THE Marlborough Express. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1868.

Marlborough Express, Volume III, Issue 100, 8 February 1868, Page 3

THE Marlborough Express.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1868.

“ Givu me the liberty to know, to utter, and to freely according to conscience, above all other liberties.” —Milton.

As the Blenheim Board of Works have called a public Meeting of their constituents for the purpose of considering the advisability of bringing the Municipal Corporations Act into operation, we feel it very necessary that the ratepayers should well and duly consider the importance of the step ere it is too late, for while it can be applied with very little trouble, no amount will avail afterwards to remove it. Our space will not permit us to examine all the provisions of the Act this week, but the most prominent feature is the rating clause, which indeed may be said to be its vital principle. The present Blenheim Improvement Act gives the Board power to levy a rate not exceeding M. in the pound on the gross 'value of the land, exclusive of improvements ; while the Municipal Corporations Act gives the Council power to levy a rate of Is. in the pound on the yearly value to let. To illustrate the working of each, let us assume an allotment valued at £l5O, with a house upon it costing £250, a total of £4OO. This class of property would let here for £SO a year. Under the present Act, the land only being valued, the rate at 4d. woidd he £2 10s.j and under the new Act, with the rate at Is. (the highest allowed,) it would still be £2 10s;, shewing that there would be no difference in this class. The chief difference would be felt in unoccupied land, thus, assuming a contiguous allotment at £l5O, as before, but without any building thereon. Under the present Act, it would pay £2 10s., while under the new Act, it could ‘ scarcely he of more arinnn.l value than £ls, and would only be rated at 15 s.! In fact, this is the principle in the new Act which we so strongly protested against some time ago, when the Bill was under consideration by the General Assembly. We should not so much regret this feature, if it was only the case in respect of land used for Farming purposes, as no one could consider it fair that they should be rated at their value to sell, but we still object to absenteee or vacant allotments in the middle of the town, getting off so easily.