POLITICAL NEWS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3133, 13 July 1881, Page 3

POLITICAL NEWS.

(by telegraph.) (from otjr own correspondent.) Wellington, July 13. The following are the main provisions of the local government bills entitled the Crown and Native Lands Rating Bill, introduced by Major Atkinson :—That Crown lands and native land, together with building and improvements, shall be rateable property, with the following exceptions : Parliamentary buildings and grounde, Wellington Government buildings and grounds, Wellington Government House and grounds. Auckland lands occupied by Government, schools (including play grounds and schoolmaster's residences) ; wharves, piers, and jetties, the property of railways ; railway stations, and all land and buildings on which the same are constructed, public parks or domains or gardens, all Crown lands on which there are buildings actually occupied by any department of the Government, Crown and borough lauds still to be rated under the Rating Act, 1876, in like manner aa other lands authorised to be rated. Rates payable in respect of such lands shall be paid by the Colonial Treasurer out of the consolidated funds out of moneys to be appropriated by the General Assembly for the purpose. Native borough lands shall be rated under the Rating Act, 1876. The value of other Crown lands and native lauds is fixed as follows :—Crown town lands and native town lands at the rate of £30 per acre ; Crown agricultural lands and native agricultural lands, £1 per acre ; Crown pastoral lands and native pastoral lands, 6s 8d per acre. The ratable value for the purposes of this Act shall be deemed to be £6 per centum. The quantity of Crown town lands and native town lands shall, for this year and future years, be fixed by a certificate of the Surveyor-General. The first rates payable shall be for the year ending the 31st March, 1882. Whenever any native land is sold or exchanged for the firsttime, and whenever it is leased to other than aboriginal natives, then the amount of all the rates paid by the Colonial Treasurer in respect of such land shall be repaid to the Colonial Treasurer, and shall be deemed to be a duty payable on such sale, exchance, or lease. Such duty shall be in addition to tbe duties imposed by the Stamps Act, 1875. In the case of native lands under lease, the tenant is made liable for rates as owner under the Rating Act, 1876. The Governor in Council may at any time by proclamation declare that, in any district or portion of district, all native lands shall be subject to tbe Rating Act, 1876. Mr Hutchinson is determined to get at 1 the Governor's despatch re native affairs, which Ministers are withholding, and next Wednesday, he will ask the Government if tbe publication of the Governor's despatch bearing upon the state of native affairs in the North Island, and the imprisonment of the natives for alleged political offences, would at present be prejudicial to the public interest, as stated by the Premier, and will the Government state at what time such despatch can be published without aßy prejudice.

The following returns show the population (exclusive of Maoris) in the Hawke's Bay electoral district:—Clive, 7,664; Napier, 9,471; total Hawke's Bay, 18,135.