MUNICIPALIZE THE GREYMOUTH RESERVE.

Grey River Argus, Volume 57, Issue 10520, 24 August 1901, Page 4

MUNICIPALIZE THE GREYMOUTH RESERVE.

*:. The following is His Worship the v:. Mayor's scheme with reference to the ; municip,liz,^ou of the Greymouth % Native Reserve :— • r I find th -t our -greatjsxpendi uij in this town fca< one se.ious drawback by increasing die unearned increment to the natives who do not contribute one penny towards ihe extensive- improvements that are being made to property. At the last sale of native . leaseholds rents were raised L3l per annum over and above what they have been for the last 21 years, and there is no doubt^hat in the future the same increase in rent will be exacted aa the leases expire, which is a most serious matter for the bulk of the ratepayers. Therefore, in justice to tae citizens who are native tenauts, the > Government should extend to them the l*w as given to settlers under the lease in perpetuity clause of- "The Land Act." •- .The cative rents derived fioni the Greymouth reserve are L3,50) per annum. Let the Borough bind itself to pay the Native Trust the L3,500 per annum and get a lease of the reserve for 999 years with a clause in the deed giving them the option o! » purchase at the capitalized value of L3,500 based on 3 per cent per annum. This scheme would give a better guarantee to the natives of receiving their rents when due without any bother and wouU at, the same time insure to the tenant a guarantee that his rent would nob be raised by reason - of the large expenditure of which he h*s to pay his shire. This is a matter that must not be allowed to sleep. We must agitate to get justice and invoke ;' r the Government to help u', and if that ' ' fails get a bill brought befora Parliament. In conclusion, I may stale two fncts, viz : — (1) Tha increase of native rent is an extra annual burden to the tennnt. . (2) It also decreases the value of the ' " tenant's intei esi caused solely by the • increase of rent on the property he holds.