WATER CUT OFF AS RATES NOT PAID

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31449, 16 August 1967, Page 28

WATER CUT OFF AS RATES NOT PAID

(New Zealand Press Association)

HAMILTON, August 15.

Several large families are without water today in Ngaruawahia as a result of the borough council disconnecting their water mains for non-payment of rates.

Eleven families, all Maori, are on the borough “list” for disconnexion.

Three households were disconnected yesterday by borough workmen; and more are to suffer the same treatment today. The Town Clerk (Mr H. W. Eagle) said this action was being taken only as a last resort. The erring ratepayers had first been given every opportunity to escape the situation, he said. Altogether, about 100 residents were still owing rates which amounted to more than $6OOO. Some had been owing for more than four years, he said. People were living in all the 11 homes threatened with disconnexion, said Mr Eagle. One of these families paid an amount yesterday, and another two promised to settle today.

Defaulters could pay by instalments if they wished—just so long as some effort was made to pay the council, said Mr Eagle. “No Reply”

“The borough solicitor wrote to all households which had not paid several months ago. The majority replied but these final few took no notice whatsoever.”

Mr Eagle said he wrote a final letter to all of these ratepayers, giving them seven days in which to make a payment “Again no notice was taken, so we’ve had no option but to take this action.” In one of the houses which was disconnected yesterday, there were four schoolchildren and a baby. There were five more teen-agers, but at least one was unemployed and looking for work, they said.

“Mum and dad are trying hard to find the money,” said one of the daughters. “It is

very hard with all the other commitments they have. How we will manage with the baby, I do not know.” The district officer for the Maori Affairs Department (Mr I. W. Apperley) said that a report today stating some properties were under the control of the department was Incorrect. The true position was that the department had mortgages on some of the homes. It was the owners’ responsibility to pay their rates, just as State Advances Corpora-

tlon mortgagees were obliged to do.

“We have helped one Ngaruawahia household, and if individual approaches are made to this department we may be prepared to help them, too. But we cannot when no approach is made.” Mr Apperley said no funds were available to help rates. Householders were expected to pay their own way. “We can only work within the existing legislation; welfare officers have no funds for such a purpose,” he said.