G. —11.

1933. NEW ZEALAND.

RATING OF NATIVE LAND (REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON).

. Laid on the Table of the House of Representatives by Leave.

ORDER OF REFERENCE. Prime Minister's Office, Parliament Buildings, Wellington. Whereas complaints are made from time to time by local authorities within whose boundaries there S artasat Native land that difficulty is experienced in collecting rates in respect of such areas by « n of virious matters including, inter alia, the matters following, namely : that such land is freauLtly owned by a number of § individuals as tenants in common; that such land is unused unoccupied or unproductive ; that the Maori owners apparently do not fully appreciate the necessity uno p j P # fViot flip rpmedies at present conferred, by tlie law for recovery of rates to theft r«p,di,»t y that a Committee .hould be " p»t Slegarf to the „ti„g of N.ti™ 1»* -4 what, if any, amendments are required in the law : Now, therefore, you The Hon. Alexander Donald McLeod, M.P., Robert Noble Jones, Esquire, C.8.E., and John Henry Reid, Esquire, are hereby appointed to be a Committee for the purpose of making inquiry into the following matters, that is to say •- f exigti kw relating to the rating of Native lands _ 2 In what way the present system of collecting rates on Native land could be 3 The incidence of liability for rates imposed in respect of Native lands and how far the following matters or any of them should affect such incidence . (1) Ownership in common of land ; (2) The fact that land is unoccupied or is not producing revenue ; (3) The fact that land is without adequate means of access; (4) The fact that land is reaping little or no benefit from the general expenditure 4 In view of the° weU-known difficulty of collecting rates due upon Native lands, what (if any) readjustment is necessary or expedient in the system of granting of Government subsidies to local authorities for hospitals and other purposes. 5 Whether any special provision should be made in respect of those local authorities m the district of which a large proportion of the rateable property is Native an . 6 Anv other matter or thing necessary to elicit full information m the premises. and you, the said Alexander Donald McLeod, are hereby appointed to be the Chairman of the said Committee. o™™;++™ iointlv (or anv two of them together) are hereby authorized and or other documents as they shall judge necessary for the purposes aforesaid or any of the .