"SERIOUS POSITION"

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 94, 22 April 1933, Page 13

"SERIOUS POSITION"

HUTT COUNTY PROPERTY

EXEMPTION FROM RATES

Concern at the number of properties ia the Hutt County that are exempt from, rates was expressed by the chairman of the Hutt County Council (Mr. D. B. Hoggard,) at the monthly meeting of the council yesterday. He naid that over, one-third of the county i was exempt from rates, and the position was becoming very serious. Some years ago the council waited on the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Minister of Lands in connection ■with the .matter,, ■ said the .chairman. "Wa received a sympathetic hearing, but from that day' to this wo have heard nothinjg .more about the matter. No action was taken, arid in the in-terim-the position has gone from bad to worse. Not only has the depression overtaken our ratepayers, but further exemptions have been obtained, and we are now in the serious position of having over one-third of the . county exempt from rates. Figures for two of the Tidings have been taken, and these show that the Mungaroa riding has 81,511 acres rateable and 52,022 exempt, and the Wainui-o-mata riding 33,355 acres rateable and 31,589 exempt; In each case nearly one-half of the riding is exempt from rates. "The position is so serious that some action must be taken. You cannot exempt one property without throwing an added burden on to others. In some instances there is a serious danger of a few ratepayers having to ; pay the whole of the special rates in respect of improvements, and it may get so bad that there might be only one rateable property left, and that property would have-to bear the expenses of any loan that might be raised. . . When ratepayers realise the danger there will bo a rush to get out." The chairman moved that the council again wait on the Minister of Internal Affairs and the Minister in Charge of the Valuation Department in connection with the matter. The motion was carried.