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Valuation Lists. The Committee appointed the Chairman and
the Clerk, Mr. Smith to attend the Conference. Some important
principles were decided by the Conference, and recommended for
adoption by the various Assessment Committees of the Metropolis
amongst others,
(i.) The Scale for assessing property let on weekly and
monthly rents the Landlords paying the Rates and Taxes. (2.)
The Scale for valuing freehold and leasehold property in the
occupation of the Owners; and (3.) The Scale for assessing the
value of public-house property not held at rack rent and for which
a single premium had been paid jointly for the premises and for
good-will, in this latter case the Conference recommended that
one-half of the premium should be taken as paid for the property
itself and assessed accordingly.
It was unfortunate that the Conference had not been called
earlier, viz., prior to the Valuation Lists being finally settled by
the Overseers, many Appeals would then have been saved, and
the Assessment of the Metropolis would have been made on one
uniform basis.
The Scales laid down by the Conference were adopted by the
Committee in all cases of objections made to them. The Committee
actually heard the parties, and adjudicated on no less than
3159 objections, confirming the Assessments in 609 cases, reducing
the Assessments in 2533 cases, and increasing the Assessments
in 17 cases, the latter being almost entirely public-house
cases, owing to the alteration in the mode of assessing the
amount of premium paid
In 36 cases the Committee appointed Mr. Charles Barker to
survey an I report on the value of the properties, and adjourned
the consideration of the Objections until his report was received.
The result of the decisions of the Committee was that the values
in the Valuation List as settled by the Overseers
for the gross were reduced from £ 1,921,942 to £1,868,224
and the Rateable amount from £ 1,559,079 to £1,517 810
Showing a reduction of Gross £53,718; Rateable £41,269