NATIVE LANDS

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 57, 30 November 1929, Page 12

NATIVE LANDS

ARREARS OF RATES By Telegraph.—Press Association. Whakatane, November 29. The Hou. Sir Apirana Ngata, Native Minister, Judge Carr, Mr. Tai Mitchell, officer in charge of the Native land consolidation scheme, and Air. Balneavis, the Alinister’s private secretary, met a deputation from the Whakatane and Tauranga County Councils yesterday in regard to the consolidation of Native lands in the Bay of Plenty and the payment of arrears of Alaori rates. Air.. AV. Reid, chairman of the Whakatane County Council, explained that £19,000 was owing to his county, and that with the next two years’ rates added the amount would be £25,000. He asked that, in view of the valuable, lands held by the Alaoris and the expensive working schemes undertaken by the council that the Commission award not less than 25 per cent, of the arrears. Air. C. E. Alacmillan, ALP., supported the request, and contended that the Alaori rates uncollectable should be paid out of the Consolidated Fund. This wits more equitable than the districts with large Native populations having to bear the full burden. Sir Apirana Ngata explained that the Ngatiawas, of the Opotiki and Whakatane districts, had decided upon a scheme of consolidation, and the AVhakatane Alaoris had offered to the Crown approximately 0000 acres of land by way of coriipensation for the payment of arrears of rates. The Government valuation of the land, however, was about £5OO short of the amount required to make up the 25 per cent, of the total rate arrears on the Alaori lands concerned in AVhakatane. The matter would be submitted to the Native Land Consolidation Commission at Rotorua, and a reply would be sent to the council within a week.

The chairman of the Tauranga county. Air. Sinclair, pointed out there were 50,000 acres of Native lands in Tauranga on which rates were not collectable.

The Alinister promised to go into the position of the Tauranga lands with the Commission.