COMPENSATION COURT.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 394, 19 April 1902, Page 1

COMPENSATION COURT.

A. F. MATTHEWS v. MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS.

(Before His Honor Mr Justice Conolly, and Captain Chrisp and G. Grant, assessors). At the Supreme Court yesterday the case of A. F. Matthews v. the Minister for Public Works was cotinued. James Macfarlane, sheepfarmer, Chairman of the Cook County Conncil, valued Mr Matthews' land in September, 1900, at £llO an acre. Ho based his figures on the sales of portion of the Victoria township. He had searched the register, and found that 74 acres were sold at £l2B 17s. He considered the pick of Victoria township had been sold at that price, and the whole of it would not average that. He had seen the roads to the section, and he considered that to out the' plaintiff’s land up into quarter-acres it would require 1( acres for roads, which would reduce the total value by £153. The cost of complying with the Act of 1899, metalling and forming the road, would mean a cost of at least £lO a ‘chain, or £l4O for the 14 chains. The road would either have to be taken through the centre or along the beach. A. F. Kennedy, manager for Williams and Kettle, stated that the value he placed upon plaintiffs land in September, 1900, was £7OO net cash for the block. In arriving at his valuation he considered the circumstances, and based it on a cutting-up value. He made an allowance for roads. It was worth £7OO as a block, but to sell at the time cut up it was not worth more than £7OO. It might have been worth a speculator’s while to buy at £7OO and hold on to it. By Mr Grant : He took into consideration the probable cost of survey, roads, advertising, and commission in arriving at the net value.

By His Honor : The cost of survey and plans would probably reach £lO. An acre and a quarter would need to bo deducted from the gross area for roads, leaving seven acres for sale. J. G. Clare, Chief Clerk in the Survey Office, Gisborne, produced the plan of the land deposited bv Mr Matthews. The streets which touched the land were the Gisborne-Maraetaha road and Grey street. C. F. Lewis valued the land at £I2OO. Cut up into sections, it could be worth more than that. The land cut up would be worth £l4O or £l5O an aero after ull espenses were paid. . By Mr Jones : It was worth a little more than Victoria township ; übout £7 10s a section more. Counsel having addressed the Court, an adjournment was made at 1.10 p.tu., and later in the afternoon judgment was delivered.

His Honor announced that the Court had agreed upon their award in the case. They awarded to the claimant £1540. That being less than half the amount claimed, each party would have to pay their own costs, and the fee fixed for their assessor. His Honor fixed the assessors' fees at 10 guineas each,