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Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2958, 30 June 1891, Page 2

A question was put to Ministers on Friday by Mr Palmer as to their intentions with regard to amending the Rating Act in the direction of compelling collectors to make proper attempts to effect personal services of summonses for rates before such cases are heard by the Court. In support of the propositions he quotes tho case of Mr George Holdship, who, having failed to pay a rate of Is 10d, was mulcted in the sum of £2 Os 7d. This, no doubt, was rather hard on Mr Holdship, but the fact must not be lost sight of that it was due to his own negligence that he suffered. It must be assumed that Mr Hold ship was cognisant of the fact that he held property which was liable to taxation by the public body referred to. Had he taken the reasonable precaution of informing the clerk ot his address if within the colony, or, if absent, that of the person to whom notice, of the rate being struck should be furnished, he would have avoided the loss, presuming, of course, that the person named paid the amount in due course. If Mr Palmer's suggestions were acted upon, great trouble and exppnse would be entailed by all public bodies endowed with taxing power for the purpose of carrying on works under the local government system. If a man owns property which he does not utilise either in person or by deputy, it would be unreasonable to compel the body within whose jurisdiction it is located to entail expense which would seriously deduct from the revenue at their disposal. We maintaiu that it is much more reasonable that the owner should be at the small trouble we have pointed out as an effeetuiil remedy than that this taxing body should be hampered in the exercise of its useful functions by a negligent owner who, if punished in his pocket for his negligence, has only himself to blame ; and, further, that his punishment is likely to prove a salutary lesson to others to pay attention to the business, which is quite as much theirs as that of the taxing body.