The Patea County Press, With which is incorporated The Patea Mail) “Be Just and Fear Not.” FRIDAY, SEPT. 27th 1895. RATING ACT AMENDMENT.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 116, 27 September 1895, Page 2

The Patea County Press, With which is incorporated The Patea Mail) “Be Just and Fear Not.” FRIDAY, SEPT. 27th 1895. RATING ACT AMENDMENT.

SoiiK much needed and simplifying amendments to the existing Rating Act are made by the Amending Act now in circulation ; but the real blot in the Act, the exemption of Native lands, has not been dealt with in so complete a manner j as was hoped and anticipated. The ) clauses referring to this subject enact as follows : Firstly. “ all Native lauds vested In tbe Public Trustee under ‘ The West Cou;l Pettleuient Reserves Act, 1802,’ or other.-vi* e howsoever, iu trust for Natives, shall he deemed to be ratable property, and the Public Trustee shall be deemed to bo I lie owner thereof within the meaning of the principal Act; Secondly, 8o wugli of the aforesaid htuds as is owupiotj

by other than Natives shall be liable t< be rated for all rates, and for the full amount thereof; Thirdly : So much of tin aforsaii lands as (not being situated within any borough) is either occupied ( by Natives, nr unoccupied, shall be liable to bo rated to one-half only of the amount of rate that may be levied from time to time, and shall not be liable to any special rate; Fourthly: The Puolic Trustee, as owner, shall only be liable in his representative character, and to the extent oi funds from time to time available so lung as the ;;ates are recoverable by law.” These are the provisions for rating Native lands, and even those a:e qualified by the reservation “(Subject to the exceptions mentioned in paragraph 11 of the definition of ‘ ratable property ’ in section 2 of the principal Ac) ann these exceptions, or some of them, read as follows All iNative land situate more than five mfies from any public road or highway, or of which the title has not been ascertained through the Native Land Court, or of which there is not a European occupier, or situate within any Borough or Town District, and is occupied solely by Natives of indigent circumstances; or land which is exempted by Order in Council.” Then comes the general provision that all lands, except within a borough, not occupied by persons other than Natives, shall only ba liable to be rated for half the amount of rale levied ; so that after all the proposed legislation does very little more than say, “As you were,” as the land within the five'inilc ratable radius occupied by Natives, or unoccupied, is only to be rated up to ono-balf, as was the case before, and the five-mile limit is not repealed, and the Public Trustee, though “ owner,” is only liable to the extent of funds available so lung as rates are recoverable by Into, which, of course, means that the rates are not to be heaped up against the lands till such times as they are let, but on no account can more than two years’ rates be chargeable against land which has been occupied by Natives, or unoccupied, when it becomes revenue producing to its owners. Another amendment to the Act makes the definition “ occupier,” whether of Native or other land, include anyone holding a license, or having the right to “fell, cut, saw, or carry away any timber growing or standing on such land.” A further amendment includes “ Boroughs,” with Counties, Road Boards, etc., in matters pertaining to valuations. The time for lodging objections to valuations is extended to seven , days before the sitting of the Court, instead of ten days. The clauses referring to the alteration of the rolls are also ini' proved and simplified by adding, “or occupier ” after “ a change in the name of the owner and also authorising an alteration not only when a change in the name of the owner has been rendered necessary by the provisions of section 52 (property changing owners), but an addition is now made of the words “or by reason of the property being let to a fresh occnpi<>r.” The cost of Assessment Courts J is now made a charge on local bodies, for the amendment repeals “ the lust sentence of section 29 of the principal Act.” ‘ ■ All I the cost of making such valuation list shall he fixed by the Court, and shall be charged upon the distiict fund,” and in lieu I of that enacts that “ The cost of nmkingof j all valuation lists, and the holding of the Assessment Court (including rent of ball, cost of advertisements, and travelling , expenses of the judge and cle"k of the Court) shall be fixed by the Court, and shall be charged upon and defrayed by the local authority of the district out of the district fund.” A good opportunity is given to owners of holdings in boroughs of shirking rates, as clause 6 enacts that in every cane where any dwellinghouse or other building remains actually vacant for a period of not less than six months in any rating year, whether continuously or not,” and the owner gives notice to the rating body of dates at which such build' ing became unoccupied and reoccupied, “such person shall bo Halve to pay only half the amount which would otherwise he payable for the year’s rates in respect of such dwellinghouse or other building;’’ and be is also entitled to a refund of rates i if he had paid thorn and the building subsequently became unoccupied. This last part is, of course, the real amendment on the principal Act, as under tbat there was no such word as “refund;” once svvaL lowed there was no disgorging of rate money. The amendment is “to be deemed to have commenced simultaneously with the principal Act,” so tbat possibly there may be a crop of legal ap applications for refunds under the last named amendment. The rest, piobably, will not have any retrospective action.