Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, SEPT. 8, 1898. Unimproved Values.

Manawatu Herald, 8 September 1898, Page 2

Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, SEPT. 8, 1898. Unimproved Values.

The idea of rating property on what is termed its unimproved value arise? from the belief that a fair and even taxation would be gained. The supporters of the rental of improved lands can make the same claim, as the greatest trouble which arises in both cases is to prove satisfactorily what kind of property is really most benefitted by the expenditure of rates. The present Government have run the idea of manhood voting to a very dangerous point, as they mean to try and give to the dweller in a borough the light to vote for councillors whether they are directly interested in rates or otherwise. As councillors are empowered to make rales and expend them, and a voter can become a candidate, the day may not be far distant when the local body may be composed of men who will nofc have a penny of rates to pay, and who will thus have no hesitation in levying the highest rates that are possible. A Govern ment equal to such a proposal can not be held as likely to understand very much about local taxation, or the opinion of property owners, and thus when they give ratepayera two choices for rating it may be accepted as having been done chiefly for popularity sake and not on any question of principle. Thin is however no reason why the two systems should not be considered, but if rather affords the very reason why this should be. There is bound to be great differences of opinion, and there has been, one portion asserting that the unimproved value throws the burden upon the poor man, whilst others make out the working 10 be exactly contrary. One thing has however been shown to be un answerable, and as it stands it almost does away with the advisability of entering upon the question of altering the present system of rating, and it is this— from the amount of local rates there has to be yearly deducted a sum, in many cases an exceedingly large sum, for hospitals and charit able aid. The rates as now raised on the improved value of the properties makes every one in proportion to their means subscribe to these hospital rates, the rich man living in his house rented at £200 a year and the poor man living in a cottage at £10 a year, though both might occupy the same area of land. Ask anyone what he tbink3 of this, and he will pay that it is perfectly right, and so do we, but the curious part in that the Government under the peculiar idea of lightening the burdens of the poor ratepayer propose*--that the rich man and the poor man who may happen to occupy equally valuable sections of land shall pay tqual rates towards the hospitals and charitable aid ! This is exactly what would occur if the rating on unimproved values wast brought into force in this Borough. We will just give an instance of such a case we have suggested, as can be found in Ihe Main street. Take the quarter acre section occupied by Messrs P. Hennessy & Co. with the retail storp and granary, and the quarter acre eection occupied by Mrs P. Collins. The land is valued at almost the same figure, but the buildings are by no means the same, yet the rates on those two properties would be exactly alike. Then it is possible to compare Whyte's Hotel with other buildings on a similar area, and it would be found that the people who own land would be unfortunately hard hiU We have not mentioned anything about absentee lands, as we have not much of that description here, but there must be absentee holders of property in every town, and we do think that a law acting in a manner against their interests is bound to depreciate the value of all property by lessening the circle of buyers. Thus for present gain of a frw pounds from the present absentee holders, the residents might find they would in the long run suffer. There is another side yet to be put, which is longingly looked at by those who think improvements would be encouraged if exempted from taxa* tion, yet we much doubt if this would really be the means of creating any material increase in improve ments, for firstly an improvement is made for the comfort or business needs of the owner, and secondly, the rates on the assumed rental could hardly be considered a bar in having them made. We shall return again to this subject.

Mr George Lamb left for Wellington yesterday afternoon with the best wishes ot the community he has for the past three years been connected with. The Poll for the Borough Council ' election is now being held, but there 1 is not much interest shown as to the ' result.

Mr Howe, of Moutoa, informs us that he has taken very decided measures to remove the pests from his orchard— that of cutting his fruit trees down. We regret to hear this as Mr Howe had some very fine apples, and such c rctreme measures were not necessary. We fear that the Orchard Pests Bill v !11 drive many another settler to act th # .s way if it happens to pass. Magistrates view matters very differently. Judge Kettle at Wanganui refuse 1 to give a person a certificate of fitr.sss to hold a publican's license, but Mr Greenfield, S.M., took occasion t ) say on Tuesday morning at the Palmerston Licensing Meeting that he had granted this person a certificate of fitness. We wonder which magistrate had the best knowledge of the facts ? Draught horses are both scarce and dear. Mr George Coley however bought three at Wellington just landed from the South. They are four-year olds, and are broken-in. He fancies them very much and they are of a fine stamp, but so they should be, as the three totalled a cost of over £100. After a good deal of talking a start has been made at actual building at the Sanatorium at the Heads, Mr Andrew Jonson having got the frame work of two three-roomed cottages up. These he intends to furnish and let, and he is satisfied that they will pay well. When these are finished Mr Jonson will erect a cottage in the same locality for Mr Alf. Fraser. A letter has been received from Mrs Aitkens who states that she arrived in London all well with her family, and was very much surprised to find her husband (the Rev. George Aitkens) waiting to welcome her. It will be remembered that Mr Aitken went Home by the Vancouver route with some idea of visiting the Klondyke. A short time ago Mr J. A. Perreau bought from the Rev. James Duncan all that land between the railway and schoolhouse, at, it is said, £24 per acre. We understand that Mr Perreau will soon erect some dwellings upon thia land, which would certainly be in an exceedingly healthy and pleasant position. A trumpeter of the s.s. Britannia's band learned on reaching Home on the last voyage that he had come in for a title and £800 a year. When the residents assisted Herbert Saville to travel South to consult Dr Mackenzie we were all sorry to hear the decided opinion he gave that the loss of sight must be permanent. A new doctor, reckoned superior to any in the colony having lately arrived out, the relations of Mr Saville sent him South again to see what he could do, but again the decision was against all hope. Frank Keen, licensee af the Victoria Hotel, Napier, was fined £3 and costs with an endorsement on his license for Sunday trading. The funds raised for Mr Saville, who has lost his sight, have been paid into the Charitable Aid Board, and become thus doubled by the Government contribution. The amount will be expended in the purchase of a cottage, which will be moved to a site almost opposite the school-teacher's residence, a piece of land having been obtained from the Rev. James Duncan. It is being arranged that the property shall be placed in the hands of trustees. Some remarkable revelations were made in the Insolvency Court Adelaide during the examination of John Curtis, turf commission agent. The insolvent said he began as a bottle gatherer, and amassed large profits, afterwards turning his attention to the turf, from which he gained a handsome income, although unable to read or write. Some idea of his transactions was given in the statement that in two years he paid away by cheque £6,800, of which £4,900 was drawn in the space of 12 months. In addition he made £150 from the gates at Onkaparinga during two successive years. The following historical incident is in connection with Dr Howard, rector of St. George's Southwark, and chaplain to the Dowager Princess of Wales, at the latter end of the last century. This eminent divine was invariable in a state of impecunionity, and the tradesmen for miles around were all his creditors. One Sunday he preached from the text, "Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all," a passage gratifying to the feelings of an audience most of whom had waited long and patiently for payment of their bills, and who now saw, or imagined they saw, a pleasing consummation of their wishes. He dwelt at considerable length on the blessings and duty of patience, till it' was time to close, and then said, " Now, brethren, I have come to the second part of my discourse, which is, 'And I will pay ye all, 1 but tnat I shall defer to a future opportunity." The wreck of the French frigate Danae, which was sunk in Trieste Harbor in 1812, has been successfully raised. The Danae (says the Daily News) had 350 men and 44 guns on board, and was blown up through an explosion on board, the cause of which has remained unknown, on the sth of September in that year. All Trieste suffered, chimneys fell, and doors sprang off their hinges. Not a window-pane remained intact, and the houses on the quay were all more or less damaged. Besides all men on board, many persons walking on the quay were killed. Ships caught fire and were destroyed. The French Governor gave orders that the catastrophe should be hushed up, and the details as well as the cause remained a secret. It is believed that the wreck contains a large sum of money in gold and valuable trinkets intended for a famous beauty of the period. General Pando and his secretary have left Cuba for Spain, taking 12,---000,000 francs with them. A consignment of Tasmanian black oppossums has just been liberated at Paikakariki. The cost of valuing the TaratahiCarterton road district by the Government was £500, against £200 for the whole country of Wairarapa South by the local body.

The Prince of Wales has so far recovered from the injury to his kneecap which he received towards the end of July that he has been allowed to make an attempt to walk. Among the papers of the Astor Library, New York, there is a copy of an old song which was popular in the days of a Dutch occupation of the then New Amsterdam. It was brought over from Holland, and was sung to the tune of the present "Yankee Doodle." The first line ran— "Yung fru Dude? will'st mi haven " (Mistrees Dudel, will you have me?) When the English took New Amsterdam they adopted its songs and pastimes, and " Yung fru Dudel " became " Yankee Doodle." The Education Department has had some experiences of the youthful capabilities as it has addressed a circular to each Education Board in the colony affirming the necessity for a special certificate signed by an Education Board's Inspector being issued to pupils who have passed the Sixth Standard. The necessity arises from the fact that applicants for positions where it is essential that the applicants shall have passed the Sixth Standard may so easily, under present conditions, forge signatures to the blank certificates they hold on their passes for the lower standards. The annual meeting of the local Cricket Club is to be held next Friday at 8 p.m. in the Anglican Schoolroom. The report and balance sheet shows a healthy condition of things, and there is every probability of a very large membership for the coming season. On June 3rd the United States Government made a contract for flour which would make colonial millers' mouths water. It was for 300,000 barrels of "winter wheat straights," prompt delivery, to be packed in halfbarrels, at 3-33d01. per half-barrel. The equivalent in sterling is £13 15s per ton, or, say, £412,500 for the whole contract. The price is much higher than the average price of the day, but doubtless it was affected by terms and position of delivery, promptness being an important feature. The name of the firm securing this great contract of nearly half .a million sterling is Messrs Austin, Nichols and Co. They do things on a Niagara I scale in America.