LAND SALES

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25299, 5 September 1945, Page 8

LAND SALES

OPERATION OP ACT '

AUCKLAND TRANSACTIONS^ (S.R.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday ! "The Land Sales Act has not had"' ' the efleet of discouraging people from entering into contracts for the sale and purchase of land and it has brought no restraint upon the property market" states the annual report of the Lands and Survey Department for the y ear 'ended March 31, which wa ß tabled i n the House of Representatives todav The report contains a summary of the first, full year's operations under the Act and mentions delays which hare been experienced in Auckland. "During the 12 months the operation | of the Land Sale:? Act has reduced p Ur _ chase prices throughout New Zealand by £850,555," says the report. "This k the total reduction ordered by the variout land sales commit lees throughout New Zealand. Jn 6776 applications in the Auckland area the committees ordered a reduction in the purchase price in 2479 cases, the total value of j the reductions being £372,038." ; Volume of Sales j In support of the statement that the j Act has not-restrained the 'propertf* j market, it is stated that in the three j years immediately preceding the enactment of this legislation there was an average of 28,201 transfers of land registered annually. These were cla«; fied as 22,947 urban and 5254 rural" During the 12 months ended March 31* when the Act operated, :17,03S applications were received, of which 32 077 concerned town and 4961, country p ro . perties. "The 15 land sales committees, which have primary jurisdiction in dealing with applications, have-had an onerous year," adds the report. "Except in Auckland, they have kept abreast of the inflow of applications in a satisfactory manner. Rather "more than onethird of the total transactions of the Dominion arise in tlie Auckland district where a total of 13,500 was reached! It was, therefore, necessary to establish another committee and this has be<*u set up in South Auckland, with Hamilton as its centre. The territories of the other three Auckland committees have been rearranged so as to lighten the burden of the work and permit greater expedition." Shortage of Valuers

In a later tabulated section the' report shtnvs that 2074 applications for the transfer of farm lands were brought before Auckland land sales committees and at the end of the year 298 were uncompleted. Of the 11,451 other land applications, 1218 were completed. - "The shortage of trained valuers both Crown and private, is still the greatest single cause of delay," the report continues. "This is being gradually relieved and, moreover, the work of the committees is being lightened as the valuers gain experience and general efficiency. Greater expedition is also contributed to by a growing btHdv of rulings from the Court, which serve to guide not only the committees but also the legal profession and the vaJuen who practise before them. Results of Appeals "The soundness of the first orders oi the committees may be said to be demonstrated by the fact that of the 187 appeals lodged 28 were allowed in full and 31 in part. The Court held 24 sessions in 14 centres and at the end of the year only four appeals awaited a hearing. "In the 1944 session of Parliament amending legislation gave the Crown the right of appeal. At March 31, 1945, this right had been exercised only on three occasions. It will, perhaps, not be inappropriate to restate that tha purpose of _ the Act is not to depresj but to stabilise values and there can be no doubt that this lias been achieved in large measure."