RATING ON UNIMPROVED VALUES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12856, 26 October 1912, Page 6

RATING ON UNIMPROVED VALUES.

There was a big attendance in the Marton Town Hall to-night, when a meeting was held in support of rating on unimproved values. Councillor Lewis presided. Messrs 1*). McHugh and A. Withy addressed the gathering.

Mr JVt'cHugh said the object of the meeting was to abolish all the rates levied on tho homes and the trades and industries of tho people of Marton, and derive the local rating revenue entirely from the land value 'produced by the presence of the people, their collective enterprise and industry, Jand !tho 'public expenditure on public works and public purposes. He quoted facts and figures showing the effects of the system in several of the Australian colonies and in Canada, especially in the city of Vancouver, He said that at Home no less than 550 local rating acthorities had petitioned the British Parliament for power to rate land values, and as soon as the public valuation of the land was complete, Mr Lloyd George had promised that such power should be given. Mr Witty spoke on the question as it affected New Zealand, and said that in Gisborne, where rating on unimproved values had been working two years, in one case a working man now paid 18s 6d in place of £4 15s in rates. Similar examples might b£ given all over New Zealand. In Gisborne 'they found that the workers and the small tradesmen were paying more in rates in order that the speculators might pay one-fourth, one-sixth, or even loss .than they ought to pay. He hoped tha^'the people of Marton at the coming poll would follow the example of Gisborne and carry the rating on land value proposal by a two to one majority. A number of questions by Mr Lyon were answered by Mr Withy to the satisfaction of the audience. A hearty vote of thanks to the speakers and to the chair concluded tho meeting.