Some Results of Property Assessment.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 4 July 1890, Page 2

Some Results of Property Assessment.

+ Mr Commissioner Sperry in his re* port to Parliament on the results of the Property Assansment for 1888, gives liiptnj interesting facts, some of which we here reproduce The net property owned by the eoloniflts remain th» same as in 1886 the total being 128 million pouod8 r which includes the ra'ue of Goreruraent property. Real property decreased by £5,288 945 but personal property iocreasdd by £2.989,898. The largest decreases have been in Auckland and Oiago in each of which the total shrinkage approach** to 2i millions whiUk Wellington shows an increaie of 2? mi'lioni, tb.it is «tated to b» accounted for by increased seettlement. The return? ihow that the private indebtedness of the settler is being wififlu ont i tMere being a differeuce of Si\ 318 B'7^ between the amounts of debts owing ISBS, »» (1 ™ 1888. It appears that 5.0 28 P a y 0Q le " than £100, that is, fr*7 pay less than 8/4 a your ; 2870 p^7 between 8/4 and 16/8 ; and 2,324 nay between 16/8 ami 25/ . Those w> pay less 60/- 'a year number 13,035, and 8,463 pay between 50/- and 83/ 4; then 4,077 pay betwen 83/4 aud 166/8 ; 4,606 pay between 166/8 and £4118«4d; and £83 6s 8d ; leaving 516 who pay above the larger amount ' The total net value of property be* longing to nontax pavers, covered by exemptionswas £9,348,753 which at a penny in the pound, equals £38,958 2s 10J. In the last assessment there were 145)9 less taxpayers, or tax accounts, than in 1881, a fact that has a serious significance. It is certain that a really large number of persons who were worth more than £500 have left the Co'ony. The tax was paid more punctual' ly this year than in auy other year. Botwe n 5 acres and 100 there are 18,805 owners?, betw.-en 100, and 1000 acre?', 1(1-758 owners; beUeen 1000, and 10000 acres there are 1684 owners ; between 10,000 and 50,000 acres the'-e are 223 holders ; and over 50,000 acres there are 27 owners. Banks, companies, &c in number 480 nay £107,905 ; graziers, sheepfarmers, dairymen &c, 8,611 pay £81,543 ; absentees 1150, pay £25 1)7p, ; widows, spinsters, wives, and their trustees, 8760, pay £22,273 and other trust estates and estates ef deceased persons, 1492 pay £82 286. The improvements in counties are valued at £19,189,190 and iv boroughs at £10,501,145. The unimproved value in the counties is L 57,201,387, and in the boroughs £18,205,992. The landowners in New Zealand own, on the average, £1000 worth of land. 20,752 of the owners possess less than £100 worth. th*ir average being a little over £40 each ; rather more than half — 46,725— own less than £800 worth, their average be 1 ing slightly over £140 ; and 71,261 own less Mian £1000 worth .