SFCTIONS AT ORAKEI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19062, 6 July 1925, Page 7

SFCTIONS AT ORAKEI.

Sir,--In the Orakd block the Government, or in other words the general public, possesses a fine property, which if properly managed will be a veiy valuable asset not only to Auckland bat to the country at large. One aspect that is at present tsngaging the attention of the public is the method of disposing of the flections. There appear to be two alternatives, either to put them up to public auction or to fix a price and put them up to ballot. 'At present the only indication we have is contained in the : significant fact that the Minister mentioned that the sections would be Bold for about £3OO each. This would indicate the ballot. There is no doubt that if put hip for auction the sections would average consider" ably over £3OO. We may give- the. Government credit for the good intention of enabling purchasers to acquire their sections at a fair price, but what is a fair price. Is it not what they would fetch in the Open market? If a section is worth, say, £6OO, and the Government sells it for £3OO, tho taxpayers are-being penalised to make a present of £3OO of their money to-each fortunate drawer of a section. Further, nothings can prevent the fortunate individual eventually selling his section to one of the penalised taxpayers for £6OO, thus inflicting a further injury on the person who originally preaented him with part of the £3OO. I cannot see that there is any possible justification for the Government sacrificing these profits to enable a favoured section of the population to pocket them. The only fair procedure is to put the seo- , [ tions up for public auction, and thus en- " able the general public (the owners of the property) to reap the full advantage of the sale, in the reduction of taxation. It would only be necessary to prevent individuals or syndicates buying up sco tions for speculation, and this, should surely be possible by a clause requiring a building of a certain value to be erected within a specified time, or some such provision. I would much rather pay the vahn., cf a section to the Government than put an unearned profit into the pocket of some individual.