Native Rates

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 299, 14 September 1937, Page 13

Native Rates

Sir,—According to “The Dominion.” complaiuts were made at the Horowhenua County Council meeting about the Natives not paying their rates. The council desires to make charges against their lauds. 1 feel sure that if the people knew how the Natives had been treated they would not be surprised that they, were unable to pay their rates. There is not one of the councillors who would care to go on paying rates for ten years and have no access to his land. I, myself, have advised some of thp Natives not to pay their rates until they have access. I bought a block of native land with right-of-way and railway crossing attached. Finding that the front portion of the right-of-way had been sold, I applied to the council to get me access, to which they agreed, provided I paid all reasonable costs. Following this I received a letter from the chairman of the council with the information that the only way of getting access was to take a road under the Public Works Act, and he has instructed the county solicitor to proceed with this view. It took the council about ten years to get this small public road which I did not want. I simply required the Natives’ right-of-way of fifteen feet in. width, which was on mv title. I have since asked the council to publish all correspondence of the taking of this public rond so that the ratepayers will see what it cost and who paid for it. Following this, the railway authorities pulled up, the Natives’ railway crossing and placed it over a few feet to my neighbour’s property, which, of course, made the council’s public road useless. The late Sir Maui Pomare had the Natives’ crossing put back and there are now two crossings where there was originally only one, thereby making it more dangerous to the travelling public. I have paid the council and their solicitor about £3OO for getting me access to my land. As I think it is unreasonable for the council to ask me to pay for their mistake in taking this public road, I have asked them to meet me halfway. I have lost hundreds of pounds from the production of my land through not getting access when I bought it. This will give you an idea of what the Natives have to put up with. —I am, etc., ROBERT BEVAN. Manakau, September 8.