PAYMENT OF ARREARS OF RATES

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21729, 11 March 1936, Page 7

PAYMENT OF ARREARS OF RATES

MORTGAGE CORPORATION'S ACTION . , . ; Since last; October, the Christchurch CSty-Council l h£s received from the Mortgage Corporation considerably more than £2OOO towards the payment of special rates, in arrears on,, properties that have been taken over by; the. Crown as mortgagee. This infpjnna- ; tion was given by the City Bate Collector, Mr J- K. Macdonald, when he was commenting on a Press Association. < message sent from Auckland yester- , day, which stated that the Mounjt Al- - bert Borough Council had received a cheque for £IOOO as compensation for. unpaid rates on properties taken over by the Crown. This payment, the message added, had been made in response to representations made to the Minister for Finance, and itf was understood that ofcher boroughs were>Steot receiving cheques. .. * Mr Macdonald explained- that', the f attitude of the State Advances .:. : ment—which has been absorbed by the. ' - Mortgage Corporation—was that it»' would pay only those special rates and-* drainage rates incurred up to the date j the Crown mortgage was signed. The. .- Crown Lands Department would/ pay, - enly special rates,up to the same'time,- '- but if the-department was<receivm£..,rent for the property it had taken over, '; , it would pay the current rates in fulL "J If it was not receiving rent, it'would.. _. - pay no rates. The City Council bad. had from 200 to 800 Crown properties on its books' on which rates were .out- , standing, but some months ago it com- . . piled details of its claims for special rates, and forwarded them to-" the Mortgage Corporation. . '■'-'".,"* Since then the council had received. \ considerably more than 1 £2OOO in-re- » *, duction of special rates outstanding to - the date of. the sighing* of the Crown, j , mortgages. In one week recently £6OO .*, had been received.. It seemed, said --, Mr Macdonald, that the payment to the v. Mount Albert Borough Council was ,' ~ being made in the same circumstances as those in which the .Christchurcli City Council was being recompensed.