ASSESSMENT COURT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3510, 21 June 1921, Page 28

ASSESSMENT COURT.

SITTING IN DUNEDIN. The first sitting in the dominion of the Assessment Court under the Valuation of Earn! Act and its amendments was commenced in Dunedin ou the 13th in the City Council Champers. Mr V. Day, is me president of tire court. Messrs G. It. Smitn and John A. Dutiiie sat as assessors. Messrs Eraser, MacKcnzie, and T. Ob win represented the department. Mr J. A. Cook extended a cordial welcome to the president on behalf of the legal profession, lie said that they aii felt that the new court, which had been made a permanent one, would be of great advantage to the public iu general and to the lawyers engaged in these cases. The President, in reply, said that it was a new departure in a way in setting up a special court. The work in the past had always been done by the- magistrate of each district. It was hoped that it would tend to uniformity in the decisions when they had a permanent court, lie trusted, with the assistance of his assessors, to give the public and the members of the Bar satisfaction. A large number of the objections wore struck out owing to the non-appearance 01 the objectors. It was agreed, on the proposal of Mr Maclvenzie, that the small cases should be taken first. WATER RIGHTS. The principal opposed cases were those in which the question of water rights entered. The unimproved value of the property of the Paper Mills Co. in Leith Valiev had been increased from £750 to £3SUO, the increase being the capitalised value of the water because the stream ran through the property. The second case was that in which the valuation of the unimproved value of Messrs Ross and Glendining’s woollen mills in the Kaikorai Valley liad been raised from £4OOO to £9OOO. A third case was that of Mr E. S. Clarke, in which the unimproved value of 38 acres in the Leith Valley was given as £2OOO. In this case it was contended Mr Clarke had no water rights, having disposed of these and obtained compensation from the Dunedin Corporation. After legal argument and the hearing of evidence, which occupied the Court three days, the President: later announced the Court’s decision. The Court raised the unimproved value of Messrs Ross and Glendining’s property to £3OOO, making the capital value £68,000. The New Zealand Paper Mills’ freehold was valued at £llOO (unimproved), making the capital value £6IOO. Two smaller sections were valued at £IOO and one, which is under water, at £SO. In Mr Clarke’s case the President said t.he Court -was of opinion that he had no water rights at all.