VALUATION CHARGES.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 352, 28 February 1902, Page 3

VALUATION CHARGES.

DISCUSSION BY HARBOR BOARD

At, the meeting of the Harbor Board yesterday, a letter from the County Council was read, asking the Board to join in a protest against a charge lctied for compiling the valuation roll. The Chairman considered they should give their support to the movement. Mr .Sievwright said that he was not so sure about that, ft was practically to upset the valuation scheme for the whole of the colony. Captain 'Pucker said that the move was in the right direction. They did not want to go to Wellington for every change of occupancy. For every fiddling thing they had to go to Wel-

lington. The Chairman said the position was e\cii worse than that. Notice had

been sent to Wellington of changes of tenancy, and the Department there had changed it, hack again, with the result that; the Clerk had great trouble in getting in the rates from the owner. The Borough Council got the work done satisfactorily for £lO ; lor last year the Board had to pay £11) 10s 4d, and he expected that it would he high this yeai.

In reply to Captain Tucker, the Chairman said that- the Board was 1 compelled to take the Government valuation. These objections were being made all over the colony. Mr Sievwright said that this opposition was preventing a uniform valuation being adopted for the colony. The sooner they iiad such uniformity the better. Captain Tucker said there was no

reason why the Government should not

have a uniform valuation for their own purposes, hut why should they interfere with local valuations. If the County Council or Road Board overvalued his property he did not see why lie should not go direct to the body that injured him, instead of being refeired to Wellington. Mr Clark said one thing they had to complain of was that the Government was charging them thrice what the valuations cost, making a big profit out of it.

Mr Sievwrigiit said he would supperl any effort to bring down expenses, but he was opposed to any interference with the statutory scheme to have a uniform valuation scheme for tire whole colony. Mr Hepburn : If the Borough Council can get it done The Chairman said that was very different. This valuation was for the whole County. Formerly the County Council supplied them with a copy of their valuation roll, which cost less-, and was- more correct.

Captain Tucker said that the tendency at present was to have the business of that Board done in Wellington. The other day he had tried to. get a quarter-acre section released from a large security which gave ample margin, and was told that there must be a re-valuation. They would not admit that that Board could form an opinion, on such a trifling matter. Mr Clark : The re-valuation would cost nearly as much as the section was worth.

Mr Sievwright said he had fully discussed with Mr McGowan the necessity of a uniform valuation, and was quite convinced that it was required. Captain Tucker said that he did not object to a uniform valuation, but he objected to local assessments being made subservient to the one sent to Wellington. Mr Sievwright: The ratepayers must, be protected locally as well as nationally. Captain Tucker : This does not protect them. The Chairman said they were not asked to support a movement to do away with the valuations. Mr Sievwright held that the intention was to supersede the DeparlmeiH tfJ valuations, while Mr Clark considered that it was only in regard to such things as changes of tenancy. Captain Tucker thought that it should go as far as to deal with attentions in valuations. . . The Chairman said that instead ot merely charging one body the Government filched from them all. Mr Sievwright said there could be no objection to the revising of the roll as to tenancy.. The Chairman said that in order to gei. in the rates it was necessary to have that done. Captain Tucker said there was no attack on the Government roll, but was not a local body to be trusted to know right and wrong, or was it only these people in Wellington . .There was no P objection to the Government having a uniform valuation foi their own purposes, such as the land tax Mr P Clark said that there was objection to Government making a revenue out of the local bodies by charging three times what the valuation cost them It was like the sheep tax. niat was originally put on to assist m the eraxlicatfon of the scab, but now when the scab had long since been got rid of, the Government kept on the ta. and made thousands out of u—it wa M Captain thicker said tha-t what was required was decentralisation, not centralisation. He proposed that they adopt the County Council’s sugges--11 Mr Hepburn seconded the .motion, which was carried, Mr Sievwright dissenting.. '