PETONE TROUBLES.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1778, 17 June 1913, Page 6

PETONE TROUBLES.

DIMINISHED RATING AREA,

WORKERS' HOME SITES.

THE PREMIER INTERVIEWED,

A standing grievance with many local bodies—tho non-payment of rates upon unoccupied lands in. boroughs which have been acquired by tho Government as sites for workers' homes, was brought under the notice of the Prime Minister yesterday by a deputation consisting of tho Mayor (Mr. J. W. M'Ewan) and several members of tho Petone Borough Council. Mr. T. M. Wilford, M.P., who introduced the deputation, dealt with tho rating question at some length, and stated that the Petono Borough Council had circularised all the municipal councils in New Zealand on the subject. lioplip had been received from at least torty councils, and all were of opinion that tho Government should p<xy ratca on unoccupied lands which had been acquired for workers' homes. Mr. M'Ewan said that Petone was heavily handicapped on account of the largo proportion of its area which paid no rates. In addition to this it had within its boundaries the Government settlements of ICoro Koro and Maungaraki, comprising a total area of approximately 230 acres. The whole of the land in these settlements stood at a low valuation, and the rates collected hardly did more than cover tho expenditure incurred in reading and lightlag the settlements, and in protiding them with other conveniences. The land in Petone which had been acquired by the State for the opposes of workers homes amounted in all' to something liko 100 acres. About ninety acres of this area was unoccupied. Fourteen acres within the borough were occupied by the railway workshops. He did not suggest that rates should be paid upon this land, but it diminished tho area upon which tho borough could levy rates. Taking into account the areas occupied by churches, schools, the post-olhce, and streets, the rating area of tho borough ivas reduced to 455 acres. It was therefor© a serious mattor that ninety acres of this area should consist of unoccupied lands upon which no rates were paid, if the State was not prepared to pay rates upon tho land it should make every effort to dispose of it so that ,tho local authority could receive the rates to which it was entitled. Mr. Masseyi Hear, hearl Mr. M'Ewan added-that two successive municipal conferences had unanimously affirmed remits urging that tho Government Should pay rates on land acquired for workers' homes, The State paid wharf dues on all coal landed for the Stato Coal Department. It was taeroforo reasonable to contend that if tho otato entered into competition with private enterprise in the business of building houses it should pay rates. Mr. M'Bvran went on to remark that the Borough. Council collected rates upon three of the workers homes which had been built by the Goveminent in Petone. There was a chance of getting rates upon the remainder of the twenty-five houses, but it was not a certainty. In Christchurch the same difficulty had cropped up, and the City Council there had decided to forward o, remit to tho next municipal conference to tne effect that the attention of the Government bo drawn to the unsatisfactory position in which local bodies were placed owing to their having to look only to tho tenants of workers' homes for rates, and having no power to recover tho rates as against the proportjv The Borough Council was in the same position as the Christchurch Ciij Council and others in this matter. Mr. M'Ewan next referred to a question of valuation, a. local authority, he said, had no power to ask the Valuation Department to revalue any single property which had been improved as a result of the expenditure of public money. An owner could, ask for a revaluation of his property, but the local authority had no g uch power. Mr. Massey: The-local body has the right to ask for, but it cannot demand, a revaluation. Mr: M'Ewan said that this was so. The Petone Borough Council had applied to the- Department to such properties revalued, but had been to d that there could be no revaluation until a general revaluation of the borough took place. . ep.nin Bcsarve.

' proposed Scenic Reserve« The whole of the catchment area in the ■ Waiuui-o-mata. Valley, , Mr. MT3wan stated had been vested in the Wellington City Council as a scenio reserve. . Petone also had a catchment area—part of .the Normandale settlement, comprising eight or nine hundred acres of land. Smc« the settlement was thrown open, no one had 6hown any eagerness to take up these Massoy: Would the borough like to bl Sr! t M r Ewan: The borough has to buv it. The price asked was £U an acre, and land adjacent to the borough has been offered at ■£!> an acre. Mr. Massey: Would you tako iU« valuation—at a price fixed by arbitra : tl Ur. M'Ewam I don't know that tfe would buy it at all.. Seeing that .the Department has failed to anybody_to settle on this land, I suggest . that you use your influence with a view to having, the area handed over to the horoiigh asa Bcenio reserve, as was done in the case of tho catchment area area Mr. Massey said • that--the area was ralued at about .£12,058. jvf'j to a question, he was told that it had been Crown land for six or Mvcn years. Councillor H. Pjndlay said that the land in Petone, which had been P™ 0 ™" cally filched by the Government, liad previously been pledged expendifuro upon a drainage scheme and other worts. A. tenth of the borough s rating area had been taken from it. He felt Inclined to ask who would have taken up responsibilities if only a tenth ot tho area had beon left. Four of the workers' homes at Tetone, he went on tor©mark, wore at present empty. ihe houses at Heretaunga had never all been occupied sinoo they were built. Councillor Findlay remarked that only about £500 was available this year for street improvements in Petone, and if the borough were paddled with a contribution of something like £15.000 on account of the Hutt Eoad, it seemed to him that it would bo faced with bankruptcy. -On the property which ho occupied the rate? had risen from £13 to £95 in a comparatively short term of years. A Sympathetic Reply. The Prime Minister, in replying, said that he could not characterise as unreasonable tho request of tho deputation that rates should be paid by the Govornmont upon land acquired for workers homes, which remained unoccupied. He could not defend the present position. This was the opinion ho had expressed m the House and it was his opinion now. Tho case, however, presented some difficulties., rotouo was not tho only borough in this position There were others in tho Dominion which, if not in exactly the same position, were in a similar position. To pay rates on all lands of this class would mvolvo a very largo sum of money. The plain truth of tho matter was that m past years considerable blocks 01 land lmd been purchased for workers homes which were not suitable for tho purpose. , Such areas existed at the Hutt and were i t;> be found at other places. Ha pro- , posed to face the position. If the land . could not bo used ho would rccommcnd tho Government to dispose of it. Jhe rcprc--1 sentations of tho deputation would bo subi mitted to Cabinet and ho would mako a recommendation on tho linos ho hod! | indicated. Possibly he would make a i statement in Parliament on tho subject. "A WhitQ Elephant." With regard to revaluation, if tho Town Clerk would communicate with him he would himself look into tho questions raised. "As to Normandale," said the Prime Minister, I should bo very dad indeed to f,et rid of Normandale at a considerable loss on thp amount paid for - it." Ho continued that ho knew nothing - about the circumstances attending the ' purchase of the estate, but it sconied 1 to him thot too much was paid for it, and l lie must say that it was gc-norally spoken i of as a white elephant. He could not t promise to givo away .012,000 worth of a property, .but he would instruct tfco PC: