VALUES—SALE OR TAX?

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 735, 7 August 1929, Page 9

VALUES—SALE OR TAX?

GOVERNMENT AS LAND BUYER SOME INTERESTING COMPARISONS (THE SIX’S Parliamentary Reporter j PARLIAMENT BLDGS., Tues. In the financial debate this evening, the Minister of Lands, the Hon. G. W. Forbes, mentioned land and the prices asked by owners when the Governmen: desired to purchase it for settlement purposes. The comparison of the prie asked and the Government valuation •jvas illuminating. Mr. Forbes quoted from a statement showing twelve typical cases of properties offered to the Government. One property, in Wellington district, of an area of 540 acres, carried a Government valuation of £ 23.406, and was offered at £38,581. An Auckland property of 1,500 acres, with Government valuation of £ 19,000, was offered at £40.392.

A Canterbury property, with a Gov ernment valuation of £32,050 was of fered for £41.500.

Another Auckland property, an area of 1,000 acres, with a Government valuation of £lo.Styo, was offered at £24.925.

Yet another Auckland property, area 1.400 acres. Government valuation £11.900, was offered for £21,700. Other properties were: Auckland. —700 acres. Government valuation. £4.965, offered for £28,.380. area. 1.950 acres. Government valuation £13.950, offered for £33,439. Taranaki. —1.050 acres. Government valuation. £4.649. offered for £9.387. Wellington.—l.3so acres. Government valuation. £28.445, offered for £40.830. Westland. —850 acres. Government valuation, £5,490. offered for £12.000.

Mr. Forbes said that these owners paid taxes on Government valuation and got off lightly, but when it came to helping the Government in a diffi cult time, when land was needed to solve the unemployment problem, the owners showed a very poor spirit of patriotism.