JUBILEE OBSERVANCE

Taranaki Daily News, 10 April 1935, Page 7

JUBILEE OBSERVANCE

ATTITUDE OF CROWN CRITICISED.

WHANGAMOMONA’S PERTURBATION

'“lt may seem like tedious reiteration, but sometimes a steady drop of water will wear away a stone,” said Cr. J. D. Law, of the Whangamomona County Council, in making another protest yesterday against the attitude of the Crown in refusing to accept liability for special rates on land that had been abandoned and had reverted to the Crown. “This council should demand an investigation into the position of Iqcal bodies and of settlers who are being so heavily penalised through lands reverting to the Crown.”

The situation, Cr. Law added, was most unfortunate and most unfair. Because the Crown would not accept liability for special rates, the remaining settlers in such special rating areas were having a crushing liability thrust upon them. “The tragedy of the whole thing is that really good settlers, imbued with the desire to succeed, will without a doubt be crushed off their farms because of the attitude of the Government towards this burning question of rates,” he said. He moved that further representations be made to the Government through Mr. W. J. Polson, M.P., with a view to having the existing state of affairs altered.

‘This is a thing we should fight to the utmost,” said the acting-chairman, Cr. E. B. Roberton. He considered the Crown was not treating local bodies at all fairly in the matter, and the remaining settlers in special rating areas where much of the land had already reverted to the Crown, were falling into a position that was perfectly hopeless. Other councillors agreed. They drew attention to representations that the council had previously made on the matter, but opinion was unanimous that the council should keep on hammering at what it considered an injustice.