OTUROA SOLDIER SETTLEMENT.

Shannon News, 28 November 1924, Page 3

OTUROA SOLDIER SETTLEMENT.

REVALUATIONS NOT ALL SATIS-

FACTORY.

FOUR OUT OF SEVEN SETTLERS SATISFIED. A meeting of the Oturoa soldier settlers, 'convened by the. local president of the R.S.A- (Mr G. D. Hamilton) was held yesterday, for the purpose of! learning the settlers.' views regarding the recent, valuations, of their sections.

As at the Kuku .-meeting, held last week'/ there, were, complaints of discrepancy m valuations wiaen reckoned on an economic basis. That tne jLanus Department is prepared to recognise tne. mistakes oi tne i J urchase lizard, by giving liberal reductions, is tiVMienc'eu, oy.tiie fact ..tnat in one section in the settlement, tne capuai price nas been reduced from £3O per

acre to £B, • andv in another irpm to ii.lT.ss, but •it must be pointed, tnu

mat ooth these sections have a. large proportion of uiteir area composed, m rupiii covered it is un in.u more fertile, farina that the discrepancy of yaiuation is. complained w. Here, it is. stated, men who have kept their payments paid up-to-date, nave received comparatively legs consideration, than ha,v.q those, whose payments have got into arrears. Four out of seven fif the men. in the settlement expressed themselves as satisfied with the revaluations. The settlers, contended that the valuations made had been interfered with by the Lands Department, and claimed that the report of the Valuation Committee, regarding sections, shoujld'be available to the settler concerned, or even made public, a course to which they would (have no objection. The matter of. the, value on which County rates should be assessed, whether the old, or the amended valuation, was discussed at length, the settlers being unanimous that t/his should be adjusted to the new figure. It w.as to. support a deputa- ) tion of soldiers settlers from the vari ious settlements, to wait on. the ( County Council at its next meeting, to I place their views before the Council. !Mr B. Everton was appointed local I delegate on the deputation.