VALUATIONS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 547, 30 June 1909, Page 8

VALUATIONS.

WHO SHALL MAKE THEM 7 GOVERNMENT WILL ABANDON ITS, i . DECISION, v i INSTRUCTIONS TO VALUERS. An .announcement- made by the Prima | Minister at Upper;Hutt and elsewhere in the month of April has been the subject of a good deal of discussion among local .boiiies, and a number of tliom have decided to remonstrato against-the adoption of; the pplicy 1 outlined by the rPromier. His words in the 1 Upper.. Hutt. speech, as reported in The '■ Dominion of, April 3, were as follow:— , . • • "As the result of close investigation. I am satisfied that the'carrying out of . raluation for local, public bodies bv the i Valuation Department should ceiise, the . work being undertaken by local bodies themselves. The Valuation Department: should continue to carry onthe work.for general taxation and for the purposes of other Departments of- the State. ' - This policy .would .effect .a substantial reduc-' tion in the' cost of ' the Department.- It will be necessary, solas to prevent the, ' reversion to the practice of some local bodies of employing their own 1 officers to . make valuations,; to pass legation-pro-, Vimng that none ..but valuers holding ' certificates s from the Valuation .'DepartbolSes " 8y ' W . ® m P'oyed by ; the local Protests and a Change of Policy. Perusal of newspaper files from all parts ot the Muntry showsgthat. loca.l "bodie6 have takon strong exception,to the. course /proposed, 1 and .have characterised' it as a retrograde stop. ( The Executive, of the Counties' Association has affirmed its Opinion that "to.; .B®. back to tie old system of valuation by tho local bodies, would be undesirable, inas*. it would involve, increased cost,' the valuations would be less uniform, and the valuers .would be'subject to local influences or an undesirable tendency. ; From inquiries made by : a. Dominion reporter,, it; appears pretty.:certain' that .the , alterations foreshadowed in the passage • from fc>ir Joseph Ward's speech, as quoted above,' will not,'after all, be effected.' It hasW suggested that the Premier was annoyod bv some of the protests that have been made gainst excessive valuations',. and. that . the decision Tfhich he announced at Upper Hutt .partook, of the nature ; of/.a. reprisal. - His feolmg may have been that certain localbodies,' by asking for .a revaluation' when - tlicy Wanted more*; revenue,., and 'afterwards, in . answer to the complaints of'thokeiwhose prowties were bumped-np," . throwing' all the name on the valuors, had been "embarrassing les°Mn ° mlDCllt ' ttnd sllould to'taught a Valuation of Improvements-Inthia-connection, the following circular, P f nt xl by Valuer-General .i ? e ? Ga ) to the valuers in different parte of,the country,.is of interest:—' iso much prominence is given to the question .of insufficient valuation for imI; 'J™* impress' upon the district valuors the neoessity for. viowmg. this, question, in a. serious manner. nlr 18 CoDS , fcan .% brought up in the ilouse of Representatives, and tho standard objection before Assessment Court is that the_unimproved valuo is increased; while an insufficient amount is i^owed'for improvements.; When the unimproved values' m\the JJommion were admittedly low, the value of improvement?.was not.'seriously,'challenged, but now that the-values are nearer the selling • values, it is .n,ecessary for district valuers to see. th?it,tlie value of rinl ?D r M^ n l Malysls> ' Practice of supplying field books, with particulars »f the previous valuation has not', in all cases, been . rightly appreciated, : and I do not want valuers to think that when the ' unimproved vdue has been , raised and the value oi improvements that they will - 6 requirements of a.revision. ?, bo " '.in tW Assessment' ! Court is able to show, that' there/are more tK? T °), m Y an jl. 1 Skater value than: those shown by .the> valuer,' ; 'the,effect: is:to : discredit the venation,. and give rise to the SEr 1 ™ '' the Department has but one v , iew '7® amol y. the increase of ummi value for purposes of taxation. It ' ? , ,f s . apparent to every district/ valuer that tho nearer .wo; get to a.'standardfvalue, • hv°tfe, £ SCJ ' Ut W.KV" methods , by that value is arrived at, and I oxnect valuer toi be'in a t position, if called 'i upon, to show that ho has.a knowledge of all to ?«? their value, arid to be. ablo ' to .prove to/the satisfaction of the Court . ant f n V 9 »ir ° r r t - Koha3 .full''aJlowJin V existuig improvements,; and" that '• ;^i valuati° n; 1 s. a .fa lr one :in.,terms'of. the i;