147

8.—17b

APPENDIX XXI. Letter from Mrs. E. Weiss, Onehunga. Dear Sir, — Geneva Villa, Church Street, Onehunga. Finding by enclosed notice in New Zealand Herald that you are the member for the Auckland Commission re, valuation of land, may I trespass upon your valuable time to make a few remarks regarding the same. I am not quite sure whether or not your inquiries deal with house properties or with large land estates only. With your kind permission, I will simply state my experience, and leave you to judge, if I am right or wrong. I came to Auckland five eyars ago, and purchased 2 acres of land in Queen Street, Onehunga, with a seven-roomed house upon it, for £1,400. I made some considerable improvements upon both the house and grounds, and later on I built three four-roomed houses upon the frontage of the land. I understand that the Government valuation is now £2,100. It seems to me that one has to pay"for our own expenditure upon improvements, notwithstanding loss by non-payments of rental by tenants, and all necessary repairs, rates, taxes, &c. I think one is better off to leave cash at the bank at 4 per cent, interest and incur no worry. I thought rent might have brought in a little living for self and family. My Borough Council rates are £18 13s. lOd. per year; and my rents, without furniture, bring in £3 ss. weekly, not counting bad tenants (£27) and repairs (£25) last year. So there is not much left in house property but worry. Yours respectfully, Mr. J. G. Rutherford. E. Weiss. Report on above by Valuer-General. Re Mrs. E. Weiss, Onehunga. The Chairman, Valuation of Land Commission, Wellington. 1 enclose herewith extract from the valuation roll of the Borough of Onehunga, showing the values assigned to Mrs. Elizabeth Weiss' s properties. Mrs. Weiss's property has been valued on the same basis as all the other properties of ratepayers in the Borough of Onehunga. In her letter to Mr. J. G. Rutherford she complains more about the losses ensuing by investing money in house property, which she attributes—and no doubt rightly so— to the increased rating of local bodies. I do not know that there is anything in Mrs. Weiss's letter for this Department to answer. F. W. Flanagan, Valuer-General. Valuation Department, Wellington, 4th February, 1915. Extracts from Valuation Roll. 1/66/526. Part Lot 2ofla of Section 20, Church and Hill Streets, Onehunga. Area, 15 perches ; capital value, £330 ; unimproved value, £100 ; improvements, £230. 1/66/1096. Allotments 8 and 9of Section 41, Queen Street, Onehunga. Area, 300 ft. by 300 ft.; capital value, £2,100 ; unimproved value, £1,050; improvements, £1,050. Decision of Commission. No action. 4/2/15. -

APPENDIX XXII. Letter from Arnold E. White, Owaka. Dear Sir, — Owaka, Otago, 19th December, 1914. Seeing by the papers that the Land Valuation Commission is now sitting in Wellington, I determined to put my case before it, as I consider that 1 have been treated with gross injustice. I am the lessee of an education reserve, part Section 37, Block VIII, Glenomaru Survey District (about a mile and a half from the Township of Owaka). When I took up this land it was all dense bush and unfenced. I worked on the place in my spare time, as I was (and am) a poor man. For years I kept the place. I paid rent and county rates, and never got a penny in return. I was trying to make a home to retire on when I was too old for the labour-market. The rent I paid was Is. per acre. I had it for two terms of fourteen years. At the expiration of the first term it was put up by public auction, burdened with valuation for improvements ; but, mark this, not full valuation. I am only to get full valuation for fencing and fixtures, and half valuation for clearing. Even those who have had no personal experience of the matter must be aware of the hard labour involved in felling and clearing heavy bush. When it was put up by auction I was the only bidder, and got it for a further term of fourteen years at the same rent. That term expired last year. A Ranger was sent to revalue the land, and I was informed that I will have to pay 4s. per acre rent, but that the term of the lease will be increased