LAND VALUATION DEPARTMENT.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 10175, 24 October 1898, Page 2

LAND VALUATION DEPARTMENT.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PRESS. Sir, —Whenever a local body objects to the valuation fee charged by the Department; above named, a* sort of circular Jetter is sent j as a reply by the Valuer-General, giving! various reasons for charging about 100 per cent, for office expenses, and invariably accusing former valuers of "having very generally neglected to visit the properties and have contented themselves with, valuations made within their offices." This is, I think, an unwarrantable insult to men who have made valuations prior to 1897, and I know in my case it is not true. The fact is the Department is charging the local bodies with, collating a lot of work that is quite outside the valuation statistics.

That official replies are not always as infallible as their valuations are claimed to be, I,know tof "a* ■va%ttKt*-wfio, askingr .for extrapaymentf«n,accosint o| theitune .taken, in. making -the valuation, received^aireply , stating that the local body had Stated they could have got the work done for far less money. This would probably have been true had it happened, but as a matter of fact, the particular local body had their own valuation made. —Yours, &c, AN OLD VALUER.