MOUTOA ESTATE.

Shannon News, 4 July 1922, Page 3

MOUTOA ESTATE.

GOVERNMENT ASKED TO TAKE IT OVER.

Taking advantage of a clause in the Valuation Act, the owners of 4218 acres, comprising part of the Moutoa Estate on the road from Foxton to Shannon, have, a Standard reporter learned last week, called upon the Government to take over the property at the owners’ valuation. Some time ago a Government re-valuation of the land * was made at £112,000, but. the owners—who have carried their objections to the Assessment Court—contended that it should be reduced to £90,000. The Court sustained the revaluation, and-accordingly the owners have requested the Government to take over the land at their own valuation, failing a reduction in the assessment to that amount.

•The property, according to evidence given at the Assessment Court, is situated about a mile from the main road, and is largely flax-bearing,, being all low-lying swamp, in the centre of a basin, and being subject to frequent floods. In 1916 the valuation of £8 per- acre included the growing of flax, which is cut only once in four years. The royalty the owners receive now is 12/6 a ton, whereas it had been 40/ a ton. The land is not used for anything but flax growing, except to graze a few head of stock. It was also stated at the sitting of the Assessment Court that it was not a place that would sell if cut up 'into allotments, as the risk of floods from the Manawatu River was too great. Last year the total returns amounted to £6913 net. The land tax came to over £3OOO, and the county anddrainage taxes made up another £1090..