COLLECTION OF NATIVE RATES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3191, 17 May 1909, Page 5

COLLECTION OF NATIVE RATES.

By Telegrapn—Press Association. AUCKLAND, May 14. The Chief Judge of the Native Land Court, interviewed in reference to the discussion by the bounty Councils' Conference, concerning the collecting of rates on native lands, said that in the case referred to by the chairman, three persons were placed on the valation roll as representing all the owners for rating purposes. The Council as:ertained that two of these three men were dead, yet made no application to have two others appointed to take their places, although the Act fixed that three would be the minimum number to represent the whole of the owners. The owners of a native block of any extent are often of different parties and the three persons selected are usually chosen to represent the interests of each different party; hence the Act properly fixed the minimum of three persons. The Council's claim was only for £B2, and so should have been properly eued for in the Magistrate's Court. If this had been done, the Council would have had to comply with the law, and had two persons substituted for these two deceased natives. Instead of doing this, the Council brought an action in the Supreme Court, and got a solicitor to accept service for the defendant. It v/a3 not pointed out at the Supreme Court that the two defendants were dead, and therefore could not consent to a solicitor accepting service. Judgment was entered up by default, because these deceased natives did not defend. The native owners objected, and wrote to the Cro'wiv a"d claimed that they should not have been condemned to pay without knowing that proceedings had been taken against them. Under such circumstances, the Minister could not approve of such a judgment.