RATING TIMBER LANDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19512, 16 December 1926, Page 16

RATING TIMBER LANDS.

COUNTY COUNCILS' PROBLEM. • PERMANENT BASIS SOUGHT. EXEMPTION CONSIDERED UNFAIR. [ST' TELEGRAPH,--OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] HAMILTON, Wednesday. The difficult . problem confronting Bounty councils as the result of the prospect of timber-bearing lands being exempted from paying local body rates was discussed at a conference of 'the Rural Counties' Association, representing the counties situated in the cjjntre-.cf the North Island, held in Hamilton to-day. Mr. G. A. Stanton, Taumarunui, ivyho presided, said that many counties in which were situated large areas of timber land were vitally interested in the matter) because in losing rates on timber lands an additional burden was placed on farm land. The conference was convened as the result of these timber lands having been removed from the valuation rolils by an Appeal Court decision in the case of the.Waitomo County; Council versus Ellis and Burnand, Ltd. The county councils desired to be in a position to rate timberbearing land permanently, ' A. circular was received from the' Saw' millers' Association giving reasons why timber-bearing land should not be subject to local botlv rating. Review oi the Position. The chairman said the problem con-» fronting counties in respect of standing timber within their boundaries wets an important, one. When the Land Act was amended,, standing timber was treated as part of the land and was liable fororates. This condition was thought, to obtain until the decision of; the Court of Appeal last year, when it was declared that the 1912 amendment removed timber from rating. The original Act exempted plantations of native timber up to 25 acres for preservation purposes. The clear intention of Parliament must have been apparent when the omission of the stipulation restricting' the area to 25 acres was not noticed for 14 years by those directly concerned. When the Court of Appeal's decision was announced, the counties nmde representations to the Minister of Lands and the matter was considered by the Cabinet, which regarded the position as being fraught with difficulties. A promise was made that the revenue of the counties -would not suffer, continued Mr. Stanton, and the rating of timber was'placed on the same basis as previously, but for one year only. The counties' object was to make that basis permanent. Ah effort was being made by the sawmillers to protect the industry. The equity of the position should be examined with a view to reinstating timber taxation. The Sawmillers' Association had given many reasons why their timber should be exempted from taxation, but these objections were .purely ex parte and could not be accepted by the counties as being -souncL ■ ; Services by Local Bodies. Mr. Stanton said native timber was in the ;same position as land. It was a provision .of nature, and had not t been created by cultivation. The. rich" swafrip lands of the farmer were similar, and the timber land was much more valuable than the fern country, which was taxed. The local bodies were called upon to provide services for the .sawmilling industry, roads, had to be maintained, and hospital levies had. to be maintained; When sawmfillers.. were faced with competition they sought.,'- tariff, protection., but when the farmfr was : . faced with the same position he' was told to adopt better farming methods. , *' If the sawmilling interests were exempted from taxation, a heavier burder: would be placed on the farming -com? munity. A member stated that the sawmillers i Viad experienced great difficulties lately 16 to the importations of foreign timber Br 4 i to the harshness of building by-laws, wlVfh prevented t.hem from disposing of quantities' of second-class timber. Tftichairman said no meeting of farmers? c& Pl 4 support an increased tariff' on jmporo 'd timber which would result in J the iiiWfcieaises in the price of local timber- bnV the farmers could support the Eawrnillen-? * n their desire to obtain, relief' agsinl t the prohibitive building bylaws the t excessive royalties imposed on Crown timK ?>' and the excessive railway freights for, * the carriage of timber. Tne chairnH'" moved that "this corifer-ence-of the Counties' Association supports tany action that might be taken "tv'.+ta rminties £.concerned to sustain timber rating purposes, am) tbat the associations case be circularised among the counties. concerned. 1 ' The imA 'On was carried. It •eras also resolved "t<V* s conference between the Rural CbiVities _ .Association and : the Sawmillers' AA'ociation be converted with a view to coring amicable settlement of the, difficulty.