MARION CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9461, 2 June 1909, Page 8

MARION CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

The ordinary meeting was lie Id last evening at the County o™“°. l Chambers. Mr Purnell i“‘ he WThe Acting-Secretary of General Post Office, Wellington, wrote in reply stating that it had been arranged to establish an express delivery and a special.messenger service at Marten on 16th inst. The former service 5 enables letters and Jparcela to be delivered by a telegraph message boy ’ sod tli© latter h special mes■senger, to be placed at the disposal of any telephone exchange subscriber during the hours the telegraph office is open for business to run an errand or for other similar purpose. The Chairman repotted having interviewed Mr MoNab at Mar ton Station With a view to Ins visit to Marton to give -an address on compulsory milijfary training, on dune •;: 'r:, ■■ , y A committee, consisting of Messrs Sicely, Mathers, Parnell, Wilde and Brice, were appointed to make necessary arrangements for Mr MoNab s visit. It is proposed to ask Marton Band to give a few selections outside the Opera House before the meeting is opened. • „ ■ . Wellington Chamber of Commerce wrote in reference to bringing about a federation of Chambers Of the Dominion.—The i suggestion was approved. , . . The matter of being represented at -a Congress of Chambers of the Empire at Sydney in September next was held over for the July meeting. A good deal of correspondence was read in connection with the LevinGreatford railway! A letter from Levin was read pointing out that the Premier would shortly visit the district to open a new Post Office and opportunity should be taken to urge the Prime Minister to carry out his promise of a trial survey. The suggestion was adopted and rt was decided that Marton Chamber be represented and as soon the date of the Premier’s visit is fixed, other delegates be oommunsoalted with. „ _ Palmerston Chamber of Commerce wrote,, inviting delegates to a conference of Chambers respecting rail- "■ way matters, but as this was a matter directly affecting Palmerston it was decided not to send a delegate. With reference to the LevinGreatford railway it is proposed ;to send to this Conference the chairman’s extract from the Advocate, which sets out varions reasons in support of this new line being constructed. The question of recovering irates upon Native lands was brought forward and It was thought the Chamber bhould use its influence in getting the law made so ns to simplify the collection of such rates. The County Clerk- (Mr >H. H. Richardson) addressed the meeting and pointed difficulties local bodies experienced in this matter. The complaint appeared to be general throughout the Dominion, and local bodies have had to 'write off large turns of Maori rates as not collectable. The chief difficulty ap r peared to be with regard to the ownership of the land—the titles in mnay instances had not been individualised at all and she land was not liable to be rated. In other oases the local body is supplied by the Yaldation Department with names as “occupiers and owners,’’ of Natives who had been dead for years. The present system of suing “nominated” native occupiers or owners had evidently also proved unsatisfactory and there was >no guarantee that the local body wouldrecover money-after going -to <the< expense of Court proceedings. It was desired that in all cases where the local body was not permitted to iracover from an individoal native owner in exactly the earns way as it could in the case of a European owner (and if necessary -sell the .land) some simple method for isecnr- • ing payment of rates without recourse to the Law Courts -at all, should be devised. It had been suggested that this might be accomplished by the local body forwarding a list of all such unpaid rates annually to the Government-to be made a flrst charge on the land In somewhat the same way that survey charges are registered. It was further pointed outttihattthe loss of revenue through inability to collect rates from Native lands was a serious matter to many County Councils, and aa tile Natives enjoyed equal privileges with the Europeans in the use of roads and bridges, etc., it was hoped that something, would be done by Parliament to >at: once remedy the matter. ■ The Chamber passed the following; resolution That in the opinion of» this Chamber all land owned -and; occupied by Natives, where’ thei ownership is. individualised, shouldbe liable to pay all rates levied bylocal bodies, who should be given; the same power of collecting such , rates as they now have ovar lands. owned and occupied by Europeans. And where Native lands are not in- : dividualised then special machinery! should also be provided by Parliament to secure such payment of rates.”