THE CITY VALUER.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1574, 18 October 1912, Page 4

THE CITY VALUER.

HIS WORK FOE GOVERNMENT, "What is the trouble that has arisen between tho Government and the city valuer?" This was the substance of a question asked by Councillor Fletcher at last night's meeting of,the City Council. The Mayor .stated that in the past Mr. Ames (city valuer) had given a larga amount of service to the Government, and had not been paid in an adequate manner. The Government had in fact got off very lightly. Sir. Ames now intimated that lie desired to resign as Valuer for the Government. He did iiot, however, wish to place them in a difficult position, aiul had not yet actually resigned. During the ipast twelve years sir.ee he had been acting for the Government lie had rendered them service to the 1 value of ■£59. r >o, and for that had been paid something like ,£IBOO. As far as (lie new valuation of the city was concerned, he was standing to the position that the Government should pay for it. Councillor Fitzgerald, wlio had details of the services rendered to the Government by Mr. Ames, expressed the opinion that the council should sta.nd by Mr. Ames, and in connection with tho new valuation of the city, they should see that the Government paid Mr. Ames for the services he was about to render. Ho moved in that direction.

Councillor Frost seconded tho motion, and declared that the Government had treated Mr. Ames shabbily. The Government paid a third of his salary, and in connection with ordinary valuation he had saved them thousands of pounds over and above what he had been paid. A valuation of the city meant six months' barn work for two men. Before Mr. Ames took up the Government work a firm of land agents had been paid .£650 for the. work. Since then Mr. Ames had mnde ' wn valuations of tho city. For one of fheso he had been paid .CSO and for tho other nothing. The Government were now at their wits' end endeavouring to find someone to take his place. _ ~ After some further discussion, Councillor Fitzgerald's motion was earned unanimously, and the council will make representations to the Government in no* cordanee therewith.