NO HOUSE—NO TRANSFER

Evening Star, Issue 25886, 2 September 1946, Page 5

NO HOUSE—NO TRANSFER

PUBLIC SERVANTS’ ATTITUDE RESOLUTION AGAINST EXORBITANT ROOM RENTS (P.A.) WELLINGTON, September 1. Saturday s session of the annual conference of the Public Service Association was entirely devoted to a* discussion of the housing- difficulties of public servants who, by their liability tp transfer, are especially affected by the present housing shortage. A statement issued to the Press says that investigations carried out in a number of centres had shown that there were very many desperate cases. It was clear tuat public servants were becoming increasingly critical of the Government’s failure to do anything for those employees whom it sent from one part of the country to another. The conference unanimously affirmed its existing policy that the Government snouiU be asked to accept responsibility iu such cases, and a number (fS ways in which this could be done without interfering with the rights of .other citizens were- put forward and adopted for presentation. The conference also decided to request that officers should hot be compulsorily transferred unless housing was made available. The association would endeavour to ensure that no loss of grading or promotion was suffered by those who, because of the lack of housing, were unable to accept transfers. It was explained- that the Govern-, meiit had set up'a departmental housing committee to endeavour to find a solution to the problem, which was not only affecting individual Civil servants, but was costing the Government a great deal of money and was seriously interfering with the contentment and efficiency of the service. The association is represented on this committee, as the special difficulties of public servants ,are bound up with the general question of housing. The conference- was insistent that until the people’s housing needs had been fully satisfied, no luxury or nonessential buildings should be permitted. Adverse comment was made by a number of delegates in respect of the failure of many local bodies to face up to the problem of transit The conference considered that no real progress would be- made in this- direction until the Government adopted responsibility as - a matter of national concern, The manner in which the housing shortage was being exploited by people who charged exorbitant rents for rooms and avoided the provisions of the Fair Rents Act by supplying bed and breakfast, was illustrated by examples. It was decided to urge the Government to amend the Act to extend its protection to the occupants of such establishments. Similar sentiments were expressed in respect of boarding houses and private hotels.