PETONE RATES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 909, 31 August 1910, Page 11

PETONE RATES.

THE VALUATION ROLL. , Before proceeding with the striking of tho rates at tho special meeting of the Petone Council held on Monday evening, tho Mayor said that he had obtained the opinion of Mr. Martin, through tho borough solicitor (Mr. Kirk), and their joint opinion on the question was that where tho district valuation roll had been amended by tho Valuer-General in consequence of alterations having been made under Section 3G of tho Valuation Land, Act, 1908, there was no necessity for the Valuer-General to advertise for objections under Section 12. . According to this opinion, the roll was in order, and lie moved that the opinion be adopted, and the council proceed with tho striking of the rates. j Mr. Southgate referred to tho way tho I council had l>een misled and the rate-1 payers "gulled/' The council hod been given to . understand that the Government were going to make a revaluation of Petone. The ratepayers . had been told that that was the case. Then the valuation roll came in, having something like .£BOOO reduction in the valua- | tion. It scorned unfair to him that tho Government should liave taken this step. They did not commence the work until about July, and the amended toll is up to March 31 last. It was misleading, and the ratepayers had been absolutely misled in listening to soma councillors, who believed that revaluation was to be made. . . , ; After considerable discussion the motion to adopt Mr. Kirk's opinion, and to levy the rates on tho amended roll, was put and carried. A further motion by Councillor Southgate, that a letter be sent to the Valuation Department protesting against tho delay caused through having to wait for this roll, when these applications fflr revaluation were sent in in November last, was also earned* Councillor Piper moved: "That, in view of the inequity of the rateable value .or a few properties being reduced to sucii a large extent at the expense ot all others in the horougli, that necessary stops bo taken to publicly notify that the valuation list is open, for inspection and objections, as provided iu Section 13, Eating Act, 1908. The Mayor ruled that the motion was out of order. f On the motion of Councillor Short, it was resolved to fix the drainage rat© at 7.32nds of a penny in the «£. Resolved, on Councillor Southgate s motion, that the street improvement rato be 3-16ths of a penny in the «£. Water-. Rate. —This will be tho same as last year, i.e., per cent, oh tho annual value of the properties that have the water supply and 1\ per cent, on nroperties that have not the water supply. On the motion of Councillor Piper, it was resolved that the hospital and charitable aid levy, which amounted to. .£963 10s M be taken off the general account,, and that a special rate of 3 3-16ths-of<a penny in the «2 be struck .on the capital value. This will produce tho sum of <£'991 15s. 3d. Councillor Piper moved, and Councillor Shorty seconded, that tli9 sanitary account be taken out of the general account, and that a feo of 15s. par pan per annum be collected instead. After discussion Councillor Piper agreed to amend his motion to exclude ICoro Koro and , Maungaraki. The motion was put and I lost. Councillor Short moved, and Coun- I cilloT Harding seconded, that a general 1 rato of 2Jd. in the £ be struck to meet the demands. Councillor Young moved as an amendment that the general rato be 2£ths of a penny in the £. This was put to tho meeting and carried. The motion was lost. i