HIGH TENSION WIRES

Otago Witness, Issue 3212, 6 October 1915, Page 55

HIGH TENSION WIRES

CLAIM FOR COMPENSATION. In tho Compensation Court on Monday, before Mr Jti. Y. Widdowson, S.M. (assisted by Messrs T. Ohafiner and C. Russen fcmith as assessors), Agnes Cordon Romshardt claimed £l5O from tho Mayor, councillors, and citizens of Dunedin as compensation for her property at Halfway Bush being injuriously affected by the carrying of poles and high-tension wires across it. This is tho first claim under '•'Tho Waipori Falls Electric Power Act, 1904,” and " The Public Works Act, 1908.” Mr W. L. Moore appeared for claimant, and Mr W. C. MacGregor, K.C., for respondents. Mr Moore said that it was a claim under the Waipori Falls Electric Power Act, b;; which the corporation took over tho work of the Waipori Falls Syndicate and had tho right to put electric power into Port Chalmers. In order to carry out the work, it was necessary to take the electric- lino through tho district, and the corporation had encroached on the land of the claimant. In this way her property had been injured and depreciated in value. Claimant said she was the owner of tho property set out in the claim. Tho corporation put the poles through it last year. The taking of tho poles through her property had injured it. She considered that it would spoil the sale of the sections later on. She considered tho claim of £l5O quite a reasonable claim. To Mr MacGregor: The whole block of 43 acres, w.th buildings, etc., was valued at £SOOO. Tho house and buildings -were valued at about £6OO. There was also a cottage, valued at £250, so that the unimproved value of the property was £4250. They paid something under £2OOO for tho place m I£o2. It had more than doubled in value, but they had spent a lot of money on it. She thought the revaluation in March, 1914, of £2OOO (£I2OO land, and £BOO buildings) was too low. Evidence was also given by Jonathan Rhodes, Edward S. Paterson (land age lit), John Roy (land agent), and L. 0. Beal (civil engineer). Mr MacGregor said that the only reliable evidence at all as to the value of the land was contained in the Government valuation, which showed the total value of the land us £I2OO (unimproved value). The buildings were worth £BOO, but had nothing to do with tho present claim. They therefore had a claim for depreciation equal to 12g per cent, of tho value of the land. The property as a whole had certainly not depreciated. --Evidence was given by Eiu-dloy C. Reynolds. William L. Craig (land valuer), Matthew Henderson (city electrical engineer), and B. B. Couston (surveyor). _ . The court awarded £2O compensation, each party to pay its own costs.