MAORI LAND RATES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20669, 15 September 1930, Page 11

MAORI LAND RATES.

COUNTY COUNCILS' BURDENS. LARGE UNPRODUCTIVE AREAS. NORTH AUCKLAND DIFFICULTIES. The position with regard to the payment of rates on Maori lands is again receiving attention in the Northern counties, where large areas are held by natives. Last year a settlement was reached on overdue rates, a portion of the large sum owing being accepted in payment, but hopes that the native owners would thenceforward meet their liabilities have not been realised.

The general question of native rates is to ho discussed at a conference, at which all North Auckland county councils will bo represented, to be held at Kaikohc on October 24. A certain amount of work has been done under the land consolidation scheme and many whoso land claims have been satisfactorily adjusted aro settling down to steady industry. It is considered that tho only remedy is to put the Maori settler into a position to pay as rapidly as possiblo, and, although progress is being made in this direction, it is evident that a considerable time will elapse before he will be in a position to pay his fair share of local taxation. Meanwhile, local bodies must find revenue and the piling-up of heavy rate arrears against unproductive native land produces nothing. As a typical case of the position of the Northern counties. Hokinnga, which has a debt of £IIO,OOO for public improvements, is quoted. Of 323,933 acres in the county (excluding 69,000 acres of forest reserves), 114.567 acres aro in Maori ownership. Ot these about 6000 acres aro sand-dunes, gunifields and mountain tops of little value; about 12,000 acres are steep hill faces requiring a heavy capital expenditure to make them productive; and thfl balance is land fit for settlement. Some 16.000 acres, valued at £BO,OOO, is leased to Europeans and pays rates. But there are about 85,000 acres, valued at approximately £225.500, for a Maori population of some 4000, an average of about 21 acres per head. On the unimproved value native land is rated at £175.000 and European land at £404,327; that is, a quarter of tho rates should come from native land and threefourths from European. But the value of the improvements, on which the ability to pay rates largely depends, is £50,000 on native land and £620,000 on European. While the European rate liability is 1.9 per cent, of the improvement value, the native liability is 8 per cent.

Loral bodies urge that the heavy burden of rates should not be laid wholly upon the shoulde'rs of the European settlor, while the benefits arc shared equally by Europeans and Maoris. In view of the financial position of the Northern county councils it is considered likely that some concerted effort will he made to secure at least part of the native rates from the Native Department, as trustee for the Maoris. It is slated that the system of unimproved value rating presses heavily on most Maori landowners and until the land is improved Tt is hopeless to expect to obtain full rates. The opinion is held thai the only solution seems to be in arriving at some compromise and to persnade the Government to advance the money against the land.