The Daily News. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1919. REVALUATION OF LAND.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 September 1919, Page 4

The Daily News. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1919. REVALUATION OF LAND.

One of the most important financial matters connected with national administration is the maintenance of an equitable basis of taxation, and yet it is difficult to find a more neglected business than that of valuation of the land, which is the backbone of the country's revenue. It is not surprising the Farmers' Union should pass a resolution that revaluations should be made at intervals of not let? than seven years, and thai members of Parliament should be exercised regarding the neglect of this important work in recent years. It is manifest to the meanest intelligence that unless land values are continually revised and brought up-to-date there must be considerable injustice owing to a portion of the land owners having to pay on recent assessments, while others are let off lightly owing to the absence of revaluation for several years. Apart from the injustice and inequity of this want of system the revenues of the Government and the public bodies suffer materially. A land owner who wants to sell, or borrow from the Advances to Settlers Office is naturally willing to have his assessment raised as high as possible, so also does the man who wants to prevent his land being acquired by the Government and takes advantage of the secret subsidiary valuation roll, whereon his land can be set down at his valuation, thus forcing the Government to put on his land a valuation that would be too high to be utilised for Government acquisition—a species of fraud whereby the Government, for the sake of receiving increased taxation, makes itself a party to M'liat may prove a fictitious valuation intended to defeat State purchases for closer settlement, and impede greater production. For the generality of land owners', v:ho are making a living- out of agricultural and pastoral pursuits, there should be a square deal, and this cannot be meted out unless there is a complete revaluation of land at stated intervals. At present there is no system in this work, as will be seen from the following list showing the date of the last valuations of counties in the province of Taranaki: Stratford 1909, Whangamomona 11109, Clifton 1911, Taranaki 1912-13, "Waimate 1913, Hawera 1910-13, Ohura 1913, Egmont 1914, Eltham 1914, Patea 1915, Awakino 1916. It may further be stated that as many as thirty-four counties in the North Island, aggregating nearly 20,000 square miles were last valued at dates varying from 1907 to 1914, while in the South Island there are twenty-five, counties covering over thirty thousand square miles in a like position. Those who knew how the price of land has been soaring can readily grasp the fact that in recent years the increase in the valuation has been considerable. Between 1912 and 1918 the valuation of Manawatu County increased 52 per cent, West Taupo 439 per cent, Matamata 167 per cent, J and other counties in proportion. ! The rich country of Waipa has not ' tssi £sv#lued §ince 1313, s£qg |t

stood at £2,013,210, and in the light of the case where land valued at £12,700 was offered for soldiers at £42,000 some conception may be obtained of the amount of money that is being lost in revenue from taxation. The Government Advances office protects itself behaving a separate valuation in the case of each applicant for an advance, but if the work of the Valuation Department was brought up-to-date there would be no need for this expense. The excuse put forward in the House on Thursday by the Minister of Finance that the Department has not a sufficient staff to revalue the lands of the Dominion at short inintervals owing to the officers being away at the front is merely an admission that the Department is deficient in organisation, and ignores the fact that the services of competent and reliable valuers outside the Government staff are obtainable if the remuneration offered is adequate for the skilled work and experience necessary for the task. The fact is that although there are a few thoroughly competent men for the work in the employ of the State there are far more who would be better engaged on other duties. There is no department which needs more urgently the best men that can be obtained—men who are beyond all temptation to accept bribes; men of untiring energy, and men who should be paid liberally and allowed adequate expenses. This is where the Government, past and present, has been at fault. An expert valuer is worth £IOOO a year and valuer is worth £IOOO a year and he could earn every penny of his pay. The Government would find no difficulty in getting competent outside valuers of the right stamp, and there is no question that their services would be a good investment for the country. The loss that is now going on owing to the old valuations remaining appears to be viewed with complacency, but it is none the less serious. A complete revaluation of the lands of the Dominion is an imperative duty. The Farmers' Union made a suggestion on Thursday that, as valuations were not always carried out in a just : manner, improvements not being given fair value for and unimproved values in some cases being raised 100 per cent., a local man should act witli the Government valuer. This would be all right where the valuer was an outsider, but no man is entitled to do valuation work who has not a close acquaintance with the district in which he is centred. This knowledge canuot be gained in a day or a year; it is the result of a lifetime's.experience of local conditions. Imagine a stranger doing valuation work in Taranaki! He would be hopelessly lost and ; his work be entirely without value. ilf the Department offered adequate inducement it could get competent men, but whilst it pursuets its present inefficient and parsimonious course it will never obtain or retain a staff possessing the requisite standing and talent and the confidence of the settlers.