COURT OF PETTY SESSIONS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 256, 26 December 1872, Page 7

COURT OF PETTY SESSIONS.

(Before Vincent Pyke, tfsq., R M.. Chairman, Dr. Stewart, J.P., and J. F. Herbert, Esq., J.?.) APPEALS AGAINST THE MUNICIPAL AS-

SESSMENTS.

Af ter hearing the evidence ia some of the cases their Worships retired, and on eomin^ into Court,

The Chairman said that the Bench resolved to adopt a definite rule, and to lay down some scale for the guidance of assessors, present and future, so that "our Council -*rill .be better able to calculate with more ceij^ainty their corporate inconie, and th© citizens generally will be relieved frotn the jealous imprassion of unequal rating, ike scale which the Bench had agreed to adopt, was as tollows: — On unimproved land the rate was. fixed by the Act at not less than 5 per cent, which certainly seemed to be an error, because in effect it offered a premium to speculation, and a reward to those who did not improve, which was opposed to sound policy. He could only regard this proviso as a mistake of the parson employed to draft the Act ; but it was, and the Court was bound oy it. The scale must b« 5 per cent and no more for "unimproved" land. On improved land (and a fence even meant impr.ivenent under the Act,) the Court had ixed ten per cent on the fair annual value. On houses and buiUia£B it was customary in all civilized communities to make some deduction from the annual value, so as to allow for repairs, &c. The Court had, therefore, decided on tiding the valuation (excluding fractions) at three-fourths of the animal value. Of course, the rent paid in any case would aot necessarily determine the annual value, as houses sometimes reached dearly and sometimes cheaply. But from these general rules, future valuators might perhaps be able to render such assessment as would be fair to the citizens, and satisfactory to the Corporation. •

The following are* the names of the appellants, the amounts of the original asspssments, and the reductions made : —

Edward Fowler, section IS, block V} assessed at LlO ; reduced t<> L 4. # H. L. Squires, section It, block VII - L4O-T.30. G. W. Adams, sections 10, 11, and 12, block V ; section 10 — Ls— L 4 ijbeeotion 11 LSO— L3O; section 12-^8— L 4 : section 18, block XXX X-L3-Ll.

Herbert and Co., sections 1 -and 2, hlocit 111— L220 -L 18 0; auction 5, block lir— LlO-Lo^; sectior^ block VIII— L6— L4 ; sections 2 to 7, block Xll— Llfi

Ll2 ; sections 18, 19, 20, block XII— L 7 10s.— L6 ; sections 21, 22, 23, bl.<ck Xirr— L6— L3 ; sections I and 2, block XXfT— LS-L2; 19and*20, block XXH — 15— L2 ; secerns 1 to 8, 13, 14, 15, 16, block XXXI— L3O— L2S.

W. E. Farrer, aseit for Hank of Uew South Wales, part of section I, block 11 — L2OO-Ll5O.

W. R. Farrer, sections 1 to 15; blnclf X— L4O— L3O ; sections 1 to 4, block LV— L-#£s ; section 12, block XI— LB— L2.

James Middlemiss, section 9, block XL— L'32— lis3o ; sections 9to 13, block XII -L 2& —145 : aection 2. block XL— L4Q-L3o* Brerbert, TVlaokney, and Co., section 13. block Itl— L4O— L3O. .

John Mouat. part of section '3a. "block T-LSO-L35.

Charles Lindsay, Baction §, block "VIII 4 section 14, block XXV. No appearance. Robert M'Kiramie, sections 10 -to 15^ Wook XLTX, and sections 3, 4, 8, 3, 1 A% fclook I^-rrrSOs, per»cre— !os. .per«cre v