RATING ON LAND VALUES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12427, 16 February 1901, Page 2

RATING ON LAND VALUES.

WHAT HAS BEEX DONE. Two requisitions were presented yesterday, under the Rating on Unimproved Land Value Act- asking for a poll to be taken ‘with a view to the adoption of the measure. One of these was to- the Mayor of Sydenham, containing about 340 -signatures, and the other to the Chairman of the Spreydon Road Board containing upwards of 70 signatures. Air H. G. Ell, who has been taking an active interest in bringing this system of rating into operation, has circulated petitions praying for the adoption of the Act in the boroughs of. Sumner and Linwood, and a short time hack, forwarded several forms to Caversham and Ashburton. The system is .in operation in Cheviot County, where it was adopted by 165 votes to 41. In 1898 a poll was taken, in Wannabe borough, when 100 voted in favour and 16 against the proposal,' but the majority failed to realise their wishes because the law then required that onethird of the ratepayers must- vote, to make a valid poll. This disability is now- removed by the- Local Government Voting Reform Act, under which a majority of those voting can adopt the Act. A few months ago the borough of Waimate took another poll,. when the number voting in its favour was considerably increased, and the Waimate County has also adopted the Act. A vote was taken in Timaru, but the proposal was rejected by a substantial majority, as was also one .in Woolstou. A poll was taken in Sumner about three years ago, but it failed in consequence of less than a third of the ratepayers recordlire' their votes. The proposal suffered the same fate in Spreydon, though 51 ratepayers voted in favour, and only 8 against the adoption of the Act.