GOVERNMENT VALUATIONS

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13312, 14 June 1907, Page 2

GOVERNMENT VALUATIONS

objected ;;tc> as too low. (From tlieV/Wes'fc Coast Times). The proce2ciings' of the Assessment Court, which , saty at Hokitika last week to revise thtv. Government valuations of Westland, was made remarkable ' by the fact that the majority of the "dbjeetions" to be considered, were made by the County Council, on thi ground, that the vahiations were too low; and the unusual■ scene; was j witnessed by.the owners siding' with the district, and supervising .valuers in- the Court. Mr R. S. rAcheson,VS-M-, was chairman of the Cpiirt, Mi-T.r. P. Dugdale, Inspecting Valuer, repj'eign;ted the Department, anil. Mr ■ the Westland County Council, .'tj.. Mr Reare, in stating the. case for Council, said that the .valuations,by the Govein'inehti Valuer' showed y;such discepaneies and inequalities,.that it; was: necessaxy for the Council to i have thev Valuation Roll ■-revised by their own Valuers: The valuations were not only unequal, but in many cases they were much too low. They r*l-.| cognised that, formerly the pioneers of the County deserved "evei-y; consideration foi* thtir hard work in of colonis r ation, but now it mr.et. be seen that for many reasons' principally, the establishment of ?the dairying', industry the value of land throughput the County has increased a hundred ■ per 'cent, and even in some cases three per cent., it was time that the'• stagnation''-valuations ruling pre; viously should be altered. The County Council objected to'the un r improved value iri' the first ease- called, 3s and acre,'as Loo low; it should be £2. A railway y.ran right past the property, and a bridge costing'' £27, 000 had recently been built,-'-'improving; the. aecess to the : ; ! Affcer hearing'the Government and' County Valuer's; I 'and the. owner, the Court raised; the'.'unimproved value from £363 to ,£4SC-. In' the next case the capM to] value was'raised:-from-£1626 to £2083, (The County-valuation. wa,s £2179). Other alterations 'were-'made 1 the' First day as follows :—the fii'str'of eifcli''trio of amounts being the 'Government's, the second ' the County's," the. third the- Court's valuation— '■ £507 - £1375 £1811; £503r^£566—£535 ; £93?—£1030 ! —£1000; £660—£970 —£B4o; £997 £1331—£1187; -£sß3—not valued—£73s; £652—£966—£827.i; ; After the rising of the Court, a large gathering of-settlers met the Government Valuer and, 'thesjCounly Revising Valuer. Thirty-two' cas?s>'were considered arid ad-' justed on th&lineslaid down by-the Court in the previous:, cases. ' : On the two'tfoHowing days, a number of owners' objection's were dealt with, and in numerous cases .large reductions were made, in poms cases'! lie'ivalutions b*ing-cut down by half-., ■•'■••■ *i- .