THE OTAKI MAIL. Published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 1919. A BAR TO PROGRESS.

Otaki Mail, 10 January 1919, Page 2

THE OTAKI MAIL. Published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 1919. A BAR TO PROGRESS.

& Otaki has not progressed as a (own to the extent that one might naturally expeet from a place so richly endowed by nature and so conveniently situated, and one reason is that the majority of the residents fail to take that keen .in-' terest in the -welfare of the town that true citizenship demands. Another reason is the fact that we have a considerable Maori population in the town. Now, we have no animosity-whatever to the Maoris. They Are a noble race, pos-~ Messing many admirable characteristics, who deserve our best sympathy and hearty co-operation. It is not to be expected, however, that the Maori, after but a few years’ civilisation, has already developed/ into a progressive public' citizen. Their natures and the conditions under which they live naturally lead them to oppose progressive schemes of town development, especially when they are led to believe that such movements are likely to increase their;.Tates, Thus, without reflecting in the slightest on the Maoris, the fact remains that their presence in large numbers in any town is a. bar to progress; The Maoris’ attitude of opposition (o progressive schemes is largely due to misapprehension of the true facts and a natural disinclination-to support anything lby i .may appear to them to be unnecessary and likely to increase their rates. It is a. ditueult matter to remove these fast-rooted opinions I'rbm the narrow'mind. especially wlieirtUo.se Europeans wTiti are willing to allow the town to stagnate take every opportunity" of influencing- the. Maoris in that direction. ' Thus it will be seen that we have a ■ difficult task to push Otaki ahead. There

are at present on the Otaki electors’ roll some "408 names. Of these a largo number—fully 70, we believe—are absentees, whose votes are.scarcely.fever recorded. Maoris and half-castes con-t-rol some till votes. Xt last Tuesday’s poll -at votes were cast, and this number has seldom been exceeded. Thus it will be seen, that the Maori vote,—.generally a block vote. —is a big factor to be recokned with; indeed, if the Maoris allydhemsclves with any particular faction of the community, tlmyrean do almost as they like. One glaring injitStwc of the present municipal laws is the tact that ratepayers are entitled to votes, even though they fail to pay their rates. In Otaki many alleged ratepayers can and do vote who have never paid a penny piece in rates, and we contend it is quite time the law was altered on this point. The 'present law is neither democratic; logical or just. Experience has tit light many local bodies that it is absolutely impossible to collect rates due for- certain native properties, and lheyowiier.s or occupiers of such should be"dcprivcd of their civic rights. Another bar to progress in Otaki is the amount of unimproved property in the town area. The adoption of the system of rating on the unimproved value of these properties would induce residents to improve their properties without the fear of being penalised for so doing as obtains under the present system. This is an important matter on which we expect a move to be made in the near future. The trend of recent, events in Otaki lias aroused public-spirit-d men and women to realise that there is need for us to be up and doing if we are to make Otaki’s progress as it should, and

we commend these matters to the earnest- consideration of the citizens.