"THE GREATEST BURDEN"

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19338, 31 May 1937, Page 11

"THE GREATEST BURDEN"

PLAT LAND FAEMEES INTERESTING FIGURES "We small farmers on the flats are carrying by far tho greatest burden, and 1 do not see how we are going to pay our rates."

This remark was made by Mr. J. E. Haisman, a member of the deputation which waited on tho Minister of Public Works, the Hon. 11. Seinple, on Saturday evening, after presenting an interesting set of figures showing the effect of the current year's rates on his property, which he regarded as an average one in his riding, Mr. Haisman said his farm was of 50 acres valued at £SO an acre unimproved and .CSO an acre- as the capital value, lie could cany four sheep to the acre. Under the riding system last year the rate was 3sd in the £, but this year it was 6|d over the whole comity. He gave some very interesting figures regarding his own property, which are tabulated below, showing the effects of

'The county rates on his property, Mr. Ilaisman said, totalled £l7 5s 7d last year and £3l lis 7d this year, an increase, of £l4 6s, or 82.76 per cent. The average inereaso over the riding was 83 per cent, so that his farm represented an average one in the riding. Including! a. harbour rate of 2s 6d an acre, his total rates were £23 lis 6d last year, while this year, with an increase of £7 Ifis in the harbour rale the total of harbour and county was £39 10s 7d. The rates per cow averaged .CI 12s. He carried 25 cows on 50 .acres

Hill country land carrying two sheep to the .acre and .with • an unimproved value of C 5 an acre, he said, was rated at less than one-third of those on the flats, the rate on tho hills equalling 2s 0 27-32 d per acre and Is 0'27-Md per sheep.

rating: — Per Per acre B ll sheep 8 (1 County rate— Last year .. Tin's year .. Total rates —' Last year .. Tin's venr .. . 6 11 . 12 7i . 9 5 . 15 9A 1 9 3 'I 2 4.1 3 111