RATES ON NATIVE LANDS

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 309, 5 November 1910, Page 3

RATES ON NATIVE LANDS

The New Bill

Important amendments to the law relating to the rating of native land are contained in the Rating Amendment Bill circulated 01 Wednesday night. It in provided that "customary " land shall be exempt from rating, but that native freehold land shall be liable to rating and subject to the provisions of the Rating Act in the same manner as European land. Where native freehold land is vested in a Maori Land Board or in the Public Trustee, the board or public trustee shall not be liable for any rates in excess of the revenues actually received from that land during the period in respect of which those rates became due and during a period of two years after the date on which they became due after deducting from those revenues all outgoings and expenses incurred. The Governor may exempt any native land liable to rates from all or any specified part of such rates and any such Order-in-Council may apply either to any specified land on account of the indigent circumstances of the occupiers or for any other special reason or to any specified class of lands.

Where native land is owned in common it shall be sufficient to insert in the valuation roll the names of any two or more of the owners, in common, as representing all of those owners. Any one or more of the nominated owners or occupiers may be sued as' representing all the owners or occupiers, and any judgment shall be deemed to be a judgment against all the owners or occupiers. The owners in common of native land shall not be liable jointly for the total rate, but each of them shall be liable for the same proportion of the total rate as the value of his interest bears to the aggregate value of the interests of all the owners. Kates may be demanded and sued for as if the owners in common were -jointly liable. Every judgment so obtained shall operate and be enforceable as a separate judgment against each of the owners for his own proportion of the total rate together with the like proportion of costs. So far as the relative shares of the owners of any native lands have not been ascertained those shares shall be deemed to be equal. Judgment for rates due in respect of native land may be given against any owner or occupier within three years from the time when the rates first became due. When judgment has been obtained against the owner or owners for rates due and such judgment lias not been fully satisfied within one month, it may be registered against the land, and the amount of the judgment shall become a charge on the land. A charge so registered against native land shall be enforceable against the land, the Maori Land Board or the Public Trustee in such case being appointed "receiver" to collect revenues,pay rates, and hand the balance to the owners.