MINERS PAY THEIR RATES

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 606, 7 March 1929, Page 13

MINERS PAY THEIR RATES

A MISSTATEMENT RESENTED

/From Our Own Correspondent J HUNTLY, Wednesday. || *Tliat the miner gives little cause for I ur'xfrvy to local bodies in the collection •mf trates was indicated at the meeting 1 r*C -«the LLuntly Town Board on Monday

"Vjery strong expressions of disapproval were voiced at the action of a .member of a deputation (.representing* .a miners’ union), which waited on tine* Prime Minister recently at Welling torn. In giving a timely warning to 4J*wners of properties to pay up rates due, the board’s advice to those in arrear.d was that after a given date 10 per cent would be added as is customa.Ty, and that overdue rates would be su. for. This was used as a lever in th© deputation’s argument that the miners'- were being threatened, by the locavl body, and it would thus appear they* w ere having a very hard time. Th*© .miner has his faults probably like other people, was the opinion expressed, but not paying his rates is one tihatf cannot be charged against miners ill Huntly, for 92 per cent, of rates we-re collected to the end of Februrvry*. and it is to their credit that only four .have failed to comply with, the bo* rtf's reminder. It wa s tlie unanimous opinion of the board l bat statements of a similar kind wo old be very detrimental to tlie miners’ interests locally, but the view was expi ess i*d by one councillor that Sir Joseph Ward would not entertain any preju tlioe against the mining community fc cr ihe remarks. The matter was drop v-d-