NATIVE RATES

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 187, 10 May 1928, Page 8

NATIVE RATES

CONSOLIDATION PRINCIPLE ADVOCATED

“The question of the payment, or rather the non-payment, of rates on native lands is one that has greatly exercised the minds of the Government, the Native Minister, and those local authorities which have any considerable areas of native land within their boundaries,” said Mr. G. P. Shepherd (Wellington) when speaking on the question of natives rates at the Otaki Hating Commission yesterday. He stated that a great number of suggestions, some helpful and some otherwise, had been offered from time to time as a possible solution. So far, none that appeared to be completely satisfactory had been offered. In the East Coast district, north of Gisborne, the solution had been- attempted by means of consolidating the interests of the natives in scattered areas into composite blocks, so as to clear the titles, and thus enable, the owners to finance upon the security of their areas, and so improve and farm the lands, in order that they might ■ become self-sup-porting and producing members of the community. Many requests had been made of late by local authorities throughout the North Island for the application of the principle of consolidation to the areas of native land in their districts, but the large amount of work involved, and the difficulty of providing trained officers for the work had placed a definite limit upon what could be done at the present time. However, the work was being carried out in a determined manner in certain selected areas. The Native Minister, added Mr. Shepherd, had lately set up a committee to deal with the question of consolidation of interests of natives in native lands in the North Auckland counties, and in those counties, comprising what was known as the Rohe I otae (King Country). One of the objects of this Consolidation Committee was to place the question of payment of rates on native lands on a better footing and, ns a first step to attaining this objective, had arranged for large sums owing for rates on native lands to be written off. Most of the local bodies approached up to the present had met the committee very generously in the matter .of agreeing to a compromise regarding the amount of rates due.