Wairarapa Times-Age WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1943. CONTROLLING LAND VALUES.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 September 1943, Page 2

Wairarapa Times-Age WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 1943. CONTROLLING LAND VALUES.

iAN opportunity may or may not arise in the near future of attempting to improve on the provision made in the beivicemen’s Settlement and Land Sales Act, passed in the closing stage of last session, with a view to preventing an inflation o± land values, particularly during the period of the re-estab-lishment in civil life of members of the armed forces, the possibility of improving on the procedure laid down in the Act no doubt will depend largely on the outcome of the impending election, but reason remains for believing that this procedure is capable of being improved upon, with advantage to service men and others concerned. Many of those, in and outside Parliament, who felt that the Bill which has since become an Act was cumbersome and failed to concentrate effectively on the important purpose it was ostensibly intended to serve—that of protecting from exploitation men' who have fought for their country—admittedly were in a difficulty in not being able offhand to suggest in specific terms alternative protective methods preferable to those proposed by the Government. This does not of necessity mean, however, that it is impossible to devise methods which would be a considerable improvement on those provided in the Act. A suggestion made by a correspondent whose letter appeared in our open columns yesterday appears to offer at least the basis for a simple method, and one that probably might be made thoroughly effective, of preventing the sale of land in town or country at prices unfairly inflated. The suggestion was, in brief, that all land should be offered for sale by intending sellers at a price to be fixed by ordinary arbitration in every case, the buyer and the ■ seller each to appoint an arbitrator, and those arbitrators to appoint an umpire to act in case of disagreement. It seems probable that under this simple procedure full protection could be given to service men and others acquiring land or houses and a good deal done to stabilise and standardise values. As our correspondent pointed out, the extra expense of this arbitration procedure would not be very heavy and would be very much less than the costs to the parties concerned and to lhe community of the elaborate system of control by a Land Sales Court and committees which the new Act provides. Some safeguards no doubt would be necessary in regard to the qualifications of arbitrators and against any possibility of fraudulent collusion. An overwhelming weight of opinion favours giving service men maximum protection against exploitation and doing everything that is possible to prevent a repetition of the outrageous inflation of land values -which occurred after the last Avar. The question of -whether these essential aims might not be achieved better and more effectively under the simple procedure suggested by our correspondent than under the legislation lately passed, seems, however, to have every claim to consideration.