LAND VALUATION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 19 August 1933, Page 7

LAND VALUATION

AN AMENDMENT MINISTER’S STATEMENT PREVENTION OF INDIVIDUAL ADVANTAGE Stating that he recognised the existing inequalities arising out of Sections 45 and 50 of the Land Valuation Act and that these provisions were being abused, the Minister of Lands (the Hon. E. A. Ransom), replying to a Timaru Borough Council deputation announced his intention of introducing a Bill which he had had prepared for two years, moditied to meet present conditions, to amend these clauses (reports the Christchurch “Times” correspondent). The Mayor (Mr T. W. Satterthwaite) said the council had applied for a revaluation in 1931 hut the Valuer-Gen-eral had notified that this could only be done for the 1935-30 rating year. Stressing the unfair advantage gained by individual ratepayers who had special valuations under Section 50, he asked for the introduction of legislation amending this clause and preventing individuals from applying for revaluation after a local body had lodged its application for revaluation. The Minister said it might be necessary to make the amendments retrospective in cases where individuals had secured revaluations from certain dates for next year’s rating. He discounted the idea of putting on temporary valuers.

CROWN TENANTS’ REQUESTS The Minister later was interviewed by a large gathering of the Crown Tenants’ Association presided over by Mr D. C. Kidd. The association urged closer co-operation between the Lands and State Advances Departments, the introduction of a more flexible system of budgets and the necessity of establishing a demonstration farm on the foothills country. ; Replying to the first proposal the Minister said he was doubtful of the value of amalgamation and stated that co-operation was being developed by many departments in the administration’of the Small Farms Board. A suggestion that no assistance was being given settlers in remissions by the Advances Department was not quite correct, although the measure was not so generous as was desirable on account of the hard times.

To the second request the Minister replied that the budgets were necessary for tlie protection of the interests of the tenants themselves. He did not consider that'soldier settlers should be specially represented on the Land Board, which was concerned equally with the interests of all Crown tenants. He did not consider it in the interests of soldier settlers that they should be treated as a class apart from other Crown tenants.

Regarding a demonstration farm the Minister said ho would consider placing a practical farmer owning a plant on a block of abandoned land rent free for a' period and assisting him with materials, provided lie would .work to a‘programme. He also promised consideration of the question of reclassification of marginal lands.