TURNED OUT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 27 September 1918, Page 7

TURNED OUT.

COMMENT ON HOUSING

QUESTION

The housing problem in Wellington is still very acute, and cases arising, between tenant and owner' are fairly frequent in the courts. Interesting comments were made by Mr F. V. Frazer, S.M., in Tuesday, at the conclusion of an action taken for the pos.session of a tenement by the owner from the person then in occupation (reports the Post). The plaintiff herself had been renting a house, but it had been sold over her head to a person who wished to occupy it himself, •so that she had had to leave the premises. She could not rent another house, and therefore bought that %in which the defendant lived. As she actually required the place for her own use she gave him notice to quit, but went to some trouble to secure another house for the defendant. However, he considered the.place unsuitable, as it was up some steps. The defendant did not dispute plaintiff's statement as to the circumstances under which she re-" -quired the house, and the Magistrate .said he had no option but to make an order for possession. After some discussion with the parties, he fixed the date at four weeks from the date of hearing. Referring to the shortage of house accommodation, Mr Frazer said that the slowing up of building was no doubt responsible for much inconvenience, but the position was made more .acute by the fact that many people had recently come from other parts to reside in Wellington, some to be near their relatives engaged in military duties, and others who had chosen to -come to the town while drawing allotments. Possibly one solution would be that preference should be given to those whose business justified their residence in the town, but there were very great practical difficulties in the way of bringing such a step about.