UNPAID COUNTY RATES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21729, 19 February 1934, Page 11

UNPAID COUNTY RATES

POSITION IN WAITOMO ALARM OF SETTLERS CONFERENCE SUGGESTED [BY TEI,EGRAPH —OWN correspondent] TE KTJITI, Saturday The Waitomo Amalgamated Settlers' Association at its meeting in Te Kuiti yesterday received a remit from the Msiiron association taking strong exception to .the statements of the Minister of Lands, the Hon. E. A. Hansom, in regard to the payment of rates on Crown lands. Reference was made to the heavy burden on the county finances of unpaid rates on land on which the State Ad vanccs Department was mortgagee.

It was decided that the secretary should write to the Waitomo County Council suggi'sting that the council call a meeting of all local bodies and other organisations interested to go into the matter of rates, as the Waitomo Settlers' Association was alarmed and thoroughly, dissatisfied at the outcome of the interview with the Minister. SETTLERS' DIFFICULTIES GO VER NMENT' S DEM A NDS [BY TELEGRAPH OWN COIUtESPONDENT] TE KUITI. Saturday The case of a settler who, barely established under the small farms scheme, was asked to pay a large portion of the cream cheque to the Government, was mentioned by Mr. J. Francis, at the Waitomo Amalgamated Settlers' Association's meeting to-day. Such money, until the settler was more or less secure, should go back into the farm, or the Government would lose its security, he said. The secretary stated that there had been many instances reported of the State Advances Department claiming the bulk of the cream cheque and leaving the settlers on the verge of starvation.

The president stated that in many cases his association had been successful in fighting individual cases of this nature.

]\lr. Warriner (Rangitoto) mentioned a case in which the Mortgage Adjustment Commission had decided that onethird of the returns should go to the Crown, one-third to the farm and onethird toward Jiving expenses. This was surely a better plan, he said. A resolution was passed deploring the policy adopted by the Crown Lands and State Advances Departments in collecting rent and interest to the detriment of the land on which the tenant was farming.