ASSESSMENT COURT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13171, 8 May 1906, Page 7

ASSESSMENT COURT.

SUBURBAN VALUATIONS.

A sitting of the Assessment Court for Auckland suburbs was held at the Auckland Magistrate's Courthouse yesterday. Mr. B. W. Dyer, S.M., presided, Messrs. E. Bartley and G. L. Peacocke being assessors. Mr. A. J. McGowan was valuation officer-in-charge, and Messrs. B. J. Esain, valuer of Remuera, Taanaki West, Mount Wellington, and Devonport, and Mr. G. W. Hyde, valuer, Northcotc, were also present. REMUERA. . Tho following valuations were sustained, there being no appearance of objectors. Margaret Carr, Vincent Road, capital value £2500; G. Adams, Vincent Road, £200 and £650; Jane E. Jenkins, Green Lane, £950 : Marion E. Robinson, Remuera Road, £500; S. Willoughby, Parade, £350; E. Sale, Brighten Road," £2350; A. Perkins, Sea View Road, £520; J. A. Lamt, Arney Road, £1970; D. Kenealey, Orakei Road, £420, £450, £80, and £750." Reductions: Maty Jane Cawkwell, Remuera Road, £880 to £850. TAMAKI WEST. Valuations sustained', no appearance: J. S. Grahame, St. Heliers, £1300, and £400; Mrs. A. Huxtable, St. Heliers, £160; J. and •E. Wright, St, Heliers. £2500. MOUNT WELLINGTON. Valuation sustained, no appearance : R. Kav, Panmure, £300; W. C. Bankhall, Paiimure, £160; R. J. Hattawuy, Paninure, £80; 1). Stewart. Hamlin's grant, £3340; A. Kay, Hamlin's grant, £3000; I. Wvmer, Hamlin's grant, £7000; T. M. Kav,'Ellerslie, £500; M. Cowley, Ellerslie, £sio; W. H. and R. T. Skinner. Hllerslie, £250 and £2200. NORTHCOTE. Valuations sustained, no appearance: H. H. Hunt, Gladstone Road'. £480; D. Harley,, Takapunai, £120; H. J. Wiltshire, Takapuna, £750; Eliza Melville, Takapuna, £375; Jackson Palmer, Takapuna, £700 amd £250; Lizzie Hatrick, main road, £950; Martha Trounson, Woodside, £1100; J. Collier, Takapuna, £300; G. Wallace, Takapuna, £600; J. L. Molfatt, Takapuna., £500 E. J. Windsor, Beach Road, £270.. DEVONPORT. Mr, Dyer, addressing Devonpoit objectors, remarked that they appeared to.forget, supposing the unimproved value were doubled, that the rates struck by the local authority would be struck so ais to produce the amounts required, and, therefore, a ratepayer would only pay the same amount, notwithstanding the unimproved value was doubled. Jas. E. Hall objected to the aissessment of his property at Albert Road. It was, he said, approached by a 14ft way, which was very steep. Mr. Esam said the site was a magnificent one, and the unimproved assessment of £275 was by no means excessive. It had a magnificent view. Mr. Hall said the property had declined rather than increased in value during the past three years. The Court sustained the capital valuation of £900, but reduced the unimproved value by £35—from £275 to £240— the value of improvements to £660. Ernest Hope Peel, Vauxhall Road, objected to the capital valuation of his property at £375. He admitted that if be wanted to sell it lie would require £500 for the property, but he would not sell if at all. It's value had, if anything, declined, as a. proposal to connect it with the drainage system had not matured. The Court sustained the valuation. Mr. Peel: Is there any. appeal against this Court'' The Magistrate: You can take it. to the Supreme Court on a point of law, but not on a point of fact. "Archibald Buchanan objected to the capital valuation of £1630 of property of W. Buchanan's estate in Grey-street. It assumed the land to be worth £8 10s per foot, which was excessive. Land near this particular dot, and in some respects better situated, was not salable at £6 per foot. He thought £6 per foot was a fair valuation for rating purposes. Mr. Esam said the site in question was singularly well placed, with the sea in front .and the Domain at the back. He had no hesitation in expressing the opinion that there would be no difficulty in getting £8 a. foot for this land. Mr. Buchanan, said properties in Beach Road were worth £15 a foot 20 years ago, but now there was a difficulty in getting £6 a foot for it. Who was going to take property at Devonport, added Mr. Buchanan, when land is to be got within 25 minutes of Queen-street by the.'."electric trams? -Tho land might be worth the valuation lor a, shop site, but nut £8 per foot for ..residential purposes. Mr; Williamson deposed that the property -was worth £1050, not £1650, as assessed. Mr. Esam said he did not place much reliance upon the old valuations at Devonport. Mr. Dyer: People seomed to have got off pretty cheaply. Mr. McGowan: I believe they did. "-Mr. Dyer: I hear people say. that the whole of the colony is .ridiculously undervalued. The Court reduced the valuation from £1630 to £1250.

'J'. J. Dueler objected to the valuation of property in Church-street, of the capital value of £550; this was sustained. Mr. Duder also considered the valuation of his property in Beach Road, 76i't by 120 ft, too high. The Court, reduced (lie unimproved valuation from £304 to £266, the capital value being reduced from £440 to £402. The same owner's lot, 50ft by 140 ft, in. Beach .Road, containing the hotel, was raised by the Court from a capital value of £2500 to £2800, the unimproved value being reduced from £1001.' to £800; bub the improvements raised from £1500 to £2000.

Isabella. Ford, through her husband, E. Ford, objected to £1540 capital vahia. tion of property in Grey-street. Mr. Ford said the property was not of thfl value set down, because thero was a, public school next, door, a short cut close by, and then the house was near the fort, hi that when tho big guns were fired things fell down in the'house and. broke. The Court reduced the capital valuation from £1540 to £1500, taking £40 off the unimproved value. Mary Harvey, Clarence-street, capital value 1500. The Court reduced the unimproved value from £700 to £600, but increased the value of improvements from £800 to £900. l

Arch. Noble, Clarence-street, capital value £650. The Court reduced the tinimproved value from £350 to £300, and the : improvements were raised from £300 to £350.

Valuations Sustained: Johnston and Noble, Victoria, and Clarence Streets, £2700; M. A. Fulljames, Owen's Road, £460; S. Fulljames, Owen's Road, £415. Valuations sustained (no appearance): W. M. Harris, Vauxhall Road, £380; W. Chitham, Albert Road, £380; J. R. Gascome, Vauxhall Road, £750; A. Clark, Owen's Road, £680; J. Veats, Albert Road, £220; A. Elkin, Cheltenham Beach, £245; Devonporb Steam Ferry Company, Beach Road, £245; W. J. W. Plnlson, Beach Road, £2700; C. H. Young, Jubilee Avenue, £600; J. Dunning, Victoria Road, £750; W. H. Francis, Clarence-street, £260; - : N. R. Dunning, Victoria-street, £720; W. and C. Fogarty, Victoria and Clarence Streets, £850; E. White, Beach Road, £14,200; E. Potter, Beach Road, £1040; . E. Fuller, . Beach Road, £820; Elizabeth. Brown, Clarence-street, £1500; Amelia Ilott, Beach Road, £600; J. Mallet, Victoria Road, £670; M. E. Moore, Victoria Road, £420; J. W. Houghton, Alison Avenue, £370; Mrs. C. T. Y. Bertram, Albert-street, £340; Matilda Beere, Church-street, £370'; H. S. Brabant, Kerr'street, £560; J. E. Hall, Church street, £370; Devonport Steam" Ferry, Beach Road, £580; A. Brown, Beach Road, £1020; Jane Cardno, Cheltenham Beach, £1210 and £365; H. J. Jull, Williamstreet, £150, £425, £310, and £370. Reductions were made by the Court as follows: —J. R. Gascoigne, Jubilee* Avenue, £490 to £400; G. E. Harnett, Highstreet, capital value £470, . unimproved value reduced from £200 to £157;Jennett Dueler, Victoria Road, capital value £560, unimproved " value reduced from £235 to £211, and the value of improvements raised from £325 to £335 Ml Laws, Victoria Road, capital value £520, unimproved value reduced from £220 to £211 ;,'■ A.

Henderson, Victoria . Road, capital value £480, unimproved value reduced fr™ l ™" to £211; W. T. Duder, Victoria - Bo.ad„ capital value £665, unimproved value reduced from £235 to £211. , , Reductions made by the; valuer^ Mar'mini Gk>ldie, Cheltenham and lainui Roads, £920 to £860; Archibald Buchanan Beach Road, £1000 to £990, £1050 to £1030 £1100 to £1040, unimproved value-w os per foot. - . The Court adjourned until ten a.m. today. ■