STREET=WIDENING.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1163, 26 June 1911, Page 5

STREET=WIDENING.

4 SOME OF THE COST, COMPENSATION FOE OWNERS. The award of the Compensation Court in regard to the taking by tho Wellington City Corporation of a, strip of land adjacent to the Duke of Edinburgh for the purpose of widening Willis Street jvas delivered ■ on Saturday by Mr. Justice Sim, president of the Court. The other members of the Court were Mr. G. H. Scales and Mr. A. H. Miles, assessors for the plaintiffs and the City Council respectively. • '■■• ■-/• ' The plaintiffs whose land had been taken were Arthur Thomas Bate and John Pike. They were represented by Mr. M.> Chapman; K.C., and Mr...W.. J. Organ, while.the respondent corporation was represented by Mr. H. D. Bell, K.C., and Mr. J. O'Shea, City Solicitor. An interesting circumstance connected with the history of the case was that tho corporation took, in the first place, the whole section (which measured 29ft. 6in. along tho frontage, and had a depth ranging from 60ft. Gin. to 57ft. Tin.), and after retaining it for a period took advantage of an alteration in the law to return the greater part of it to tho owners, keeping for street-widening purposes only a strip 10ft. wide along the front.

The claim was for .£3703 18s. 6d„ being <£2212 10s. for the land actually taken, 10ft. by 29ft. Gin.; ss. as interest at 6 per cent, on .£17,745 for two years and three months during which the whole section was in tho possession of tho City Corporation; .£ls to repay the cost of preparing plans of a new building which were rendered useless by tho taking of the land; and .£52 10s., costs of previous claim rendered useless by the revocation of tho original proclamation. 1 "The award of the Court," said his Honour, "is that the respondents pay to the claimants the sum of .£1855 10s., in full settlement of all claims. The amount is made up as follows:—In regard to tho second item, ,£'l9B, being interest for 15 months at 6 per cent.; compensation for the land taken, including interest not already allowed, ,£1260; architect's fees as agreed upon, .-£45; liw costs as on .£52 10s.; total, .£1855 10s. We also award the claimants the sum of .£SO for costs. The assessors' fees for the two days will be 15 guineas each, and each party will pay its own assessor."