SOLDIERS AND COUNTY RATES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 17061, 14 August 1917, Page 7

SOLDIERS AND COUNTY RATES.

AN IMPORTANT MATTER,

At the Patea County Council meeting yesterday the following important Departmental letter was read : "In reply to your letter of the sth inst. on the question of rates due to the Council on land held by individuals irom the Crown, I have made inquiries into this matter, and it appears that it is provided for under Section 4 of the Local Authorities Empowering Act 1915, to which I refer you. A local authority, apparently, is thereby given power to '. remit, either partially or wholly, or to postpone the date of payment of rates of any person in the Expeditionary Forces, and in such cases an additional charge of 10 per cent, on six months overdue rates is not to be recoverable, and the time during which .judgment may be given for such post-poned-rates is extended. "As to the question as to whether the Government would pay rates, I ara informed that certain local authorities have asked the Government to pay tne rates due by soldiers, but so far no provision to this effect has been made and the Government has not undertaken to pay such rates. It is therefore purely a matter for your Conncil to pass the neecssary resolutions in accordance with this Act, or, if they do not desire to give that facility to the soldier, which I understand' has been extended by other local bodies, and desire to recover the money, then it is a question of policy for your Council to determine whether they will agitate so. that the Government may pay the rates on behalf of the soldier who is at the front."

,"I desire also to draw your attention to the provisions of the Soldiers' Financial Assistance Regulations, whereby, on application to the Board, a soldier can obtain a special allowance, not exceeding £2 per week, which allowance is provided to include such things as rates."