RATING ON UNIMPROVED VALUES.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 15, 9 August 1905, Page 2

RATING ON UNIMPROVED VALUES.

(To the Editor). Sir, — With a town having half of its area lying idle m the hands of men who are simply hanging on waiting for their more enterprising neighbours to effect improvements, that will materially increase the value of these selfish holders' idle acres, it is a strange thing that the necessity for rating on the unimproved value has not been prominently considered by the ratepayers and the Board before. There are lots of men m this town anxious to buy sections and build houses, but owing to the greed of a few monopolists they are debarred. There is a good deal of discontent about the place over this matter, which could be set at rest by the Town Clerk making out a return of the probable result to each ratepayer if this reform were brought about. I think the Town Board should instruct their clerk to prepare such a return. We propose going m for a loan to improve our streets, and I maintain that the men who are retarding the expansion of the town, and selfishly sticking to the largest portions of the building areas available, should be made to pay for their action.— l am, etc., Improvements.