Possession Order No Pass To State House

Chronicle (Levin), 12 October 1948, Page 6

Possession Order No Pass To State House

AUCKLAND, Oct. 11. Thqre wero grounds for suspeeting that a "racket"' was being^ run in Auckland, to use • kouse possession orders as tlie nieans of obtaining possession witk a view to selling, said the chairman of the Auckland State house allocation coimnittoe, Mr. R. F. Barter. He also expressed the opinion that alJ State house applications should go through oue committee on which re __ turned servicemen should be represented and that a man 's military servj.ee alohe should not give him priority in the allocation of a house. committee is greatly concerned about applications to the court for orders t'or possession, ' ' said Mr. Barter. ' ' There are grounds for suspeeting that a racket is- being run and there seems to be an impression abroad that after a landlord obtains a 'possession order, the tenant gains priority in his application for a State house. This is not neeessarily so beeause we view with suspicion the methods of and motives actuating some persons who apply for possession orders on the grounds that they wish to occupy their houses. When tlie i'act that a possession order has been issued is Used to trv to per.suade the committee to aliocate a house to an evicted tenant, not onlv are the ten ant's circumstances investigated by tlie committee but a thorougli investi gation is also made of the reasons for the landlorfl 's action," said Mr. Barter. "Some of those persons thiuk they can autoinatically fall baclt on the State housing programme to satisfy their own wishes. This is espeeiaily so in many cases where people wish to seli their houses to returned sefyicemen under the rehabilitation scliemeV J