NATIVE RATES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 83, 22 June 1943, Page 5

NATIVE RATES

COLLECTION IN COUNTY

Ml! A. O. STKWAIIT'S UK PORT

A comprehensive report on the collection ol' County and Drainage Hates in the. Whakatane district was submitted by the Native Hate Collector, Mr A. (). Stewart, to the iWhakatane County Council last week.

The rating position is as under:— County Native rales struck for 1942, 4.5, £,1993 16s. lid; collection in this period for all years, £3764 2s 2d; drainage native, rates struck, £1/05 5s (id; collection l'or all years, £2759 9s 2d. Out of the latter amount, however £791 17s lOd was ..paid direct to the Drainage Department. The outstanding total of County -and Drainage rates at 31st' March amounted to £ 1134 2s (id, made up as follows: —■ Arrears 1942/13 Total 31/3/42 -Rangitaiki £253 £391 £644 ■ Omataroa 567 1205 177 i Tarawcra 507 457 964 Matata 520 218 738 Tancatua 11 65 107 Opouriao 3 14 17 Nukuhou 42 122 164 "Waimana 11 12 24 £1947 £2486 £4434 Although this total of £4434 2s 6d is still outstanding in all the yari•ous ridings, a little over £1000 of it is on lands under the Waiariki •■Maori Land Boards Production Scheme, the payment of which is ■ hehl over until the maize is all ■ shelled. This should be. finalised within the next few weeks, as 1 understand practically all the cribs are now cleared. Furthermore prob' ■-ably £500 of the outstanding amount is covered by dairy ordeTs which -are being paid by monthly instalments. When therefore, the. Board's cheque and the amounts of. the ord•ers are fully paid in,. the position would look very much better. Accepting Responsibility I lind that the Maoris are now fully resigned to the responsibility . of paying rates, especially County rates, which they admit receiving benefit therefrom, but with regard to drainage rates, many of them -are paying under protest maintain-1 ing that they receive no benclits whatever from the Government -drainage .system. These claim that their lands were dry even before the drainage, system camc into effect, and that the original owners thereof being uneducated Maoris at the time the drainage system was -inaugurated, were not sufficiently -notified, and did not know the correct procedure to lodge protests Avithin the required period.

Dependent on Maize I find that in the case of the majority of Maori dairy farmers, it would be. possible to educate them -up to pay their rates before the penalty date, but with others it is going to be very difficult. A large number of these latter are maizegrowers, relying solely on the sale -of their products, which occur irre' : ,gu]arly once only in a year. Many others rely on wages, which may also be irregular on account of irregular work, hence the difficulty for these latter on the maizegrowcrs in paying their rates to time. I might mention that the facilities for financing are not so easily to the Maoris as. it is to Europeans. Because of the existenct of these and many other disadvantages to the Maori ratepayers, I think that the rating authorities -should continue to refrain from penalising them for late payment of rates until such time as the saiti -authorities are fully satisfied that such disadvantages are no longer existent and that the Maoris are sufficiently educated up to their full responsibilities respecting the payment of rates. The enforcement •of the penalty Avouhl certainly cause hardship. Again, I am doing my Lest also in educating them in the of endeavouring to pay their rates in time.

I find also that the responsibility -for payment of rates which is now lily duty to urge, upon the Maoris is- producing a good effect in more ■~\vays than one. For instance where, some owners in the past have been averse to leasing' their lands, a small area of each of which -would have been sufficient for all the -use they make of them, the burden -of rates now enforces them to 'either make full use of the. land 'themselves or lease it from time (Continued in next column)

lo time to enable payment of rales. T venture to say that this will tend more than anything else to enforce permanent development, of idle native lands. Again, in the case of family sections the owners of these are now more jimennble and -willing to allow a willing one. of them, selves to make use of the Land, even for profit to himself in order that the responsibility of rates may be shouldered by him.