SPOON-FEEDING

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 123, 20 November 1931, Page 8

SPOON-FEEDING

Stress is being laid by Labour candidates on the inadequacy of the Mortgagors' Relief Act because it places on the mortgagor the onus of , applying for relief, and an application for relief may be made only when the mortgagee gives notice of his intention to exercise the rights under his contract. Labour would 1 correct this by making a general reduction' of 20 per cent, of fixed charges where a voluntary agreement is not entered into within three I months and by placing on the mortgagee or lessor the onus of appealing against this order. This is spoonfeeding. Mr. M'Keen accused the Coalition Government of attempting to bribe the farmer. What has he to say of this? The Mortgagors' Relief Act goes far enough if ils aim is relief. Surely it is not necessary to. permit a mortgagor to appeal against the^ exercise of mortgage rights until the mortgagee has stated that he wishes to exercise them. Already the mortgagee is required to give' notice. . Labour would further place on him the onus of proof that the'exercise of such rights is reasonable. :In other words, his contract rights are to be diminished or cancelled, and he himself must apply '•and prove his right to their reinstatement. This goes much further than relief. ' It places the mortgagee in the wrong from the start, and he ,must,be prepared to show that he is in the right. Such a course , cannot but have an extremely damag- ! ing effect upon security. What lender would be prepared to lend if he had to face this trouble and difficulty before a contract to which he was a party could be recognised? Spoonfeeding like this may appeal to the | unthinking -as attractive when votes I are sought, but it is against root I principles of. justice. .