PLAINS COUNTY INJUSTICE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4329, 12 October 1921, Page 2

PLAINS COUNTY INJUSTICE.

Some peculiar anomalies exist in the Hauraki Plains County, where approximately half of the area is subject to rating by the Land Drainage Department, and the other half is similarly subject to the Hauraki Plains County Council. But whereas the Council can collect rates for its own purposes over only half of the County, it has to carry the burden of administration of the whole. For example, the Council is obliged by law to collect the Hospital rate not only over its own area, but also over the Crown lands, and should any of. the O.R.P. settlers default in payment, the County has in part' to make good the deficiency. Such an unjust condition of affairs could be imposed by the State alone, for it would never be tolerated for a moment as between one local body and another. The inability to rate for administration over the whole county makes the burden on the County ratepayers unduly heavy, and some relief, say, in the form of a subsidy from the Land Drainage Department, is desired. It is felt that if the Minister of Lands (Hon. D. H. Guthrie) could be induced to visit the Plains on the occasion of the proposed visit of a Parliamentary delegation he would at once see for himself that an undue hardship is imposed upon County, ratepayers. The settlers have sufficient faith in the Minister’s fair-mindedness to feel that- if the position could be pointed out to him first-hand on the Plains, he would do his best to have the pi esent anomaly rectified.