INGLEWOOD COUNTY RATES.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 December 1930, Page 12 (Supplement)

INGLEWOOD COUNTY RATES.

(To The Editor.). Sir. —I am reported as having said at the recent meeting of the Inglewood County Council that “exclusive of Crown tenants, the losses of rates had hardly exceeded three figures.” This could be taken as £999 or over! I said ,f would hardly exceed the first three figures.?’ Ordinary gossip may well be disregarded, but so many sweeping statements are made 1 from time to time about “losses in rates,” that a correction will do good and be of interest. Knowing the ratepayers of Inglewood County and those'of several distant counties as well as I do, I am in a position to state that, exclusive of Crown tenants who have proved unsuccessful and vacated their holdings, the ratepayers here compare very favourably with those of the most prosperous sheep and dairying areas of this Dominion; in fact, I have not collected rates from a more hard■working or straight forward community of ratepayers. In order to finally correct 'the report I supply the following figures of rates written off during ■the ten* years to date of Inglewood County 'administration: —Crown tenants £1373 9s 6d, native land £136 17s lOd, 10 per cent, penalty on rates £94 8s Id, private owners £lO4 16s 3d; total £1709 Ils Bd. This proves the farmer generally does pay his rates, as only £lO4 16s 3d has been lost in ten years through default of the ordinary settlers. —I am, etc., B. LARSON. Inglewood, December i t 1930.