Receives Only £9 Of £5,400 For Native Rates Due

Northern Advocate, 15 November 1940, Page 7

Receives Only £9 Of £5,400 For Native Rates Due

Of £5400 rates due from natives during the last three years, only £9 has been received by the Whangarei County Council, the chairman (Mr J. A. S. Mac Kay) told the Minister for Education and Justice (Mr H. G. R. Mason) when he headed a deputation last night.

The county council did not have the same powers with native lands as it had with European lands so far as rate payment enforcement was concerned, nor did Mr Mac Kay advocate this. He suggested that it might be possible to evolve a scheme by which some proportion of petrol tax paid by natives might be made available to local authorities for the maintenance of roads serving native lands or that some other scheme might be introduced to assist local authorities. Effect Serious The effect of the non-payment of rates by natives was serious, particularly at a time when the utmost production was required from the land. “Native land cannot become productive without roading,” Mr Mac Kay said. ; Unless something were done the council would have to discontinue the maintenance of certain roads opening up native land.

While the natives paid petrol tax the roads that gave the eountv concern were not benefi ed bero -se, net being main highways, they received no proportion of this tax. To allow present roads to deteriorate would not be in the interests of the Dominion or the district. “The time has come when portion of petrol tax paid by natives should be paid to local bodies, or wnen some other method should be devised by the Government for roading of native lands,” Mr Mac Kay said. ’ Past Representation Fruitless Fast representations on the matter had met w r ith little success, Mr MacKay said. He felt it unreasonable to expect European settlers to pay for the maintenance of native roads while the natives did nothing to help. A compromise 10 years ago had resulted in the council receiving 25 per cent, of native rates owing at the time.

It was the practice to write off the full amount of these outstanding, rates every four years.

A scheme had been proposed some time ago by the Counties’ Association by which 25 per cent, of the native rating would be paid to start with, the percentage increasing as the land developed. Nothing had come of the scheme.

Consolidation Scheme

Under the consolidation scheme, the department had an order for 100 per cent, of the native’s cream cheque. Supporting Mr Mac Kay, another member of the council, Mr A. Clarke, said that the Native Department had been of great assistance to natives in establishing milking sheds and dairy herds, and in helping with the roading of native lands, but no provision had been made for the maintenance of the roads after formation. In the case of the Takahiwai road, the Whangarei Dairy Company had at times considered taking off the cream lorry because of the state of the road and when this position arose funds were made available by the council to renovate the road to some extent.

It was, however, at the expense of other ridings, which Mr Clarke considered unfair.

He mentioned a road in the Otonga area as another that had been handed over to the county council, which was expected to keep it in order. The matter came within the province of the Minister for Native Affairs,, Mr Mason said. Possible Scheme When accompanying him in the North, Mr P. Paikea, M.P., had told a deputation of a scheme by which a percentage of native butterfat cheques had been made available for rating in some districts, Mr Mason added. “They, can’t be expected to pay, however, when the land is not producing.” He remarked that the butterfat contribution scheme seemed possible. Mr Mason undertook to raise the question with the Minister for Native Affairs and endeavoured to have some arrangements made, but he pointed out that the matter was not in his hands. With the Native Department receiving 100 per cent, of the natives’ cream cheques, Mr J. G. Barclay, M.P., thought that it would be helpful if a percentage of this could be given towards native rates.