A COMPLAINT.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2207, 31 August 1886, Page 3

A COMPLAINT.

TO THE KDITOH. Silt.— Great excitement has been caused among the. settlers of this district in seeing by the newspapers that the Government intend striking the extortionate tax of one pound per annum on every dog kept by Europeans, leaving Maori dogs exempt. This I consider very unjust to farmers, There is no farmer who is the owner of pigs, sh^ep and catfcJe, which moat in this district^ are! that tjV.n idf> Jvttty Ifss'tfian two ring*.; It may be possible to have a dog that will work sheep and cattle, but it is impossible to have a dog that will work sheep and c.itch a pig as well. Such an imposition as this I consider .should be taken up by the country, and not by one individual. lam a dog owner myself, but would not object paying the one pound per year for each of my' dogs if the Mantis were enforced to d<> the same. I consider it very unjust that I should pay one pound a year for my dogs, which are kept principally upon the chain, while Maoris living close by arc allowed to keep countless numbers of curs to roam over the country, destroying the settler's pigs, sheep, &c, which they have to depend upon to keep them from dying an unnatural death of starvation; that is, when dried shark and potatoes are scarce. Europeans at the present day are rated and taxed to the very utmost, while Maoris are allowed to hold large blocks of land free from rates, property taves, &c. If the Government continue favouring the Maoris as they are at present doing, it will be high time for Europeans to seek a home in some foreign country, and leave New Zealand to the mercy of the Maoris to go back into, its old savage state agniii.' -Now the part of Government works are closed to Europeans. A few months ago about a thousand pounds was granted to complete the road from Huntly to the head of Raglan harbour,., this r,o^d being for the benefit of the Maoris alone. Thm work was then cut up in sections by a Government engineer, .and a \n ice |fuf on for its formation, being from ten shillings to a pound being allowed. Several of these sections were 'quickly taken . up \by the natives, or all with the exception of one, which had pieces of limestone cropping out in places, which the natives i«f»med to undertake the formation of except they would be allowed ten shillings per chain more to do it. Tin's section was then quickly taken up by Europeans at the price which the natives refused to take it at. This was completed far before those taken by the natives, the contractors clearing 12s 6d a day forming a road through limestone rock. So if Europeans can clear 12s Gd per day forming a road through .solid rock, surely the natives ought ]to have cleared 13* per day forming a road through fertile soil at the same price per chain. This is the way the Government money is wasted. One thousand pound-, tuore^ or less, has vanished like a beautiful dremrt in the Whaingaro-i district quite lately, and nothing to be seen for it. Whereas, if the name amount had boen spent on European labour or work tendered for the rpad, it would have been completed before now. — I am, yours truly. Blue Gown. Waitetuna, 20th August, 1830.