? Mr. Fraser said the democratic method of enabling the people to decide a question such as licensing was a Government problem. INCREASE OF GOITRE Mr. J. Mason (Napier) yesterday gave notice to ask the Government whether, in view of the prevalence of goitre, and its increase, they would introduce legislation to amend the Food and Drugs Act making it an ■. offence to sell salt for household use other than as iodised salt, as the' lattef was recognised by medical men as a preventive of goitre. The Juries Amendment Bill No. 2, which has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Mr. H. G. R. Mason (Eden), has for one of its objects the definition in more clear terms of the rights o< litigants to special juries. It also seeks to restore the right to trial by jury in all civil cases as obtained before a recent ruling of the Court confined juries to cases, of pure tort.