WAITOMO AFFAIRS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23269, 11 February 1939, Page 16

WAITOMO AFFAIRS

RATEJH FROM MAORI LAND [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] TE IvUITI, Friday "It is only a matter of time before other county councils will be feeling the pinch as we are through the refusal of the Government to meet rating charges on land development and native development schemes," said the chairman, Mr. W. A. Lee, at a meeting of the Waitomo County Council. "The present policy is to pay rates on land as soon as it is producing sufficient to meet the fixed charges," stated a. letter from' the Native Department. "The development work is being carried out with loan moneys and as local bodies are already heavily subsidised from Government funds it is not considered that the State should incur the further' burden of raising loan moneys to pay rates." Surprise that provision was not niade for additions to the Te Kuiti Hospital, where they were urgently required, was expressed when the Waikato Hospital Board's £12,000 loan was presented for approval. The chairman, Mr. W. A. Lee, said that it had been understood that provision was to be made for Te Kuiti and he was inclined to think that its claims had been disregarded. The council decided to approve the proposals, that added a proviso that it was firmly of the opinion that additions were required at Te Kuiti.