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Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 43, 9 March 1878, Page 2

learn from Christchurch ff^t 600 objections have been lodged i against the Borough Assessment. The Borough Council of that place are th.etn.s.el vets very much dissatisfied with the way m which the property has be.en assessed, and will be likely to, support most of these appeals. The Btating Act of 1876 has placed the assessment of the valuer b.eyond the controjl of thelocal go verning body . That body has no power to alter or reject the valuation except by appealing to the Assessment Court. Thus, hoAYever incorrect a valuation may b.e, ( there is no means of getting ft revised; until it co.mes before the j public with all its defects, when both the ratepayers and the Council or Board will have to abidje b.y it uni less, they elect to, bring their grieI vance into the Assessment Court. Happily this district has been so far spared the affliction of incompe- , ten,t valuators, the work o£ these | officers havinpy we believe, m every I instance given a very general satis-, faction. But it is evident that , under the present Rating Act (pro- , vided the local bodies adhere strictly to its provisions); there is no protec- ; tion against incompetent valuers, i except that afforded by that dernier 1 ressart, the law cou.rt. ' 'The Christchurch " Star,'* m commenting upon the, present difficulty, ; refers, to, the system; obta.in.tng m the | other colonies. There, the valuator ' has to send m his assessment to the : local body for aadoptionn n and if it does not approve it can amend or reject. When the list comes before j tjhe. Assessrdenjt Court it is the list of tha Council or 8.0.a,rd, and not of [the indi\;idua,l valu^tory We. agree with our contemporary that th\s plan is preferable, and we suspect i that it is to some extent adopted m : New Zealand, despite, the law being. ' against it. Christchurch has, how--ever, acted m. strict conformity wjth 'the. * Bating Act." Although the ' Council saw that the. assessment was s a bungle they did not interfere with it, and the outcome is a vast amount ■ of popular* dissatisfaction and inconvenience^ a.n<3; the local body being-- brought into\ contempt. We • trus^ that there will be. a still fur- ' ther outcome m. the way of aniend-, ment to the Eating A.ct, so : as to present any repetition of so gigantic. a,n appeal to, Ijhe Assessment Court.