Recent Legislation Affecting Problems Of Rehabilitation

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 18, 3 February 1948, Page 5

Recent Legislation Affecting Problems Of Rehabilitation

During 1947 nine Acts of Parliamene were passed affecting, directly or indirectly, the rehabilitation of ex-servicemen and woman. These were: The Emergency Regulations Continuance Act, the Fair Rents Amendment Act, the Maori Purposes Act, the Finance Act, the Land Laws Amendment Act, the Masterton Licensing Restoration Act, the Milk Amendment Act, the Rehabilitation Amendment Act and the Supply Regulations Act. An amendment affecting those exservicemen concerned was also made to the Motor Drivers’ Regulations (1940). This amendment permits in certain circumstances a person who has suffered the loss of one eye to be a licensed driver of a public vehicle.

The continuance of preference to ex-servicemen as already provided for by the regulations concerned is the main rehabilitation content of the Emergency Regulations Continuance Act. For instance, the continuance of the Industrial Efficiency

Emergency Regulations of 1943 and of the Transport Licensing Emergency Regulations of 1942 make still effectual the issue of temporary licences and the establishment of preference for ex-servicemen in the licensed industry field. Occupational re - establishment, power of attorney, servicemen’s wills, stamp duty exemptions, apprentices’ suspensions, transport licences, concessions for Voluntary Aids and provision of war service gratuities to servicemen and women, are other subject heads of war-time and post-war regulations affecting ex-servicemen and endorsed by the above Act. The Act revoked regulations affording debt-protection to members of the forces, protecting mortgagors in certain circumstances and validating certain types of war-time leases. All these in some measure affect ex-servicemen.

Under the Fair Rents Amendment Act (1947) the fact that a person vacated a house to become a serviceman is considered ground for recovery of possession. There are other minor amendments affecting ex-servicemen tenants. Although that part of the Act affecting unused houses was primarily meant to

assist ex-servicemen to obtain homes, there is no specific mention of ex-servicemen as such in the wording. Included in the Finance Act (1947) are two sections affecting servicemen. One provides that the new rates of pay for those who have taken up the Navy, Army or Air Force as a career are not exempt from taxation, that is as from April 1, 1946. The second deems certain serving personnel as permanently employed for superannuation purposes.

The right to apply for revision of charges after not less than three years’ occupation and not more than six was given under the Land Laws Amendment Act to ex-service-men who have acquired by ballot a Crown leasehold of a farming property.

By the Maori Purposes Act (1947), the Board of Maori Affairs was given the right to grant leases for certain Crown lands for terms exceeding 50 years. This is to enable Maori , ex-servicemen settled on Crown blocks through the Maori Rehabilitation Finance Committee to be granted leases similar to those granted'" ex-servicemen under the Small Farms Act.

The Masterton Licensing Restoration Act gives a limited preference to ex-servicemen in the granting of new licences and the transfer of other licences. It allows the Director of Rehabilitation or his representative to be heard* by the Licensing Committee.

Provision for the protection of rehabilitation loans made to ex-ser-vicemen milk roundsmen was made in the Milk Amendment Act. < Under the Rehabilitation Amendment Act, the powers of the Rehabilitation Board to grant assistance were extended in certain directions. The Board may now admit to its trade training centres discharged servicemen of the British Commonwealth Forces. It may also grant the widow of an ex-service-man, who has died from causes not directly attributable to war service, the same housing or furniture loan assistance as the serviceman would have been entitled to at the time of his death. This provision applies for five years as from the passing of the amendment. The Act also extended for rehabilitation purposes the definition of the term “child” to include a stop child, an adopted child or an illegitimate child. Another section adds the Commissioner of Works to the personnel of the Rehabilitation Board. ’ The Supply Regulations Act continues the Emergency Supply Regulations, which, affect individual ex-servicemen as well as other members of the community.