UNOCCUPIED HOMES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26641, 11 December 1947, Page 6

UNOCCUPIED HOMES

R.S.A. CRITICISM REPLY BY MINISTER The Minister of Defence, Mr F. Jones, in a statement to the Daily Times yesterday, referred at length to the resolution passed at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Dunedin Returned Services’ Association concerning the Minister’s strictures on the attitude of certain members on the question of the legislation affecting the letting of unoccupied homes. “ I have read with interest the statement issued on behalf of the executive of the Dunedin R.S.A. in reply to my comments on the remarks made at the meeting of the Dunedin R.S A. last month in connection with the legislation which was passed recently by the Government compelling owners to let houses which were unoccupied,” the Minister said. “At the meeting referred to, certain statements were made by members of the executive against the legislation being placed on the Statute Book. One member is reported to have said that, unless adequate safeguards were provided, individual property rights might be infringed. Another, referring to some of the provisions of the Act, stated: ‘ We are all violently opposed to them.’ It was not reported that anyone challenged this particular statement and, in the circumstances, it would not be unreasonable to assume that he spoke for the whole of the executive. Another member stated that it was regrettable that the Government had taken this action. I took strong exception to these statements because, as I have previously explained, this legislation was introduced as a result of representations being made by the New Zealand Returned Services’ Association. Similar representations were also made by the 2nd N.Z.E.F. Association and the New Zealand Home Servicemen’s Association.” The Minister quoted the following resolution published in the September issue of the R.S.A. Review:. “ ‘ That this Dominion council hereby approves the action of the Dominion executive committee in seeking legislative provision by which owners and landlords of unoccupied houses and baches would be required to find tenants within a period of two months, and in default tenants to be found by the Government,’ This publication is issued for the information of members of the R.S.A. and, in my opinion, the executive members of the Dunedin R.S.A. should have been aware of the resolution, and also of the subsequent representations that were made to the Government. “ It is interesting to note,” the Minister continued, “ that the November meeting was open to the press when this matter was first discussed, and one would have thought that Tuesday night’s meeting would also have been open to the press. I would like to make it clear that my remarks referred to statements made by certain executive members. I took exception to these as being an attack on'the Government. I did appreciate the. fact that a further discussion was to take place at a further meeting. If. it is true that, according to the 2nd N.Z.E.F. Association’s statement, they know of 10 unoccupied homes in Dunedin suitable for letting, then I would say that the legislation has been fully justified if it means that 10 returned servicemen or others will have a chance of obtaining homes for themselves. - •.