8.—17b.

1915. NEW' ZEALAND.

VALUATION OF LAND COMMISSION (REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONERS, ETC.).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO AND REPORT UPON CERTAIN MATTERS RELATING TO THE VALUATION OF LAND IN NEW ZEALAND.

LIVERPOOL, Governor. To all to whom these presents shall come, and to Ewen Alexander Campbell, Esquire, of Wanganui, farmer; Thomas Frederick Martin, Esquire, of Wellington, barrister; and James Gillies Rutherford, Esquire, of Auckland, farmer : Greeting. Whereas it is expedient that inquiry should be made into certain matters relating to the valuation of land in New Zealand and the necessity or expediency of amending the law relating thereto : Now, therefore, I, Arthur William dc Brito Savile, Earl of Liverpool, the Governor of the Dominion of New Zealand, in exercise of the powers conferred by the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1908, and of all other powers and authorities enabling me in this behalf, and acting by and with the advice and consent of the Executive Council of the said Dominion, do hereby appoint and constitute you, the said Ewen Alexander Campbell, Thomas Frederick Martin, and James Gillies Rutherford, to be a Commission for the following purposes : — (a.) To inquire into the petition of certain ratepayers in the Borough of Otahuhu that the values assigned to their, properties at the revaluation made as at the 31st March, 1914, were overassessed, and to report to me as to whether or not the said values were affixed in accordance with the definitions of " unimproved value " and " value of improvements " in the Valuation of Land Amendment Act, 1912; (b.) To inquire into the petition of certain ratepayers of South Riding of Castlepoint County that readjustments of values of lands in Castlepoint County be made in consequence of alleged disparities between the aggregate increase in value of land in South Riding and the aggregate increase in the value of land in the remainder of Castlepoint County, and to report to me as to whether or not the values assigned to the said lands are relatively uniform and in accordance with the definitions of " unimproved value " and " value of improvements " in the Valuation of Land Amendment Act, 1912;

i—B, 17b.