PAYMENT OF RATES.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 May 1922, Page 7

PAYMENT OF RATES.

EGMONT COUNTY’S ATTITUDE, NO CONCESSIONS TO BE MADE. A number of applications were received by the Egmont County Council, yesterday, from settlers, stating that they were unable to meet their rates, and asking for time or other consideration.

This led to considerable discussion. Councillor Tosland said that the collection of rates must be handled with the gloves off, and irrespective of any sentiment. The sum of £3462 in general rates was outstanding, and their bank balance was only £602, with accounts amounting to £765 to be paid at that meeting. The Hawera County, with a total rate of £30,000, had only £l2OO outstanding, while Egmont had one-fifth of theirs outstanding. On June 30, 5s in the £, Government subsidy, would “go west” on the outstanding rates, and in justice to those ratepayers who had paid -their rates, they must press for all to pay. If there were some people who were in the position of having paid so much for their land that they could not make ends meet, the sooner they got out and let someone else take it up, the better. They would, in a couple of months, be striking the rate for the coming year, and it was not a fair position to the ratepayers who had paid. They must, he said, issue summonses and proceed against the defaulters, irrespective of a few exceptional cases. The first mortgagee would have to pay. Members touched on. the difficulty of collecting the rates in cases where loan companies handled the money, and also in the case of returned soldiers, as the Crown Lands Department was not responsible for the rates. If pressed, the soldiers would be called on by the Department to pay their rates, and if they did not do so, would probably have to walk out.

Cr. Tosland. moved, and Cr. O’Brien seconded, that in cases, where practicable, the mortgagees of the land be sued for the outstanding rates, and that the 10 per cent, penalty be added on all cases. This was carried.