River Property Valuation

Manawatu Times, Volume 65, Issue 229, 27 September 1940, Page 3

River Property Valuation

PROBLEM FOR ASSESSMENT COURT After making a number of minor adjustments to the valuations of certain properties yesterday the Assessment Court sitting in Feilding was requested to consider the case of John Higgin who owns certain property on tho Oroua River off Symonds Street, Feilding. Counsel for the objector (Mr. C. E. Taylor) said that tho situation was very difficult to clearly define and he had requested Mr. Higgin to put down on paper the area of land he considered he occupied.

The objector, giving evidence, stated that he had. lived on the property for many years and while there were several sections involved, he did not have the laud which the Department had assessed him for. He knew that one section had eroded to the tune of an acre a year and of that section there was about 121 acres left. He considered that he was only entitled to be as-

sessed for about. 51 acres although he admitted farming acretion which, was uot in the borough'. The figures as to area approximated those shown iu the new assessments but Mr. D. P. Varcoe said that an error had been made and that actually the objector was concerned with approximately 97 acres.

Mr. Taylor stated that the rates upon the new assessment for approximately 51 acres amounted to over £IOO. The chairman (Mr. A. A. McLauchlan) remarked that this appeared to be unduly high for the land which was subject to flooding.

In answer to the Court, Mr. Higgin said that he was prepared to accept a little more than half of what he had been assessed for the property.

The Court adjourned when the chairman announced that it could uot proceed very much further when there was a difference as to mo actual area affected. The assessment showed that the area was about 51 acres and with this the objector agreed, but Mr. Varcoe stated that the Department considered that theer were 97 acres. The Court could not arrive at any assessment under the circumstances and would like to know whether the case was not one wherein the Valuation should be sustained and, the property offered to the Crown.

The Court adjourned to enable the parties to consider the position and on resuming the chairman announced an agreement had been reached whereby the objector had accepted a reduction of about one-third in the unimproved value of the property.