EGMONT COUNTY VALUATIONS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 156, 27 July 1909, Page 4

EGMONT COUNTY VALUATIONS

INCREASE OF NEARLY HALF A MILLION. '" About five years ago at this time the "coast" was up in arms against the Valuation Department. Objections to the revision of values throughout the district rained thick upon the authorities, and assessment courts which sat at Opunake and Eahotu for the settlement of matters in dispute had a busy time, f the Deputy Valuer-General appearing on the one side and several members of the legal profession representing the views of the objectors, the latter in some instances becoming considerably "mixed" by the ever-reeurring ''owner's interest,' "lessee's interest," "unimproved value," "unearned increment," and so on, phrases which fell glibly from the lips of the valuers and objectors. The chief difficulty was that the lessees' interest in improvements was considered to be under-valued. Much of the land there is leased under the West Coast Settlement Reserves Act, and the work of the valuers in reconciling t!ie various interests is not easy. Another revision of tihe values ther e has just been completed by Mr. S. Hill, district valuer, and the increase in values 1 amounts to £480,000. The Rahotu nd- ' ing, which extends from the Puniho road ; to the Taungataura river, has been in- ' creased from £032,375 to over £008,000; [ and the Oeo riding from £272,069 to ' over . £425,000. The valuation necessi- ! tated 1082 entries, of which 812 were in 1 the Rahotu riding. Objections were few. 1 Thero were five on the Puniho road, all 1 of which were withdrawn upon, cx- * planatior. by the valuer; three at Wa- ' rea,Where slight reductions were wado; " one at Pungarehu; valuation sustained; four at Rahotu, slight reductions made; ' Pihania, four objections, two slight res duetions made, one withdrawn, and one 1 was merely a protest; between Rahotu • and Opunake there were no objections 1 made. No Assessment Court will, thcre--1 fore, be needed. None of the objectors were people who would have to pay land-tax.