PURCHASE OF LAND

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 56, 3 September 1926, Page 8

PURCHASE OF LAND

♦ -■ DECISION OF AUCKLAND CITY council.. '"':.';";,; ' (By Telegraph.) '. (Special to "The Evening Port,") AUCKLAND, This Day. The City Council : Finance and Legal. Committee was recently, jnr structed to. investigate " the circumstances regarding .the . recent land purchases in'the Waitakere Ranges; including that of Shepherd's property^ The ' committee presented, a report last'everiing when it submitted several recommendations which were adopted. 'The first : recommendation was that in all further land transactions over £500 the council should first approve of the desirability of the acquisition of the land which might be wanted for a public .purpose, and no negotiations for purchase should be commenced without authority being given by resolution of the council. A further recommendation was that on the approval of the council being obtained, the owners of such lands should immediately be notified direct by the Town Clerk of the council's intention to acquire, and.be requested to supply within a Btated time the price at which they are prepared to sell with a view to proceedings under the Public Works or Municipal Corporations Acts being avoided. If the price is reasonable the committee also recommended that the council should obtain a Government valuation and the opinion of _ the City Valuer, and if considered advisable the opinion of another valuer before definitely deciding the price. The committee further reported in" regard to the recent purchases in the rangei that Mr. H. E. Vaile attended and explained the purchase procedure in regard to Shepherd's property. It was of the opinion that: the' area purchased should have been stated in the original; report, and that possibly Mr. Vaile, in a desire to secure 'the property at a lower iigure, delayed the purchase, thus allowing another purchaser to step in and secure twelve acres fortunately not required by the council.