UNPAID NATIVE RATES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 17444, 14 April 1920, Page 8

UNPAID NATIVE RATES.

LOCAL BODIES' TROUBLES. LARGE AMOUNTS LOST. AMENDMENT OF LAW WANTED. [BY TELEGIIAPH.—OWN COEBESPONDMs'T.] TAURANGA. Tuesday. At the last meeting of the Tauranga County Council a circular -was. read from the. Chart-man of the Raglan County Council forwarding a copy of a letter which, the ' latter body is sending to the Prime Minister, asking for a stringent amendment of the present law to enable all local bodies to enforce the payment of rates by natives. The Raglan Council stated that i' has used every effort to-obtain payment, and with legal assistance has endeavoured to recover its rates under the provisions of the Rating Amendment Acts, 1910 and 1913, but with little result. It has found the provisions to enforce payment under the above Acts unworkable. The letter also included details for the last seven years of the total of native rates and the amounts collected each jear, showing that the Raglan Council had received, at largtj legal expense, the sum of £1026 out of £9500 due. The rest has practically to be written off. The Tauranga Council was asked to write to the Prime Minister in support of the request, and at tha same time to supply him with details of the amount of rates levied during the last seven years on natives and the amount collected from them. The Tauranga Council unanimously agreed to endorse the letter and support the request. The question of collecting rates was then discussed by the council. The clerk advised that the amount of general rates due by natives was £500 or £600 annually. Practically nothing was being collected. Several members suggested that two collectors should be appointed to collect native rates. The council agreed that private arrangements be made if possible for the appointment of collectors, and faili ing this that applications be invited for , the positions.