HOUSING DISPUTES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 March 1939, Page 8

HOUSING DISPUTES

ATTITUDE OF GOVERNMENT. TOWN PLANNING BOARD AS ABITRATOR. Reference to Government housing was made by Mr T. Jordan, president of the Municipal Association, in his annual report presented to the annual conference of the' association in Dune--din. “You will remember that at the last conference I represented that at the request of the Minister in Charge of Housing a conference had been called of interested parties and an agreement reached providing for the settlement of all disputes between local bodies and the Housing Department by the Town Planning Board, that immediately thereafter the agreement had been broken by the Department, that the written explanation sent to me by the Minister was entirely unsatisfactory and that he had asked for further time to look into the matter,” said Mr Jordan. “To this the conference agreed. I took up • the matter immediately afterwards with him, but it was not until May 4 of last year that he sent me the following letter: — ‘Owing to a misunderstanding as to the implications of the agreement made between the Government and the Municipal Association, as to subdivisions and other matters in local body areas, I regret that a building scheme at Mount Roskill was proceeded with before' the proposed committee had finalised its discussions. The position is now clearly understood by the Mount Roskill Town Board, the president of the ‘ Municipal Association, ;and the. Government, and the agreed procedure will be carried out in future.’ “This was considered by the executive at its June meeting, and the following reply sent by the secretary:— ‘Your letter of the 4th ultimo addressed to the president of the Association was placed before the executive committee at its meeting on _ the 2nd inst., and a report, on its subject Boatter was made to the executive by the president. I am now directed by the executive to reply as follows: The position resulting from the conference that took place in your room on October 13 last was thoroughly understood by the Mount Roskill Road Board, and. by the president of this association, and the action of the Housing Department and of Cabinet in proceeding with the work in Mount Roskill m contempt of the agreement reached under your chairmanship is deplored by this ■ association. This has not been a happy augury for the co-operation which you and your colleagues have asked of this association, and which this association is so anxious to offer, and the executive is relieved to learn from your letter that the agreed procedure will for the future be followed. “It is satisfactory to be able to report’ that so far as my information goes since June the Department has endeavoured to fneet the wishes of local bodies in connection with its housing operations, and I know of no further instance of the high-handed action that was in evidence earlier. _ It may not be out of place to remind members that the original arrangements still stands, and that the Town Planning Board will act as arbitrator in ease of disputes. The Mount Roskill Road Board, the body immediately concerned in the dispute, was kept fully informed of the steps that were taken, and it has expressed its satisfaction that we did all that was possible under the circumstances.