DERATING

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 473, 6 March 1933, Page 6

DERATING

Our Own Correspondent) .

FARMERS' MEETING URGES PASSIVE RESISTANCE TO CLAIMS "REFUSE TO PAY"

(From

Opotiki, Friday. The sub-provincial meeting of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, held at Opotiki on Friday, was strongly in j f avour of supporting a remit from the | Taneatua branch that they should j follov the lead of the Waikato sub- | province in passively resisting the payment of rpad rates on f arm lands. Mr. A. E. Robinson, provincial secretary, said that a number of other districts were going to discuss this mai ter at their meetings and the indications were that the other branches would support the Waikato by simply refusing to pay their rates next year. Mr. Robinson snggested that it was in the interests of the mortgagors to support de-rating as really the rates were in a sense a first mortgage on | the land. One member asked if Mr. Robinson would advise him as to what his own position was likely to be as he had a biiink mortgage and he understood that if he did not pay the rates, the banks would do so. The president said that he was of the opinion that the Govermnent Departments themselves were now busy endeavouring to safeguard them-

selves from being held responsible for paying rates which were left unpaid on Crown property. The farmer was very badly up against it at the present time, and there were any number of joy riders, using motor cars and using the roads, but who were not helping to pay for them. Anotner member suggested that, while 'in f avour of all that had been j said, he thought the Union should use constitutional methods as far as possible. Mr. Robinson pointed out that that was why they did not propose to do anything uni.il next year. Then, if the union was in favour of it, they would warn the various eounty councils that if they struck a rate, the union members would refuse to pay and thus follow the lead of the Waikato provinces' passive resistance.