THE CORPORATION LEASES

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2413, 19 March 1915, Page 7

THE CORPORATION LEASES

THIRD ARBITRATOR. t As a result of recent discussions over the rents fixed by the arbitrators in' reclaimed land leases in Wellington, the Legislation and Reclaimed Land Leases ■ Committee of the Oity Council embodied the following recommendation in the report it submitted at the ordinary meeting last night"That the third arbitrator in corporation leasehold rental arbitrations be appointed by the partioß, and that if the parties fail to agree, the third arbitrator shall be a Judge of the Supreme Court, appointed by the Chief Justice; or in small cases where the unimproved value of the ground is less than £2000, the third arbitrator shall be a stipendiary magistrate." In connection with the same matter, Councillor L. M'Kenzie had previously given notice to move: "That this connoil take the necessary steps to urge upon the Government the desirability of having the Arbitration Act amended so that in all cases.a Supreme Court Judge shall be the third arbitrator in arbitrations held to fix rentals under corporation leases." In'the ordinary oourse of events this notice of motion would not have been reached laßt night, but the council's recommendation, referred to above, came up for consideration in the ordinary course of business. Councillor A. R. Atkinson, ohairman of the committee, in speaking to the motion, said that it was very necessary that the citizens should have confidence in the arbitrators. , He gave Councillor M'Kenzie'credij; for the suggestion, embodied in the reoommendation before the meeting. The City Solicitor had for a long time Been of opinion' that a Judge of the Supreme Court should act aB umpire. What was wanted in these rental arbitrations was consistency and publicity. ' The results would never be satisfactory until the arbitrators were made to give reasons for their decisions. Councillor M'Kenzie, in seconding the adoption of the reoommendation, agreed with the remarks made by Councillor Atkinson. In view of the f'act -jthat the committee's suggestion practically covered the same ground, Councillor M'Kenzie withdrew his own notice of motion. The recommendatioa was agreed to after some little disoussion.