THE DOG TAX.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 505, 2 October 1912, Page 5

THE DOG TAX.

LOCAL BODIES' GRIEVANCE

AN ANOMALOUS POSITION,

The dog tax does not seem at first glance to be a sufficiently weighty subject for discussion at a conference of local bodies, yet when the subject is fully disclosed it is apparent that steps should be taken to remedy an existing evil. I* is probably not generally known outside the districts affected that some jears ago Maori Councils were instituted for the purposse of controlling the domestic affairs of native communities. Included in the council's responsiiilties is the collection ol a tax on nativeowned canines. A recognition of the deep rooted aversion of the average native to pay for the luxury of keeping a dog leads to the conclusion that the regulation in question is more honoured in the breach than in the observance. The European local bodies operating in the various districts wherein exist Maori communities are invested with the power to levy a dog tax, but all endeavours to collect from the native owners are met with the declaration that the Maori Days to the Maori Council. If the County Council takes action to enforce its demand the Maori simply obtains a receipt from the official of the Maori Council, and the local authority is defied. It is obviously impossible in the face of existing conditions to collect a dog tax from the Maoris, who merely use the Maori Council as a convenient shelter when occasion arises. To country people who recognisa the necessity of controlling the dog pest in these districts, and the liability of sheep owners and others to loss through the depredations of the useless mongrel, the necessity for a revision of the law is urgent. The object of the tax is not revenue; it is for the purpose of protecting our flocks. The fact that the majority of Maori communities exist in sheep districts renders actions doubly urgent. The Europeans for their own sake keep only sufficient dogs for their work and gladly pay a tax to safeguard each other. The fact that the Maoris are practically exempt from taxation and can afford to keep any number of mongrels is an anomaly which requires to ba remedied. It is to be hoped the efforts of the association will result in the proper action being taken by the Government.