GOVERNMENT VALUATION OF LAND.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8224, 30 August 1906, Page 5

GOVERNMENT VALUATION OF LAND.

. MK KIKKBFIJOE'S AMENDMENT BILL. By Telegraph—Press Association, WELLINGTON, August 28. 'ln the House of Representatives last evening, Mr M. M. Kirbbride (iVlanukau) moved the second reading of the Government Valuation of Land Act Amendment Bill. He said that there was much dissatisfaction throughout the country at the high valuations made. 'The farmer was greatly haudioapped by having to meet ao many Government officials arrayed against him. Under tbe present syttam the Valuatiou Court was one sided, and the farming community shrank from it. He mentioned the instance of an owner who complained reoeutly that he fcund the procedure more like that of a criminal than a Civil Court. The public could not be expected to have any confidence in a court exclusively appointing its own judges. The valuers moreover always managed to keep objectors from going into court. They never spent enough time over their work of valuation, and they unduly boomed values, br is proved by the faot of the increase during tbe last tnree years of the un/mproved value by no loss than 28 millions sterling. These valuers were thrswn into their districts in a careless fashion. They valued the good and the bad alike, and they declared they had no instructions. Tho proper remedies were classification of the lands, and the simplification of the system of valuing. Above ail things the valuers should nnt be allowed to ask owners if they would aocept the v&Jue plaoed on their lands. For hie part he had answered the query by intimating that his farm was not for sale, and indeed he would not sell at any valuation, for which he resembled his neighbours, who, like him, were too old to pull up stakes and find other farms. These high values were disquieting. In England, at the end of the last eentury, land fell from 30 to 50 per cent., and good farms in some instances could scarcely be let at all. "That is what we have to guard against here," said tbe speaker. Moreover, this high taxation was frequently a tax on the profits of a man's labour. He called upon Mr Laurenson, Mr Ell, Mr Fowlds and others who were always objecting to the taxation of labour to support this Bill. He mentioned tbe case of a friend, whose interest in a leasehold was valued at £3,500 by the Department, who appealed to the Valuation Court, which reduced his value to £2,175, and who very shortly afterwards sold that interest for £375. after mentioning other oases Mr Kirkbride said that the utmost was squeezed out of the owners. As a remedy the Bill simply proposed to give looal bodies the power to appoint one uf the assessors of the Court.

The Minister for -Lands said he did not intend to oppose the Bill. He dad been enquiring into the matter, and had prepared a scheme exactly on the lines of the hon. gentleman's Bill, tfor his part he would have preferred to give the appointment of fan assessor to the owners, but had found the difficulty so great that he fell back on the local bodies as the hon. gentleman bad done. The instructions to the valuers were that they were not to follow the laat sales at whioh values often were boomed up unduly, but to consider all the sales of whioh lists were supplied. The endeavour was to produce uniformity of valuation from the North Cape to the Bluff, and things wfcre working out well. He defended the practice of valuing on the selling value. The valuation?, he felt sure, were nowhere excessive. It wa9 largely a oase of discontent on the part of owners, because they had not a Representative on that court. Mr Massey found the Minister's statement fairly satisfactory. He endorsed everything the member for Manakau had said, and he took exception to several of the assessors appointed. Mr Flatman was glad of the Bill, and still more glad of the statement of tbe Minister. The credit, however, of bringing about a better state of tbinßS was due to his side of the House, whioh had trusted the Government, and rightly, as the Minister's statement proved.

Messrs Buddo, T. Maokenzie and C. Mills, followed on the subject of valuation generally. Mr Tanner urged that the Bill should be amended so as to enable tho ohairman of a local body to be appointed an assessor of the Valuation Court. - Mr Ell objected to the Bill, insisting that owners aie satisfied for the most part, and that the evidence of substantial objection is much overrated. He thought the interest of the landowners sufficiently pruteoted under the present system. Messrs Rutherford, Witty and Gray supported the Bill. Mr Laurenson opposed the Bill, giving an instance within his knowledge in wbich sales had been effected at prices greatly over the Department's valuations.

Messrs Major, Hull and Allison supported the Bill. Mr Kirk bride replied expressing satisfaction with the statement of the Minister. Kg replied particularly to Messrs Ell and Laurenson, the ODly opponents of the Bill that 1 the proposed appointment of the assessor waa on all fours with the tatiou of labour Ly assessors ou the Arbitration Court. .Referring to Mr Ell's statement; that only 3,000 objections had been ruade last year out of 92,000 valuations ho maintained that this croved his contention that the owners had no confidence in tiae one-aided valuation of the court. 'A'he Bill was reao a second tiaie on fie voices.