THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. TUESDAY, MAY 2l, 1901.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume III, Issue 152, 21 May 1901, Page 2

THE WAIMATE ADVERTISER. TUESDAY, MAY 21, 1901.

The District Valuation Roll for the Borough of Waimate is an interesting, not to say curious, compilation, and is a striking example of the fearful and wonderful ways of Government Departments. People who own land in the borough and who have owned ifc for many years found they could not vote at the recent elections, and there are still on the roll the names of j many persons who are dead or have long since parted with their property. As for the valuations, they are about as erratic, we should think, as anything of the kind to be found anywhere. Here are a few examples : To begixi with, one would think that the four corners at the intersection of High street with Queen street would, area for area, be of equal value, This is how the j Department do the business. One section of 23 poles is set I

dpwn at £350, one of 22 poles is £550, one of 38 poles, £IOOO, ' while the fourth, which contains 60 poles, is only £-100. Sections of 40 poles in Belt street are valued at £l4, while one of 32 poles can be found in Queen street considered worth only £lO- Taking larger areas, laud on High street, between Belt! -street and Butcher's Lane, is set down at an average of over £3O an acre, while a twenty-acre block with live ' chains frontage, on Queen Street is valued at £25 an acre. We call attention to this matter in I order to show the necessity for ratepayers examining the roll the j next time a valuation is made. It is not enough for each to see that his own valuation is ail right. This is a case in which it is very 'advisable "to look also on the things of others.'' In consequence -of such curious valuation as we have instanced, the Borough valuation is probably 25 per cent, lower than it ought to be, one result of which is that those whose properties are valued fairly, must, for the ensuing year, pay the rates lost on the undervalued properties.

Under Rating o:x An:;n.il Y.\\\v the 11. rough rate of Is i:i tho .2 produced about That was the raiiximnia allowed by law. Under the Municipal Corporations Act of last year tin rating power was increased tocsin the £. The total that could have been raised this year vmder annual value, then, would have been £BOO. Some people are under the impression that the Council can still levy that amount under land value, which is now the basis of rating in the Borough. This, however, is a mistake. The " IJating on Unimproved Value Act, 18%," provides that a rate of fchree-fathings in the S- ori the gross value shall be equal to Is in the £on annual value. It follows that Hd in the £ on the gross valuo is the maximum under the new Act. The gross value of I lie Borough is about £80,300. Therefore £'")()■) is the largest mount the Goiioeil lias power to levy. and this can be done by a rate of (>d in the. £ on land value,