ASSESSMENT COURT.

Gisborne Times, Volume V, Issue 124, 5 June 1901, Page 3

ASSESSMENT COURT.

COOK. COUNTY.

Before Messrs Barton, S.M., Maclaurin, and W. Sievwright.) A sitting of the Cook County Assessment Court took place yesterday. Mr G. P. C. Campbell, Deputy-Valuer-General, assisted by Mr lan Simson, District Valuer, represented the Valuation Department. A number of cases called were struck out, having been settled. In the first case for hearing, there was no appearance, and the valuation was sustained, the case being J. N. Williams, 15,000 acres, Pouawa Boad District, capital value £27,060, unimproved value £15,060, improvements £12,000.

A MOTU SECTION. Mr W. Douglas Lysnar appeared for Mr A. F. McLean, perpetual lease section 392, Motu, 2000 acres, assessed at 15s an acre, and called evidence in support of the objection. Andrew F. McLean deposed : I am the objector. I took up the property 8 veals ago. It is about 37 miles from town. The capital value of the land when I took it up was 11s 6d an acre. It is now rated at 15s. [Mr Campbell : I dispute that statement.] When we took up the land wo were promised roads as soon as money was available. That was stated on the map. I would not have taken up the land if it had not been for that promise. I thought money would bo available soon. When I took up the land I had to pack 12 milos through private property. Mr Sievwright asked what bearing that had on the present value.

Mr Lysnar said it must have a most important bearing if a man had to pay so much for carriage and packing. Mr Siovwright said the Court had to consider the present value. Mr Barton : Will the evidenco assist us in arriving at the value ?

Mr Lysnar: Must your Worship not tako into account what it costs a man to got his produce to market ? If ho has to pay .£8 a ton to get his produce to town, and others only pay Bs, should his property not bo reduced proportionately ? Witness continued : It cost mo £8 a ton to put wool into pockets and pack it on to the road, and £1 5s a ton to tako it to town. It is rough country. 1 think 7s 6d an aero is the fair value of the land ; 4d per lb is what I would get for my wool after payinont of all expenses. Two-tliirds of the land is broken in, and carrying stock, principally sheep. I had 28 halos of wool last year. In order to got a road I have had to plodgo my property with others for a .£2OOO loan. My property’s share of that is equal to 3s 9d an acre, which represents a capital sum of £375. Even with that oxpendituro I have not got a road in to my property. There is a gap of five miles, 15 miles from me, that has not been touched yot. Thcro is another gap of two miles nearer my place. This prevents mo using the road. The price of land has not increased in that district. No unimproved land has been sold by the Government at a higher price than 11s 6d. Some of the sections on the front Motu road have a better road than I have. Mr Campbell asked the objector if he objcctod to the unimproved value, to which Mr McLean replied in the affirmative. Mr Campbell said the Department did not make any charge on the unimproved value. Mr Campbell : Supposing your place wero a freehold what do you think its selling value would bo according to tho prices ruling in the district; would it bring 32s an aero all round ?—Yes. Has your land increased in value during the last eight years?—Yes, by my labor. Supposing the other land had been improved, but yours had not, don’t you think y;ours would let for a higher price ? —I cannot say. No unimproved Government laud has been lot in that district at moro than 11s 6d an acre. Martin Smith, Crown Lands Banger, deposed that a road to this property was now in courso of formation. The Government had tnkon in hand some ten miles of road. Tho dray road was formed to within two miles of Mr McLean’s place. Ho valued tho property at from 15s to 17s Cd an acre. In 1892 this section was let at 11s (id an acre. E. M. Hutchinson's property adjoining was taken up at 11s 6d an acre in 1893. J. Hutchinson's property also dose by was taken up in 1892 at tho sdiiio figure. Valued Messrs Hutchinson's land at from 15s to 17s 6d an acre. Other land in the neighbourhood was taken up in 1898 at 11s Gd an acre. Thought the value of McLean’s land was 15s an acre. Cross-examined by Mr Lysnar, witness said there wero some properties at varying distances from McLean’s which had been let at 7s Gd, 10s, and 12s an acre. After Messrs Campbell and Lysnar had addrossod tho Court, tho valuation was sustained. NOATAI'A UIBTMCT. A. Ivempthorno, 1151 acres, Ngatapa Boad District, assessod at £8175 capital value, unimproved value £SOOO, improvements £3-175. Mr Kompthorne said ho had only been allowod £2O for four acres which had bejm taken. He should have been allowed £SO. Tho rental valuo would bo £350 a year, and that at 5 per cent, would represent £7OOO. That would bo as much as he could get for the property. It was overvalued by £1175. Ho had no objcctiou to rnako to tho improvements. By Mr Campbell : If the land was put in the market I don't think it would fetch more than £7OOO. If 3 were a seller I would bo satisfied with £BOOO. Estimato my improvements ac £3270 ; tho valuer estimated them at £3175. By tho Court: I shear 1500 sheep, and run about 80 head of cattle. Goorgo Grant deposed that he valued the whole property at £7261. The only difference between Mr Kempthorne s value and the Government value was as to the values of tho hills. Tho hills wero not worth moro than £2 an acre. The hills carried less than one sheep to tho acre, and that was after 30 years.

Mr Kompthorne said the gross return from the property was £550 a year. lan Sinison, district valuor, said lie valued the property on February 12th last. Was quite satisfied it would realise ,£847.0 if put in the market. It was a very valuable one. He thought Mr Kompthorne could get a good deal more out of the flats than he did at present. Mr Kompthorne said if the property could bo sold at £BOOO it would bo far better for him to put the money out at 5 per cent, and do nothing. Mr Campbell said he would be prepared, after bearing the evidence, to reduce the capital value to £BOOO, take £205 off tho improvements, and the balance off the unimproved value. Mr Kcmpthornc declined to accept tho offer. Tho Court decided that the capital value should be £BOOO, improvements £3475, unimproved value £4525. MO APPEARANCE—VALUATIONS SUSTAINED. A. M. Newman, 516 acres, AVadnata, capital value £1255, unimproved value £845, improvements £4lO : Sustained. JR. C. Miller, Waimata, 600 acres, capital value £2260, unimproved value £900; another section 908 acres, capital value £3587, unimproved value £1847, improvements £2240: Sustained. William J. Baty. 73 acres, Pouawa, capital value £586, unimproved value £365, improvements £221: No appear-

"in. .ben, rouawa, 176 acres, capital value JEO2S, unimproved value .£523, improvements £4OO : No appearance. Sustained.

Wi Pere and others’ trust, Ngatapa Road District, 1491 acres, capital value £12,455, unimproved value £9747 : Valuation sustained. Same, 61 acres, capital value £648, unimproved value L 610: Sustained. Same, 1239 acres, capital value L 6558, unimproved value L 5678: Sustained.

John McKenzie, Ngatapa Road District, 414 acres, capital value LI9SO, unimproved value L 808: Sustained. Sisterson and Mcßae, Te Arai Road District, 400 acres, capital value £2,344, unimproved value £I2OO, improvements £1144. Sustained.

Robert Preston, Te Arai, 119 acres, capital value £1036, unimproved value L 598. Same, 30 acres, capital value L 307, unimproved value L 92. Sustained.

C. J. Parker, To Arai, 7,407 acres, capital value L 21,550, unimproved value L 12,000, improved value L 9,550. Sustained.

Daniel J. Parker, Te Arai, 1117 acres, capital value L 2617, unimproved value L 1417, improved value LI2OO. Sustained. W. F. Shaw, Te Arai, 812 acres, capital value _ LBB2, unimproved value LBl2. Sustained. W. F. Shaw, 967 acres, capital value L 1789, unimproved value L 967, improvements L 267, lessee L 555. Sustained. F. Hall, Ngatapa Road District, 2910 acres, capital value L 7275, unimproved value £3495. Sustained. Estate of A. McLean, Ngatapa Road District, 9960 acres, capital v alue L 25,581, unimproved value L 14,940, improvements L 10,641. Sustained. AV. F. Shaw, To Arai, 967 acres, capital value L 1789, unimproved value L 967, improvements L 267, lessee L 555. Sustained. Assets Company, Limited, Tolago riding, 2608 acres, capital value L 3260, unimproved value L 3260. Sustained. S. K. Spencer, Tolago riding, 2800 acres, capital value L 1230, unimproved value LBBO. Sustained. W. Acland Hood, Tolago, 700 acres, capital value L 2525, unimproved value LIOSO, lessee L 1475. Sustained. T. H. Loisel, Tolago, 1806 acres, capital value £7OOO, unimproved value £3600, improvements £3400. Sustained. E. A. Tucker, Tolago, 638 acres, capital value £1157, unimproved value £557, lessee £4OO. Sustained. M. L. Tucker, Tolago, 597 acres, capital value £1378, unimproved value L 609, lessee L 286. Sustained. s . M. B. Tucker, Tolago, 561 acres, capital value L 991, unimproved lvalue L 530, lessee L3ll. Sustained. Assets Company, Limited, Waikohu Riding, 322 acres, capital value L 4960, unimproved value L 3220, improvements L 1740. Sustained. W. and G. Barron, Waikohu road district, 8932 acres, capital value L 4466, unimproved value L 4466. Sustained. W. and G. Barron, Waikohu, 3040 acres, capital value L 2027, unimproved value L 2027. Sustained. Wm. Morris, Waikohu, 27 acres, capital value LlB9, unimproved value L 135 : Sustained. Wm. Cooper, Waipaoa riding, 4244 acres, capital valuo L 1592, unimproved value L 1592 : Sustained. John T. Partridge, Waipaoa, 4508 acres, capital valuo L 1691, unimproved value L 1691 : Sustained. ARAI DISTRICT.

G. Palairet, Te Arai Road District, 1995 acres, capital value L 7265, unimproved value L 3990, improvements L 3275, lessee L 3275. Mr Palairet said : I think the unimproved value is excessive. I think 30s is the proper value. The laud is assessed at L2. Ido not object 4o the capital value, although it is in excess of what I leased some of the land at in 1897. Mr Jox-Blake, lessee of the land, called as a witness by Mr Palairet, said he considered the unimproved value to.be from 25s to 80s an acre.

By Mr Campbell: I base my estimate on the fact that Mr Parker’s run—one of the best, if not the best in the district — was sold for 30s an acre about ten years ago. Land has increased in value since that sale, but not to the extent to which this land was assessed. Three four hundred sheep were run on the land, also'loo head of cattle and 12 horses.

Henry H. Wall, owner of the adjoining block, said he originally paid 7s 6d an acre for his land. He bought some at 10s an acre seven or eight years ago. The Government then reduced the price, and he subsequently bought some of the land at 7s Gd an' acre. Some of Parker’s land was sold at 80s since ho (Mr Wall) bought his land. The price of land in the district had decreased.

By the Court: If the land was unimproved, and it was put in the market now, I do not think it would fetch more than 2os an acre. By Mr Campbell: If the land fetched 80s ten years ago, I do not necessarily think it is worth L2 now. Mr Jex-Blake said the block was going very much into manuka scrub, which depreciated its value. The District Land Valuer deposed that last year he valued Mr Clark’s land, adjoining Mr Palairet’s, at L 3 an acre, and that value was sustained in Court. Mr Clark’s land, the Papatu block, was better land than Mr Palairet’s. Valued Mr Parker’s land at L2 an acre. Some land at the late Mr Woodbine Johnson's was sold some time ago at L 6 10s and L 7 an acre. That land had native grass on it. If Mr Palairet’s land was put in the market to-morrow, it would bring L 4 or L 4 10s an acre. The Court reduced the unimproved value to 30s an acre, leaving the capital value as it stood.

WAIMATA. F. J. Shelton, Waimata, 625 acres, capital value L 12,375, unimproved value LIO,OOO, improvements L 2575 : The capital value was reduced to Ll 7 an acre, divided between unimproved value and improvements. WI PERE-CARROLL ESTATE. Messrs Wi Pere and Carroll, per Walter G. Foster, Aroha road district, 15,190 acres, capital value L 30,455, unimproved value L 15,000, improvements L 15.455. Mr DeLautour appeared for the objectors. Diehard Sherratt, manager for the Wi Pere and Carroll estates for the Bank of New Zealand, deposed : I have charge of the Okaliuatia property. The Bank has expended LSOOO on improvements. The land was formerly covered with ferr, manuka and light scrub. It carries 5000 sheep and 300 head of cattle. It carries about lj sheep to the acre. That is its full carrying capacity. It is manuka country', and difficult to hold. It has a tendency to go back. The tendency to go back depreciates the value of the properly. I think L2 10s would be a fair'market value for the improved part. George Grant, land valuer, deposed that the Olcahuatia block was second-class

land, light soil, and it would come back to manuka in a great many places. Did not think the land was worth more than 12s or 13s all round. The improved land would be ■worth L2 10s. It would not sell well except as a whole. „ By Mr Campbell: Pieckoucd the improved land would carry 1| sheep per acre. There were patches of good land in the back of the block, Alfred Fordo Matthews said he valued the land at LI an acre, unimproved. An adjacent block of 4000 acres was bought at LI an acre. Had an intimate knowledge of this land for many years past. That country, if properly broken in, should carry 14 sheep to the acre. The properly would cut up very well for sale, and if roads were made it would fetch LI an acre.

By Mr DeLautour: I think that countrycan be broken in for 21s an acre. To properly grass the land would cost 7s 63 to 8s an acre ; cost of sowing, about Is 3d an acre.

The District Valuer said he assessed the unimproved value at LI an'acre. If the property were put in the market next day it would fetch L2 an acre. Ho . was surprised that any objection was lodged, as he considered the value put on as well within the mark. Mr DeLautour said his instructions were that the capital value was L 15,190, LSG9O unimproved,' and L 6500 for improvements.

After being addressed by Mr DeLautour and Mr Campbell, the President stated that the decision would bo given when the Court resumed on Saturday,