HON. C. H. MILLS AT GERALDINE.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 12910, 26 February 1906, Page 6

HON. C. H. MILLS AT GERALDINE.

The Hon. C. H. Mills, Minister of Trade and Customs. asd Minister in charge of the Land Valuation Depaartment. visited Geraldine on Fridav, arriving by the first express from the South and being the guest of Mr F. R_; "Flatman, M.H.R. Mr Mills was accompanied bv his private sercretavy. Mr Crowe, and the Vainer-General, Mr C. F. C. Campbell. At night the Minister and Mr Campbell met several settlers in tlie Geraldine Hotel commercial room to t'iscuss the question of what was paid to be excessive valuations placed upon their propsrties by the Department's valuers. There were, present —Messrs A. Kelman. E. Burke, K. Brophy, R. Taylor and A. Brown.

Mr Flatman introduced them to the Minister.

Mr Kelman first of all mentioned that the visit of the Minister -was a surprise. It was a pity they had not been given at least a week's notice. Had this been done there would have been a great many more present, particulary members of the local Taxation League. Mr Flatman explained that he had done the best he could in the matter. After receiving a wire from Mr Mills, he advertised his 'visit at once, and- made it as widely known as possible. Mr E. Taylor objected to the valuation of the Geraldine Hotel property boinu raised from £I4OO to £2SCO. The value originally made was £3COO, but he managed to get it reduced. The valuer was basing his increase of value on the rent, but he forgot that the rent iras kept up by tha £4O license of the hotel. If that was tatkea away the rent value would be gone. Mr Taylor also spoke of the high value placed on his residential property just -outside the borough. -He purchased it at what was considered a fabulous price, £2O per acre, three or four years ago, and the Department now valued it at £SO. He also said that his house property and three acres of land were valued at £BSO .and did not cost him anything like that amount. "The house was 'just being finished when the valuer came.

Mr K. Brophy also laid grievances before the Minister with regard to valuation?. The notification from the Depart ment did not tally with the valuation agreed upon between himself and the valuer.

Mr E. Burke made objection to the values in that the valuer had acknowledged before him and Mr Brophy in Timaru that he had made a mistake in his (Mr Burke's) valuation. He took the paper and presumably corrected it. and said he would s:nd "it on to the head office, and have it sent back light. The paper came back and it was wrong airatu. and he again sent it to the office to be" put right, and it was not returned before the Assessment Court sat. He was. therefore, debarred from making n complaint, and had to pay on the increased rate since! Why should he have to pay three guineas to a lawyer to appeal against a mistake made by the valuer?

Mr Campbell, the Valuer-General, said t.:e value had now been amended in accordance with the amended area, and Mr NBurke -could make objection at any time before next Assessment Court if he wished He promised to eee into the matter in anv case.

Mr Burke mentioned also that lie was paying 10s au acre for land and the valuer bad put it down at 15s in valuing, and he had since obtained the reserve at 9s per acie by public competition. Mr Kehnan laid before the Minister the wishes of the Geraldine Taxation I.ea;s;e with rsg.rd to (he stand thev had w.kfn up m their -petition, and he mentioned that wherea.? they had sent up the petition with 500 names attached to it. tl.ev could up another with 2000 if reus, sary. He said settlers frnm Am* hud to rue ii.uit were""alanned at the v..]:•;.',ions. :;nr! laimeis certainly had grievances. Mr Andrew Brown said that he «;■<: paying 3s for a reserve that wa.* vahi.d nt 8s lCd.

A lengthy discussion took place ti>tween Mr Kelmhn and tlie Minister w"t > regard to the appointment of vahieis. ;■ v txe Minister, during his remmks. read the' instructions given to valuers, showing tint they go on property in making their vahi: - Uoi:s. ibey were also instructed to ni:.».t arrangements with property'owners to .. 0 - cure amicable settlements of-values hefo - Bringing ca-es into Court. He .=aid that nothing eonid be fairer than that, and -.he settlers present interrupted him with ti-c exclamation. "Yes, if thev weie carried P ut , : „_„ lhe Minister remarked that thev had £ojo.ooo.Goo of propertv to value, an',: asked . who would pay for the e\'i> valuers.

Mr Kelman said the County -Conn it could appoint one valuer and the fan«iciv •would willhigly pay for his suvieox. Mr Campbell dealt with all th:«t !:■■■". been said by'settlers, and first of all n v " tioned that, there were 300.000 sen:.'"at" properties jr. the colony to be va'.ued ; i,,' if they had' to appoint* two valuers and ;.ii arbitrator to go over each property it would be doomsday before thev cot a sin.-ic district valued. "

Mr Kelman said all he asked for v. one valuer be-appointed bv each eoinrv and he thought that was "simple en<»M»*!i and that three valuers would <*et i>ve : • district quicker than one. °

Mr Campbell said it was a matter . opinion. He thought three men would t;.kt longer to come to a decision. He de-;i: with the suggestion that only local men knew how to value propertv in their own district. Why was it that lie had received letters from different parts of the Xorth Island from members of the farming community asking that no valuers should remain in one district beyond a certain period, and that all valuers should be transferred from district to district. >o that they might be absolutely independent? He also said that the land values were not fixtures for a certain period. Thev were made according to the market value, and if there was a drop or slump in the district, the Department immediately set to work to reduce the values in that "'district. This had been done in one case in the North Island not long ago.. They reduced valuations because market values "had gone down. There were jsome places where there had been no move in the market for a long time, and there had. been no'alterations*!* values made there. If ' values -were to be made from records of" what the land could produce lie : pointed out that, each farmer would have to keep books for this purpose, and the good 'farmer -who could get most put of the land, would be penalised. Mr Flatman said as far as he could see. the objections of farmers were not so much to the increase in the Land Tax as to the increase in local rates brought about liv the increase in values, and"he was s U ,' e they wanted a change of some kind : it might, be better as had been suggested, that local ladies do their values for ratine purposes, and the Government do theirs for taxation separately. Mr Thomas asked why the South Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid Hoard should be allowed to strike a farthing rate °n the higher valuations, seeing, that up to the present they had met" their expenditure with a similar rate on the old

valnatinn. < . Mr Campbell saw bo reason why they sl>i>Uid do this, and was of opinion lha>. al local budiec should reduce their rates when value.* went. tip. - Mr A. Kelman thanked the Minister for visithip the district, and said tlicr would ba glad »>f a return visit at a future date when, if the meeting was duly notified, members of the local taxation league would be pleased to meet him and discuss their grievances.

O.i Saturday morning; the Ministerial party, guided by Mr Flatman. visited Mr Ales. Kclinan's farm, and several others, where complaints had been made of execssive valuations.