UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

PHONE (213) 746-2191 UNIVERSITY PARK LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90007

DOROTHY W. NELSON, DEAN

September 21, 1970

Professor Joshua Lederberg
Department of Genetics
School of Medicine

Stanford University
Stanford, California 94305

Dear Professor Lederberg:

Some time ago you wrote asking for two items, the
report of our conference on property law and comments
on the uses of land speculation. Enclosed is the report
I filed with Russell Sage on the conference.

On the second question, James Gillies wrote an _
essay for the U.C.L.A. Law Review a number of years ago. *&
The U.S.C. Law Library is packed for moving, or I would
obtain the citation for you. If you have any trouble
locating the piece, when we are moved in a few weeks it
will be an easy matter to procure the cite.

Concerning your column, you are probably aware of the
difficulties in appraisal the Labor Government encountered
in Britain when they attempted after World War II to
assess a betterment tax against land appreciation engendered
by the granting of favorable planning permits. Also,
presumably, if you taxed the landowner on appreciation when
the freeway is installed, you will compensate him for loss
when the freeway is re-routed, replaced by rapid transit,
or the value of adjoining sites is reduced because the
freeway becomes impassible for overuse.

If you are ever in Los Angeles and would like to talk
about some of these questions, let's get together.

Yours truly,

[ere tif eve
George Ld@#fcoe

Professor of Law

GL:cb
enclosure