LAND VALUES IN CANTERBURY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3126, 28 July 1892, Page 2

LAND VALUES IN CANTERBURY.

The Canterbury Press thus refer.? to the land tax valuations and the results of the Courts of Reviewers held in North Canterbury.—The policy of the Government is admittedly to punish the landowners, more especially the large landowners, and the men who have been called in to adjudicate fairly between the taxpayers and the taxgatherer are those who support that policy. Is it surprising, then, to find widespread dissatisfaction at the result of their labours ? It may safely be said that, in the districts in which the Boards havo sat, the unimproved value of land, after deducting the unexhausted improvements, has been fixed on the average at from 25 to 50 per cent, above actual value, based either on its earning or on it 3 cash selling value. There has in fact been a deliberate attempt made to raise the unimproved value of land above its real selling value, and the attempt has on the whole been successful, The Government have, in the manner we have described, bean able to give practical effect to their policy of bnrsting-np, and the safeguards on which tho public had a right to depend for protecting them against unronsonabl* valuations have not been effective.