GOVERNMENT VALUATION OF LANDS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XXXXI, Issue 7054, 25 October 1900, Page 2

GOVERNMENT VALUATION OF LANDS.

Among the more important measures passed by Parliament during the recent session is that dealing with the Government valuation of land. While aware that the most perfect Act ever framed would not meet with unanimous approval, we think we are 'safe in saying that the measure of 1896 was, to put it mildly, meagrely beloved, and that for every one who was satisfied twenty were ready to vow that it was unworkable. The natural results of the imperfections of the Act were grumbling and litigation, and the amendment came none too soon. Formerly the Department had no opportunity of rectifying valuations of portions of a district unless a re-valuation of *" the whole colony was made. A double - system involving two valuations, and the keeping of two rolls, was necessary on account of the fact that some local bodies rate on the capital value of the land and others on the unimproved value. A copy of the Act, as amended, . has not yet reached us, and we have had, therefore, to become indebted to the Wellington Post for the following precis of the measure: Under the new Act it is not necessary to prepare a general valuation roll, and* the distriot rolls may be revised by the ValuerGeneral for taxation purposes at intervals of not less than two years ; and he may during the currency of the rolls correct valuations and bring them up-to-date if they are found to be inaccurate in consequence of any improvements being added to or removed from the land, any change of ownership, any amended valuation being made on the application of the owner, or any land omitted from the roll or erroneous description ; he may also make readjustments, if necessary, in the case of land which is leased. The Assessment Court is to consist of the local Stipendiary Magistrate and two members appointed by the Governor-in-Council, and the decision of the Court is to be final except on points of law, on which appeal may be made to the Supremo Court on the appellant giving security for costs. The - fact that an appeal is pending will not affect the decision of the Assessment Court as to rates and taxes to be levied, but if the valuation is altered on appeal a readjustment will be made and amounts paid in excess refunded. There is also provision for a supplementary roll to be used for the same purposes as the district roll, except as to the assessment of land tax and local rates. The local authority is not allowed to make alterations in its roll without the _ consent of the Valuor-General, and the jj rates levied by the local authority in every year tnust be in accordance with the entries on the roll as corrected from the district roll up to the 31st March next preceding the date of "* levy, and are not to be affected by • any subsequent alteration in the roll during the year. Where the boundaries _ of a district are altered, or a new dis[S trict is constituted, new rolls or alterations in existing rolls may be made by the Valuer-General, who may "also, if he thinks an assessment by the Court is less than the capital value of the at land, require the owner to consent to an s» increase, and, failing auch consent, recommend the acquisition of the land e> by the Crown. On the other hand, if g the owner is dissatisfied with the valuation fixed by the Court, he may apply for a reduction in the capital value, or that the land be ' taken by the Crown, and if the Crown 1 will not take it, the capital value is to be reduced. If there is a dispute as lo the capital value under the above circumstances, it is to be referred to the IB Assessment Court for final decision. Any increases or reductions in value made by - the Valuer-General are to apply to the rolls supplied to the local authorities, and the definitions of capital value, improvements, unimproved value, and value of improvements in the present Act are made to apply to the Bating on " Unimproved Value Act of 1896. NEWS AND NOTES. i On fourth page : Clippings from English filed : i:d an article on " A Doomed Abbey." The health of Sir George Whitmore is at* 3 present causing serious apprehensions to his friends, owing to a stroke of paralysis. The Wellington Post says that Mi' J, H. Lowe, formerly Chief Engineer of Working Bailways in New Zealand, has had two attacks of fever since he entered the mission field in India. ' While experimenting with a fluted, flexible brass tube Edison discovered that, ' by simply blowing through it, dißtinct flute-like tones were obtained. Other tones in an ascending octave were produced by increased pressure of breath. ' This discovery may lead to the manufacture of a new musical instrument. i Apropos of pure milk for invalids, a medical gentleman informed the Christ- ' church Press that a short time ago he was called to attend a little boy suffering from typhoid fever. The child was very thirsty, and the doctor told the mother to give it a drink of milk. The mother at once pulled out from under the bed on which the patient lay a pan of milk, gave the ohild a driuk, and pushed the pan back again. They were dairy farmers. A gentleman going into his stable one day found his little son astride of one of the horses, with a slate and pencil in his hand. "Why, Harry," he exclaimed, " what are you doing ?" " Writing a composition," was the reply. '« Well, "why don't you write it in the library ?" «• Because the teacher told me to write a composition on a horse." Polite literature jn the shape of letters written by some person unknown is going the rounds amongst some of the young men of Kawakawa, Asking them to reform ere it be too late. Some make a laughing matter of this new system of conversion, bat it is evidently done in good faith by the sender, ■ | Major Gibbons, the African traveller, has reached Omdurman. He has had excellent health throughout his prolonged wanderings. The line of route traversed by Major Gibbons covered a distance of 13,000 miles. Among the objects attained were the mapping of Marotseland, 200,000 miles in area, the accomplishment of the first steam navigation of the Middle Zambesi, and the tracing of the whole course of the river, the disoovery of its source, and the determination of its watershed. Thence the route of the expedition was eastward, and by way of the great lakes and the Nile. Major Gibbons' collection includes the skin of a white rhinoceros. " Are you the man who knows it all ?" asked the lean man with the gimlet eyes. "I am the man that answers questions," replied the meek person addressed. "Well, I want to know what are the Chinese equivalents for 'veldt' and 1 kopje. 1 »

A ladies' ball is announced to be held in Auroa Publio Hall on Friday, 2nd t November. 3 The dates for exhibition of sale of worl< i in aid of new Wesleyan Sunday School B should have been advertised yesterday foi 9 14th and 15th November. An old lady named Isabella Paul, resid c ing at Lepperton, near New Plymouth, 1 died suddenly on Tuesday, at 79 years oi r age. An inquest was held on Wednesday when a verdict of death from natura j causes was returned. At the Manchester County Court recently . the Manchester City Council were fined £250 for polluting the ship canal and th< river Mersey by allowing the city's sewer age to flow thereinto. Counsel for the oiti ■ admitted the pollution, and urged the post ponement of the caßje till September, in ordei that the remedial measures might be under taken, but the magistrates refused to gram a further adjournment, and imposed thi t- fine above stated. We print to-day another communioatioi kindly sent us by Mr F. W. Wilkie, o Eaponga, who is on a visit to Great Britait and Europe, and, as a New Zealand farmer is taking special notice of what is doinj abroad. A previous letter dealt witl ■j dairying from an English point of new Z, that now printed deals with the position it Denmark aa it strikes a colonial. Mi Wilkie is returning to New Zealand in j few weeks 1 time via Suez, having been nn able to come by way of the Cape owinj to the difficulty of getting suitable passage A meeting was held last evening t< make arrangements for a reoeption to re turning invalids from South Afrioa t There was a moderate attendance, M: „' Major being in the chair. It was reaolvec 3, to ask the representatives of all loca '' bodies, Mr MoGuire, M.H.8., and al citizens to be present at the station upoi their arrival. It was decided to ask thi Hawera Band and Hawera Mountec _ Bifles to attend. It was not definite!: known wbioh night (either this eveninj F or to-morrow) the men return, but i will be published in the Star when known Those present formed themselves into i committee, with power to add to thei number, Mr Morrison being elected secretary. * tary. It was decided to ask., Mr Taylor ■" who returned some weeks' ago, to b< i- present. [Since the above was written i c wire states that the troopers have arrive* d in Wellington, and they may, therefore, bi i- expected in Hawera to-morrow evening.] S At Gisborne, on Tuesday, a bush-felle t named John Hansen smashed a looking t glass in Argyll Hotel with his fist J and with pieces of the broken glasi t cut his throat, inflicting a severe wound 8 whioh bled profusely. He is expected ti 9 recover. c Mr Thos. Martin, father of Mr Justici i. Martin, died at Christchurch on Monday . aged 65 years. It is not a far-fetched notion tha f Taranaki might be able to furnish to i b South Island dairy school a staff of up I to-date instructors.— Southland News. ? Impey's " May Apple •' is a medioina 1 remedy which has attained considerabl b popularity. An advertisement appears ii I the Star. i W. J. Hill, Manaia, has a number of sma s advertisements in this issue drawin) 9 attention to his stock of boots and shoe,5 Advt.