SOLDIERS' RATES.

Northern Advocate, 25 January 1922, Page 5

SOLDIERS' RATES.

A LOCAL BODY QUESTION

GOVERNMENT aXD FORFEITURE

(Spp'' ;il to "Northe-'c. Advocate.") WELLINGTON", This Day.

The failure of some soklior seittiers to pay their rat as wa.s mentioned in the House ly Mr A. D. McLeod (Wairarapa), vho said that certa.ii' local bodies In his own district were being embarrassed by loss of revenue. The Minister of Lands, the Hon. D. H. Guthrie, replied that payment of rates %vas a condition of soldiers' leases and agreements, and men "who did not ••nv their rates wore liable to forfeits e. Some of the focal bodies had f.c--epted a quarter of the rates from soldor settlers. He thought t'lia/t if local V ( ies would meet the men in a reasom.ble way something might be arranged. Some of the men were two years in arrears now. The Government r.oi Id not possibly undertake to pay rates o<n behalf >of these settlers. The rates question was a matter between the local bodies and <tho settlers. The Government was impressing upon isoldiens that they were liable to forfeii. re of their sections if they did not

"I knew that the Minister would not forftit the section of a man who could not ]ay this ra>tes, and I would like him to say so definitely," said Mr G. Mitehe.i, Wellington South.

C 1 o Minister replied that he had r.ot said the sections would be forfeited. Hp had said that if the rates were not paid the sections were liable to forfeiture. He had not forfeited one section in New Zealand for non-payment of rates, and lie 'hope dthat it would never be necessary to do so. Men who wore trying had nothing to fear.