1908.] 



Official Circulars and Notices. 



545 



report and valuation prove satisfactory, the Council might then instruct an agent to 

 bid up to the amount of the valuation. If the land is acquired a scheme can then be 

 prepared and submitted to the Board, who have stated that, in cases where it has not 

 been possible to obtain their sanction before the completion of the contract, they will 

 be ready to consider a subsequent application for their approval to the scheme. 



Borrowing Powers. — A Couniy Council or the Council of a County Borough may 

 borrow money for the purposes of the Small Holdings Acts from the Public Works 

 Loans Commissioners, with the sanction of the Local Government Board, at a 

 uniform rate of 3^ per cent., irrespective of the term of the loan. In the case of 

 loans for the purchase of land, the term of the loan may be as long as eighty years, 

 and the Local Government Board have stated that, as a general rule, they will be 

 prepared to sanction the full term of eighty years. The maximum term for loans for 

 adaptation, or for the purpose of making advances to sitting tenants, under Section 17 

 of the Act of 1892 (see later), or for any other purpose, except the purchase of land, is 

 fifty years. 



Repay 'ment of Preliminary Expenses of Acquiring Land. — Section 17 of the Act ot 

 1907, authorises the Board, subject to regulations to be made with the approval of the 

 Treasury, to pay out of the Small Holdings Account the whole or any part of the 

 expenses incurred by a Council in proceedings in relation to the acquisition of land. 

 Regulations under this section have been issued, by which the Board undertake to 

 pay the whole of the expenses which have been necessarily or reasonably so incurred, 

 and the Board have stated that though they cannot indicate precisely what particular 

 items of expense will be subject to repayment, the following would seem to be the 

 most important : — 



(1) Cost of report and valuation in respect of any land the acquisition of which 



is under consideration by the Council (including cases where the land is 

 not eventually acquired). 



(2) Cost of proceedings for obtaining a compulsory order. 



(3) Arbitration expenses in cases of compulsory purchase. 



(4) Valuation expenses in cases of compulsory hiring. 



(5) Conveyancing expenses. 



(6) Cost of registration of title. 



The Board have drawn up the following scale of fees, which they will be prepared 

 to recognise for reports and valuations of land, viz. : — is. an acre for the first 100 

 acres and 6d. an acre above that quantity, with a minimum fee of £3 $s. Travelling 

 and out-of-pocket expenses will be allowed in addition. 



If an officer of the Council is employed on any work connected with the acquisition 

 of land for small holdings, it will be desirable that he should be paid for such work by 

 fees or special allowance, in order to facilitate the adjustment of claims for repayment 

 by the Board. 



, Losses under a Scheme. — By Section 5 (4) of the Act of 1907 the Board are 

 empowered to pay, with the sanction of the Treasury, the whole or part of any loss 

 which may result from the carrying out of a scheme, and a Treasury Minute, dated 

 31st December, 1907, has been issued which authorises the payment of one-half of 

 any irrecoverable loss which results from the working of a scheme initiated by the 

 local authority and approved by the Board. 



Conipulsory acquisition of Land. — Extensive powers of leasing land to Councils 

 for small holdings and allotments are given by these Acts to incumbents and other 

 limited owners, but cases will occur in which Councils will be unable to obtain 

 suitable land for small holdings by agreement, and they must then consider whether 

 they should not apply to the Board for an Order authorising them to acquire land 

 compulsorily. If they decide to do so, they must select the land which they propose 

 to acquire ; and in this connection it must be remembered that no holding of fifty 

 acres or less, no land which forms part of a park, garden or pleasure ground, or oi 



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2 M 



