ASSESSMENT COURT.

Patea Mail, Volume IV, Issue 409, 19 March 1879, Page 2

ASSESSMENT COURT.

Thursday, March 13. ... (Before C..A. Wray, Esq., judge.) - / PAT BA WEST ROAD BOARD.. The adjourned’ sitting 6E the above Court, was held atribS'KfekarameaTown Hall, for the purpose’: of taking additional evidence .with.respect;..tq properties Avbicli ‘ tl>e owners cqnsiderad rated too high.. Mr,\y. pale, Valuer for the Board,, appeared to •support'his valuation ; ahd ; each 6f tire objectoVs s conducted their own cases. The objectors had obtained the services of Messrs J. Livingstone, Moore Hunter, and Owen Hawes, to estimate the value, of their properties ■;/and Mr Dale called Messrs W.. Cowern and E. Greenway in support of his’-yaluation. Mr. E. M. Honeyfield’s was the first case called oh. 550 acres df land near, the sea coast had 'been > valued at 5s per acre to let, being 5 per centv’cn. a selling, value of £5 per acre, The'.eyiderice., for, the objector was to the effect that, tire land -was only- worth .50s. per acre. Mr W. Cowern valued it at £5 10s per acre tb £6, and Mr Green way at "per acre. Tire Court decided to disallow Hie Objection, and confirmed the valuation,-Willi'costs against the objector 30s. ... Win. Balmforth to a rate of 12s-5d upon. 264 acres , near Manutahi. Tire evidence fo|: .the,objector was to the effect that the property was only worth JSS-lOs to £9, pet ac:«T - ' Under cruss-.; examination by Mr'Dale,’ Mr Livingstone swore that he only "considered the land would be worth £3 10s .per acre if there were no improvements npon it. In support of the ..valuation, .Mr .Green way put it down at £l3, and Mr. W., Cowern at £l3 ; but. when cross-examined, the latter gentleman. stated that if the property was put up at a forced sale it ,might only fetch £l2 10s per acre. -The Court considered that there being a doubt as to whether this particular property had not been valued •too-, high, it , would reduce the valuation from 12s 5d to 12s per acre. 1 James Ball, objected to a rate of 13s upon bis fanrypf 553 aciea. : The evidence for the objector was tb : the effect that £ll was a fair nihrket 'value, cabh- of the witnesses admitting the property was one of the' best hi ? the 'district., Mr W. Coweni and Mr E. Green way. valued it at £l4 per acre. Objection, disallowed, with costs 30s, to bo paid by objector. Andrew Hunter objected to a valuation of. 10s IQdjicr acre. .Messrs Livingstone, Hunter, and Hawes, oil behalf; of the objector, vdlued ifc at £8 10s per acre ; Mr .Greemvay'at £ll 10s, and Mr. Cowein at £ll. The.objector pleaded that he had a very bad’road leading to: his place,-and that he could not take a load on a dray with horses for about six months in the year; that there was a large extent of bush on his place, and a number of very bad gullies in the* bush and on the open land. In this case the Cpurt decided to reduce the valuation from 10a lOd to 10s per acre. , Peter Campbell obe)cted to the valuation' placed upon 60£ acres near Manutahi, and 53 acres near ;Tauiuaha . Reserve. In this case the objector , built an expensive house and made other. improvements on the first mentiqnedjjlace, which Was valued by his witnesses'at £l6 per acre ; by’Mr ' Dale at £2l ss, by‘Mr "Green way at ‘£2l 10s, and by Mf '-GbWern at £22 10a. The other property was valued on behalf of the objector, at £3 'los per acre, and by Messrs Dale, Cowprny and--Green way, at £7. The Court.cbhaidored it was a very difficult matter to decide on the value of the property which the objector, had spent a large shin on improvements, but would give him the benefit of the doubt, and 'fix, the value af£l9 lOSpefacre. The other property would be of less value if the owner was debarred from going_ through an adjoining -jifdperty ,to get to it, owing to the road not made, and would • therefore assess the value at £5 per acre.' R. B. Pearce objected tpa valuation 'of 10s 2d per:acre upon his,farm of 480 acres. His evidence valued the place at £7 10s per acre ; Mr W. Cowern at £ll 10s per’ acre, and Mr Greenwaj’.at.about £lO 10s.Valuation confirmed ; costs to be paid-by objector, 30?. , ' ,- : Messts Balinforth, Hunter, and Campbell appHed for their three witnesses, 'two* of them haying;been. braughtSff'OiD : Hawera,; and Mr Dale objected On, the ground that, practically, his valuation had been .*'tiphela, ,? - :: mat''’w v -hM-vnbt-;been., shown that, gross mistakes had,been made,' that the Court had ':simply given the objectors the benefit of a doubt, which was hot sufficient to earry costs'. Court ruled that it would not be fair-togive the objectors costs,:-.because the-' alterations made were so slight, and ruled accordingly. The Court, which had sat for six hours and a half, then adjourned.