It is all very well to say that a man
can value his own land; but the vast majority of owners would be afraid of doing so, and would feel obliged to employ expert valuers, and probably to employ them through a solicitor, with the result that they would probably be charged something very like 1 per cent. on the valuation. In the case of settled land, the trustees would almost certainly be advised, and, in our opinion, Tightly advised, by the solicitor of the trust that they must have a proper valuation. If not, they would be exposing the estate to considerable risks. How serious would be the burden may be realised from a concrete case. A moderately sized estate of two thousand acres, worth say 250,000, could not be valued under several hundred pounds. But this is an intolerable burden to lay on a property which very possibly does not bring in more than 21,200 a year net, if that.
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