Parliament.

Manawatu Herald, 5 November 1904, Page 2

Parliament.

SOME OF OUR MEMBERS DOINGS. From Hansard we gain the following clippings anent the doings of Mr Vile, M.H,R., in the House ADDRESSED TO HON. MR MILLS. Mr Vile to ask the Minister in charge of the Valuation Department. If he will instruct the Valuer-General, when appointed, to issue positive instructions to his District Valuers to'use'care and judgment in their valuations, so that land and property owners Shall have the full benefit of every item of expenditure, seen and unseen, put upon the land ? (Note. —Complaints are now very general that from 25 to 50 per cent of the value of improvements put upon lands is not credited to owners). —25th Oct. Reply,—District Valuers have received very careful instructions from time to time as to the method of valuing improvements. They have been cautioned not to. accept any boom values, but to do their utmost to obtain a fair, equitable, and bed- 51 rock value of the land and improvements, so that it may be used either for levying rates upon, or for Lending Advances to Settlers Office money upon. Sometimes objections reach the Department on the score tljat improvements are valued too low; and at other times that they are valued too high; but the nature of the objection depends very largely upon whether the local body levies its rates;~on the unimproved value only or op the improvements as well, and this is where the difficulty arises. Valuers will be again instructed to exercise every care in placing on all improvementsJffieir fair valtie in accordance witlL the terms of the Act. Mr. Vile to ask the Government, Whether, seeing that no provision ha? been made in accordance with the request of various local bodied by petition to have the Greatford-Levin Railway placed in the Railways Authorisation Bill, they will agrefe to make an Order in Council under the Tramways Act,—(i) To empower the Horowhenua County Council, jointly with the Foxton Borough Council, to construct a light line of railway, if these local bodies so desire, between Foxton and Levin; and (2) .to empower the Rangitikei County Council, together with the Bull’s Town Bbard, to construct a light line of railway, it these local bodies so desire, between the present terminus of the Manawatu County Council’s light railway near Bull’s and Greatford ? —2Bth Oct Reply .—The Tramways Act provides for the construction of tramways. ’ On reference to that Act the honourable member will see what is'' necessary should the local bodies desire to construct the lines referred to.