The Poberty Bay Herald AND East Ooast News Letter.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1028, 31 May 1880, Page 2

The Poberty Bay Herald AND East Ooast News Letter.

PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING, ~"~ MONDAY, MAY 31, 1880. SIR George Grey has, we now learn, resumes the leadership of the Opposition. This is really a serious matter, because Sir George is as unfit to lead as he is to govern. He will simply become an obstructionist, for the purpose of retarding the business of the session by availing himself of the forms of the House in his attempt to frustrate every Minsterial measure which may be brought forward. The true object of a Parliamentary Opposition as} we take it is that it may be able to convert a minority against a majority where Minister* are found wanting in matters of importance to the welfare of a State. But as, says the Post, there is seldom much probability of this unless they are led by some one who could be trusted in such an event to^ ;form and head a new Ministry. <* Failing such a chief of an Opposition can do little substantial good. Take the present situation as j a case in point. Sir George Grey ' will undoubtedly lead a small band of devoted followers, and, perhaps, believers. He will make violent onslaughts alike on the personnel and the iheasures of tne Government, and will have many sympathisers in his denunciations of some of these latter. Yet; if he should force the House to a division even on one of the most unpopular measures, and it were dearly known that in case of an adverse majority the Government would resign and Sir George Grey would succeed to the Premiershp, there is no reasonable doubt that many members would sink their own differences of opinion, and even vote in favor of measures they detested, rather than run the risk, by voting against them, of putting Sir George Obey again in power, deeming the former infinitely less of the two evils. t ■ Sir George Grey has doubtless a compact little band of thick-and-thin Adherents, and if he can secure the temporary coalescence of those memJ&etefc who dislike the property-tax, or who wish the subsidies continued, or who want more political railways, then' bis astute diplomacy might once more place him in the position of the proverbial monkey, who employs cats' paws to seize the roasting chesnuts. This, however, is not the only danger. .There is another little less formidable. SJhe very fear of such an eventuality may render the Government too strong for the good of the country by rendering members unwilling to vote against Ministers, even when disapproving their proceedings, from sheer

dread lest by doing so they should run any risk of bringing upon the Colony so deplorable a misfortune as a return of Sir George Grey to office. It is not well for a Government to be too powerful in this way. Any Ministry, however honest, well-meaning and capable, needs the check and counterpoise afforded by a strong Opposition, which is an essential concomitant of true representative Government. It is greatly to be regretted that as yet no sign is discernible that such an Opposition party has been formed. Sir George Grey's leadership can but conduct it to disaster. Mr Macandrew has been tried before, and failed utterly. Mr. Montgomery and Mr. Ballance have already given their measure too accurately for the country to accept them in that position, and Mr. De Lautour's oapacity for such a post remains to be shown, for it certainly has not yet appeared. The moat dire disorganisation confessedly exists in the Opposition ranks; we find Sir George Grey and Mr. Macandrew speaking .within a few miles and a few hours of one another, enunciating the most diametrically opposite views on vital points of policy, and members generally claiming for themselves a right of independent action which must ever be fatal to the cohesion of a party. It must be confessed that the political prospect at present is far from satisfactory. IN previous issues we gave a number of general outlines and information for the guidance of those who will be required to fill in and certify to the forms under " The Property Tax Act." We now proceed to refer to a more difficult question — namely, the assessment of real property. Under the Act, Real Property is defined to mean " lands, tenements, and hereditaments, whether corporeal or incorporeal, including all chattel interests in land." This, as we pointed out on a previous occasion, brings the goodwill of tenants and sub-tenants within the category of real property, and leaseholds must be accounted for accordingly. Every person is bound to make a return of all bis real property, to value it, and to make a declaration that his return is correct. In the case of an ordinary freehold this perhaps is not a very difficult matter. The owner must estimate the value to sell, including all improvements. There are fourteen columns in the return to be filled up, the particulars required being a full description of the situation, extent, «fee, of the property, name and occupation, <kc, of the tenant, conditions of tenancy, amount of annual rent, annual value for which the property is assessed for purposes of local taxation, the value of the property, value of the owners's interest, amount owing on the mortgage. The value of the property is to be estimated at the price which it may reasonably be supposed to fetch if submitted to a bona fide auction. Unlike the case of personal property, the assessor, in dealing with real estate, may enter on the property and value it himself, so that a check will thus be provided against the owner's estimate. In case of the owner being dissatisfied, he can appeal to^the Board of Revisers. It is levied in all cases on a full value to sell. If the property is let, thd owner's and the leaseholder's interest's have to be separately valued. In the case of a tenancy of more than one year, it is provided that the owner's interest shall be taken at 14 times the annual rental, and the interest of any occupier at the sum such interest might be expected to bring if offered at public auction for cash. This clause protects those who own land that was let for a long term before the great rise in the value of property took place. We may quote an example given by Mr. Crombie, the Deputy Commissioner : — The owner of a town acre let it in 1869 for 21 years at £20, its then full value, but the land is now worth, to sell, £2,000. This would be assessed to the owner at 14 times £20, equal to £280, on which sum, at Id in the £, he would have to pay £1 3s 4d. The leaseholder would have to pay on the amount the lease would sell for at public interest. If the property be let to a tenant, who again sub-lets, the interest of tenant and sub-tenant would have to be assessed at the value of each to sell, that of the landlord being taken at 1 4 times his rental. No doubt, tenants, like the owners of personal property, will have great difficulty in prophesying — especially in these uncertain times — what the result of auction is likely to be ; but they have this advantage — or disadvantage — over the owners of personal property, that the assessors, by making an independent valuation, will prevent them from despoiling the revenue to any great extent by exhibiting an unreasonable amount of modesty in their estimates. Of course, any sum due upon mortgage is deducted from the owner's assessment, before striking the amount on which £he tax has to be paid. The lands of Maories and public bodies are exempt, so far as the owners ar© concerned, but the tenants of such lands have to pay just as though they leased from a taxable person, that is to say on their value of interest to sell. The case of land sold on deferred payments comes underclause 24, which says that " the interest of every person shall be separately assessed." Thus, to borrow another example from Mr. Crombie, if M sells to N 250 acres, at £4 per acre, the terms being £200 a year, and should £600 be paid at th«

date of assessment, M's interest would be the amount of money he had to receive, i.e., £400, and N's would be j the value of the property less the he owed. If land had gone up since ( his purchase, it would be more than £600, or if there had been a depreciation it would be less. We may add that the assessment roll, when made up, will remain in force for three years. The commissioner may, however, make additions or alterations in it at any time, subject to appeal to the *Board of Keviewers. This will enable him to increase the assessment in cases where a person has acquired fresh property, or the value of his existing property has increased. On the other hand, it will enable him to remedy cases of great hardship which^might otherwise arise as it is obvious that a man worth £30,000 at the signing of the roll may be absolutely penniless before the end of three years, and it would manifestly unjust to compel him to go on paying the tax for which he was originally assessed. It may be as well also to again remind our readers that it is their duty to obtain the necessary forms, if they are not supplied to them, that heavy penalties are prescribed for infringements or evasions of the Act.