GOVERNMENT LAND VALUATIONS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12908, 23 February 1906, Page 6

GOVERNMENT LAND VALUATIONS.

WILLOWBRIDGE OBJECTIONS.

DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER

. A deputation cf seven Willowbridge freeholders was introduced to the Hon. C. H. Mills, Minister in. charge of the Land Valuation Department, in the Waimate County Chambers yesterday morning, the deputation desiring to voice the complaints of themselves . and neighbours regarding what they considered the excessive valuation of their lands, for land tax and local rating purposes. Mr Cheverton was the chief speaker, Messrs Meehan, Robertson and Hayman ' supporting him. Sir William Stewarded, in introducing 'the deputation, thanked the Minister for coming to Waimate in order to meet these gentlemen. The deputation would have been more numerous, but that many farliners were now busy with their harvest [ work. Sir William* first recounted what j had been done within a few weeks past, reading a petition that had been sent to the Premier—(This has been published in lour columns)—and a statement which he had been asked to present, of the grounds of objection to the valuations: that the values of Willowbridge farms had been raised from £l2 to £lB within a .diort period; that they had had to pav the Railway Department £l5O for a siding, and the Education Department £IOO for a school; "that they found the land a wilderness of gorse and couch, and now that they had cleared the land'they were to be taxed for having done so* Sir William said he did. not identify himself with the statements, but it was" his dufv as pnember for the district to place the matter before the Minister now \ bar the opportunity offered, when requested u> do so by the deputation. As he understood t:;e c-i.;e, the complaint was not thu: ilia ■ valuers did not endeavour to do i. : :c-i; <;; tv. or that they were influenced :>y =,mv improper motive; but that they *:;: v Vyine land according to what tliev%ee. " Tl-ev may find land in excellent order hi tv-i-V and there might have bee:: ;!: , immense amount of improvement tjft'ecicd upon .the -lund- that could not be seen. 'Here was. an invisible factor, that the freeholders said should be taken into consideration • that was the expense thev had been put to m bringing the land into good er-'er. A man might spend two or three \mv :;■:•.. 3ii acre in cleaving land of weeds. ,-.-•.,! the valuer could not see that he l:ac . >je anything of the kind; whilst if he ln.d spent ths same amount of money on !)>rj;.i. ings or fences' the full value of the*e w" .•1.1 be allowed. 'lhey desired' that more allowance should be made, by the valuer or by the Assessment Court "for those invisible improvements. Another point villi them was that it was desirable that one valuer should be locally choseu; that they would have more confidence in the valuations, as they would feel sure that the valuations were more faithfullv made. Mr W. F. Cheverton apologised for the smallness of the deputation, on the ground that many farmers were harvestinsj. The Premier had said there were onlv eighteen j objectors; in the district. There were^mai-v i more who did-not declare themselves bt- | cause they were discouraged. They went to the Assessment. Court, and :went- awav it feeling that they had not had fair play.. He had. attended the Court, and saw how thejCourt and the valuing oflke:* were all against .the one objector. Thar was the reason there was not niqre„o}>jar*<. tors. Most of.the land nally from at £6 to itlb an acre;'but the £l6 land had crops in. The valuations had now gone <ujj to £23 without any crop. This was simply ruin- j ous. They were told the valuers must | fix high values, because high prices had ! been given for land. . But these high prices ! were due to special circumstances—men | wanted to enlarge their farms becausetheir families were growing up, and gave more than the land was re:ulv worth, to do that, Mr Faulknor did * that, and everybody said he gave too much for the land; though there was a crop of swedes on part of it, that he sold. for £6 an acre, and other parts of the land was old pasture fit for-breaking up and two wheat crops. In another case two people ran up a small piece at auction to £54, because each wanted it for a special purpose. That was not the real value of the land, but the valuers took it as the value. He admitted that the land is good; but-thev must remember that there;were good men on it. They had the Waikifccahi settlers as neighbours, some of them on as good -land, -who paid no land tax, and their valuations are much lower.- The r -deputation--did -not want to. have the- Waikakafci '■ land iVnltfcs put up; but they wanted-'fair play and no class distinctions, between leaseholders and freeholders. The high -valuations M-ere reducing the selling value of the land, and. the four rates they had to pay^—county rate, harbour rate, drainage rate." and land tax. took £5 or £6 an acre off the value. Mr Cheverton mentioned that he gave £3O an acre for a small piece, to make a homestead for a farm he had without a house on it, and two-thirds of the law! was ',n crop; but as land it was not worth the money. The improvements were valued at £6 10s per acre yet the land was valued at £2B. In reply to Mr Mills, he said 40 bushels of wheat and 60 of oats would be a fair average yield, if the land was well farmed. Soma of them had had only one good crop in three years.

Mr Meehan followed, and complained that tho valuers did not notify the owner vrnen they -srere coming, and in most cases

1 they only rode along the road. They j could not, in tiiat way, «see the variations i iu the land. He thought there should j be a local man to accompany the Govern-J ment valuer, and they should go over tho j property. They did not care to go to j the Assessment Court for they were generally met with the question; "Will you ; sell the property at our valueV" The ans-1 wer was that they would not. —jThcy do j not want to sell, said Sir \Y. Steward) — 1 and ihe Court said that settled the ob- j cctiou. Mr Median raid the land was j not all profit :it was getting doue fori growing whe.it; it grew plenty of straw 1 but less gntiu. In reply to Mr Mills, j he said in good years 40 bushels would ; be the average for wheat, and he had ..»'d j two bad crops out of nine. j Mr Robertson suggested that it was not j in the interests of the colony to tax far- j mors too severely, and that at least 10 j per cent, should lie allowed for fluctuation*, j in s;asons. He also approved of having j one local valuer, to be appointed at the j annual meeting of ratepayers. The taxes j were heavy when land was lying fallow, j and he estimated that every shilling of tax took from IG> to 50s an acre off the' value. He gave the same estimates of yield as his predecessors; one dry season he had scarcely 20 bushels. Mr Haymau pointed out that some <i the Willowbridge land had been made more valuable by the owners paying a drainage rate of 2s to 3s an acre and a maintenance rate as well. That- should be allowed for in the valuation as an improvement, as they got nothing out of it. They gave £l7 10s for the land, and the valuation now was £25. because they had j drained it. The valuers said " You will I not sell for £25." They did not want t«»' sell, but to make a home. It should be I considered that all the rates they had to j pay took £6 or £7 off the sdling value. ! He also wished to have a local valuer. a j man who knew -what improvements had j been made in the land.

The Ministir replied at considerable length. After expressing pleasure at having been given an opportunity of meeting a deputation, he explained that the valuers are bound by Act of Parliament to make their valuations on certain lines. A settler himself, he could understand the points raised. He assured them that the Department had no wish to have land overvalued, and the valuers were given very clear instructions on that point. The valuation was colonial, and the Willowbridge land was not the highest valued. He quoted some higher figures from bisown district. One rule was that if a valuer had a doubt, the owner was to have the benefit of it. If he thought the value was "£lO to £12"; he was to put down the lowest sum. Aud he was not to take fancy prices or boom prices r.s a guide, though he could not neglect them altogether. The valuations were carefully compared, and very often were reduced, if good cause was shown. If sales were made, and these were the vaJutrs' guide, they must not blame the officer if buvonand sellers fixed high prices. Kverv "sale was recorded, and made use of by the Department as a guide to what values were. Some settlers thought the Department altered the valuations; he assured them that Mas not the case; but if there were discrepancies found, the valuers were asked to explain and remove them. Mr Mills repeated that some land in his dis;rict was valued more highly, though he had heard of 139 bushels per acre en Willowbridge. and they could not come up to that ~ir. Marlborough. That was a marvel to him. —"lt's a marvel to us," gaid one of the deputation.)— The Minister pointed out the uselessness of talking generalities, and saving there was great dissatisfaction. "if they gave specific ewes,, there would be something to inquire into; and every complaint so nude v.as inquired into "b- the Valucr-G=neral. If anyoKe had a\t;inplaint he would aud should communicate with the Department direct, and difficulties could btf smoothed away. The valuers had no interest except to do their duly s'ahlv. As to the land tax. 95 per cent, of small farmers pay none, so that the Goveriunent were not interested from that point of view. A'id as to the lecal ia;es. if these were t::o hjrvvy, tli.it w;;j r. ::;:,..o: ;:;!?: local -or.tiol. The rate thcuhl he rc.huol .->•

valuations went up. There was a d:!S< u>.v. he admitted, Ja. valuing improvem-:.):* iV.Vt to sight in the land, but if the w.ucr hsd to ask an occupier: " What have yr.ti done to the land?" they would have imtV.i b;:li":e disputes. In illustration of this i;- '.:;'. Mr Mills quoted the case of cearc! b:>s!i lands. He then referred to the t-iiup'.-iin; that the valuers only koked ever tiis fence and did not give" the farmtr notice. That was quite contrary to their ji:>tractions, if ever the one was done s r •":..? other neglected. They were to v>'U the matter over with the owner. .Stm.e j-.i-j.'e wanted the valuer to give a ticlui si u'cii case as he wenti along. That cnuh! r.of hj» done, as he must make comparison-; vv:.h ; - number of adjacent cases before hi «.witto a final decision. The Depart men; wanted to secure a fair valuation, and that it would not be excessive was shown by ;-.c jX: that they wanted it to be suitaVc in tSic Advances to Settlers Department ;.s well as for taxation purposes. Many «.}>jt-vio:* found fault with the valuations a- !'.-. L> t. when they wanted a loan. He o-"!n assure "fiihti that no agricultural kud within 10 miles of Blenheim was valued :t than £2O. ahd tip.j/i ,£25:« and si i.<- of :; up to £55; judging from wh:r, ?i« hui heard Willowbridge land was .<•?,> tyiinUv WOltll PS TOUfh. If ihcy «:?«.*•;-" i" hV «vn't"d £c-'; the Va'rc*-Oenrr::j !■> v"*> W.i:mate.

The possible date of his vi-i: was discussed, and it was found that the farmers are now too busy and that the valuations have to be completed before harvest caa be over.

The Minister asked that specific case* be stated, and promised that the-e should be looked into.

The deputation thanked him. and the interview ended.