UNREASONABLE DELAY

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXIX, Issue 4746, 14 September 1935, Page 4

UNREASONABLE DELAY

TACKLING OF NATIVE RATING PROBLEM. "I think that the time has come when we should make a protest against the unreasonable delay of the Government in dealing with the native rating problem," said Mr. W. A. Lee, chairman of the Waitomo County Council, at the monthly meeting of that body yesterday. "Repeatedly we have been informed by Ministers of the Crown that this matter would.be considered so as to give relief to the relief to the counties affected. On several occasions during the last 12 months this matter has been placed before the Ministers of the Crown, and on each occasion the reply was that the Government anticipated going into the matter fully."

If the Maori had to have assistance —and Mr. Lee considered he would have to have assistance to make his lands productive—then the problem should,be borne as'a national burden, and not by those ratepayers in whose counties the Maoris happened to live. When in 1928 the compromise was made, the Government recognised its responsibility, and promised to bring the natives on the roll inside three or four years. The depression made this impossible, and now the time had come when the burden should be carried by the whole Dominion. Each member of the Council spoke supporting the chairman's attitude, and on his suggestion it was decided to write to the Prime Minister pointing out that he had promised to go into the matter, and holding that some relief should be given. It was also decided to write to the local bodies in Auckland and Hawke's Bay affected by this problem, asking them to make similar representations.