FOXTON BOROUGH RATING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3910, 23 February 1929, Page 3

FOXTON BOROUGH RATING.

MOVEMENT FOR RECLASSIFICATION OF FARM LANDS. REVALUATION SUGGESTED BY CHAMBER, OF .COMMERCE. Foxton’s position with regard to rates .and rating was subjected to a somewhat lengthy debate at the monthly meeting of the Foxton ChaJmber of Commerce on Thursday evening. The subject was introduced by the President (Mr. J. R. Hornblow) who said that while the Chamber did not in any way seek to interfere with the Borough Council, but rather, whenever possible, to co-operate with that body, he thought that the subject of rating should receive consideration by mejuibers of the Chamber. At the last meeting of the Borough Council a notice of motion had been tabled iby ,Cr. R. J. Thompson to the effect that the provisions of section 8 of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1928, governing the reduction of farin' lands valuations for rating purposes be adopted. Foxton was rated on the unimproved value and tliis was perhaps, somewhat hard on those possessing farm lands {within the borough. When the Comnflssion was sitting at Otaki some .time ago, going into the matter of rating in that borough the Town Clerk (Mr. Wjm. Trueman) had submitted ai proposal toflthem which would overcome their difficulty, namely, enlarging- the borough to include those on the outskirts who were deriving benefit from the borough, ibis could also be made to apply to Foxton. Another alternative would be to have the whole borough revalued. He had no desire to interfere with the Council, which was an excellent body doing good work, but lie thought the matter of rating came within the province of the Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Christie: Will what is taken off the farm lands be put on to. the remainder of the borough if Cr. Thompsons proposal is carried?

The President: Yes. Continuing, Mr. Hornblow said that those who had purchased farm lauds in the borough had done so knowing what the rates would be.

Mr. Wjm. Trueman (Town Clerk) said he was unable to discuss the matter fro|m a Council point of view but would possibly be able to throw a little light! on the question of rating. Rating on the unimproved had been adopted by the Borough because it restrained people from purchasing land in the borough and holding it to turn it over at some later date at an increase. Rating on the capital value meant the penalising of the person who erected buildings and improvements on his property. It was hardly correct to say that those who had purchased farm lands in the borough had bemi aware of the rates they would have to pay when making the purchase as the rates to-day w'ere far in excess of what they were a few years ago. Those people are in the minority in a borough and are practically unable to oppose any proposal which will mean an increase in their rates possibly to the exclusion of any direct benefit to thejin. The improvements were adopted oil the voice of the majority, the rates rose and they had to pay increased rates accprdingly. There was one thing that was doing a good deal tc increase the rates generally in the borough at present and that was the number of people seeking and obtaining reductions in the values of their properties. The unimproved value of the borough was drifting- away in this way at the rate of between £SOO and £IOOO per annum. If this was to continue then the borough farmer would be quite justilicd in turning around and saying he wanted to be excluded from the borough altogether. That had been done before. In such, a maimer the borough lost a big area of land in the vicinity of Purcell and Patrick Streets. That, of course, would mean another increase in rates, and a substantial one too. A method of assisting to reduce the rates would be to include in the borough some of the outlying parts of the borough which were deriving all the benefits provided by the borough. The question of a revaluation of the whole borough was possibly more important than anything- else, however.

Mr. F. (C. Railces: A revaluation of the borough will solve the whole problem. Mr. Trueman pointed out that at the present time farm properties in the borough were practically unsaleable owing- to the rates. A revaluation of the borough would cost approximately £IOO and the expenditure of £IOO meant the raising of the rates another Id. Mr. J. Ross said that at the present. time the rates of the average property holder were only about 2/- per‘week which was not much when the facilities offered by the borough were taken into consideration. The privilege of having a telephone alone amounted to that much. It was finally decided on the motion of Messrs D. Christie and D. R. Barron, to respectfully recommend the Borough Council to have the borough revalued.