RATING ON LAND VALUES

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 395, 13 September 1911, Page 5

RATING ON LAND VALUES

! LECURE BY MR A. WITHY

A lantern lecture was Riven by Mi' Ai'(.bur Withy, organiser of the New Zealand Land Values League, in the .Town Hall, Kuiti, last. nijtht, on the "Katin;: "f Unimproved Values.''' In the abser.ee of his Worship the Mayor, thr.mi'h indisposition. Mr V. 1 i Sinir- in i sided. Mr W;!by s;;;i; the press of the co!on\- wre opp'T'dss a rule to the ratini': of Isnd vaiues arid had done its lie: i io make : ritle;,' afraid of it, by •id: s-latine: its ohi, <■'■:, Set.Hers had not him; io fear ''rem vsiunp and taxation of bind values, ami en (be con-traj-y. bad ev. ;y lump !■■ r;a;n by those rofi-m-s. >■;: borne adopted the system in b'<h[us;y last by a majority of (wo io ec. ;.nb i-'rank (on fty iivo to one. dVn;ii;n um;i borough had ailopled the inline on unimproved values- and Oh.nra idounf.y also. In Gisherne a local ceiinc 11 lor showed that a plumber then resident there paid .id a. yeai- in isles, but on movrri|: io liasiines vain re ratio;; on unimproved value had been adopted, to an identical bouse he paid only 1 Sis. Another suiail owner paid .'d r -< a year in rates. and i live a ! up a (ion showed that umii i rat lor. on unimproved values be would pay only 17s ltd a year. Small holbeis w<w then pay-

; me, four to six times mo:e rales, in j order that speculators mmht pay one • • fourth or one sixth o! what they oiljrhf ; to ;i,-iy. Whii ems j11 ■t i. r able to pay. 1 t.he speculator ov (he man who earned | his Mvinj;':' In the 'mme .''(reef, under ; ratio;; on unimproeed vsluos, each I section was of equal value, but, if rated on the eapd.a! vaiue. it. (IJHcourap.cd growth audi tie ntakinjr. of i improvement;-, in- Stanley afreet, (jiaborne. wni' id. hemes on three acres, on one sine ed a. : tree!, which i used to pay X i a yisreeeh in rates. iOn the other side va-u :",' idle acres, j p.ay ins; only .; dial of .'.'.{] :i year, 'mskim: it biiwmn s't and £5 a I .{-aero section on eaie aide of t.he street j rind Is Id a .;-acre on the .other. Under j ratine, on unimproved values the 27 I acres would have paid .''i 17 instead of : .!'<;. nv.l't (be three acres .'.'lo jllMi.oad of To::, lb bad :. en that Ja'.po unoccupied areas <:■, isi.ed m Te Kuiti, and if compared, they would find j several cases as plain;;: as the Gisborue examples, d'h pn sent system of iaNsi ion ;a;{ (hi Pin deiv on the poor ; man. it was u!te:!y .•■)>.•■■ ord to tax the user, and let oil' (hi idler. They did not propose io wna'iso toe specu. ; later. What (hey wauled wan that the speculator should pay his fair ' share. If be held iene id!.'', let him pay as much as the man who worked ■and impnoeb ins bun;. The reason 1 why wapes. and the return to capital i was stationary, was that, the landowner wee- euuei ■; inc." more out of the workers m. ;ent. As Mr Edwnrd 1 Trc;;oar raid: Th< re is a (.bird hand ■in (he ;:ame. besides the worker and (lie employer, and thai, is the idle ■'landlord. He was sometimes fold I that ratine on unimproved values tended io erorad cot tapes., hut « pro- ; per by-law won ai pi event (hat, whether the ratai-p was owoov one sys- | tern or (.he other. The obi systems of penalised (be bui'dcrs of horn is. whn-h va si- (ev. i;. worse, and dearer than they eu>:ht to be. Itontß !in New Zealand p.i ae:aiS\ oii|;bt to be ! one third ics:-. a! the present iiiiK'. \'ar,cou\'( t. US.., bad shown • marvellous rrowth under tin- system lof ratin;: land vair.es, and (hat, ex- \ anijile was- heinp eeiued ut other parts :of Canada and (be Suited Stales. Iri (Jcrnruiv ddi! local .-iu(he: i ties vvcro ratini; on unimpi o\a d s'aiucs and one quarter of the population was iivinfr ill town:; u-ndi r the : \ si< m. ir. Enjr-

lain; dOO local Iku <i i -i- bad petitioned Parliament 'or the adoption o( the system, mid when (.Ik p;a sent revaluation the land ei' (be country was completed, (lie ' »'. i mean! bad promised (he necessary legislation should be iiilrciiiu'iii. The •, '.■ninionweaiib et Ausfrsiis had adopted (lie system for national put pee:: sad Now South Wadm Victoria and 'Tasmania only recen! iy l"er St,a !e pm pases. The reason \diy (lie lb n. o'i o. Fowlds hi'.d with drawn from (lie Cabinet, wart because, demon sin- ;■■■■* many of tho proposals v.a : ; . ;:; i (lie ■-1: ipi oven'lOllffl in (.be: Hu'dp' ■ wm;!d only increase land values. ".bit m ibey eould !;ccp down the cost of living they could do nothing Tor iiic weidere. If (hey could feres down the est oi living it; was equal to an icon are of wages, because (he earnings could buy more.

The system he advocated would take, from'the landlord what was public, value, would pet the bind better used

and <••(.(. oh- ( : seSiieaieal in country i districts b-v one-nine, on the land. There wen- : ■:, OdO.OtH) acres of ! Europi an lauds lyun:: idle in New !'/(.;:];;,,d. SO WC 11 SS tllC <"t'o Wtl M\d Maori lard: . The Maori should bo called upon to pay bis share. They .did not want a privileged class*: wbether psbeba o; Maori. The «arn- ; ings of t.lu nubile as a whole should go !o the public :■■ a whole. ]\'\Y M. Vd. Korr.iyb expressed gratitude for (be (eo.uble the lecturer had l;:|;cn in so:,img (.0 lecture that night r;nd moved : "That (be time had rmw arrived: when the ratepayers, ol i'i'c Kind .aip.bf (o lake into consideration :be rating on unimproved vabas," I\i rig 11. Sims seconded, and said Te buiti was a good illustration of •whs; sued a system of rating would ni's-.n. (iood sections were lyinß idle and other poope were bearing tho harden, lb understood that the proposed svi 1. u- was in operation in WaiPsto (ow'us witb good results, and To Kebsi slioii-i iry (o bring into operagm> (be islisg <u; en improved vnlues. Tbc motion was carried unanimously 1 and (be mooting closed with thanka to the lecturer for his lecture.