TENANT AND LANDLORD

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LIV, Issue LIV, 16 October 1920, Page 9

TENANT AND LANDLORD

NEIGHBOURS TO THE RESCUE. While a landlord can still exorcise (re rights under common law, lie is placed m the peculiar position of bein.j unable to get that assistance from tie. Court, in the case of an eviction, that ' he was entiled to prior to the onacimeut oi the now war legislation. Having already failed to secure an orde: against a tenant occupying his dwelling in Hamilton East, a certain local landlord (says the Auckland Star) decided on Friday last week, to exercise his rights under the common law and to reenter. He, forthwith journeyed over during the afternoon, and finding the front door open entered. Me was met by the lady of the house, and when he informed her in as polite a manner as possible that he had come to take possession, she replied that he was fortunate in having found the door open, a* they had been anticipating some such action, and had made a practice m keeping the door closed and the windows locked. The lady then promptly rang up her husband, who is head accountant for one of the large stock firms in the town, and he, hurrying home, ordered the landlord oil the premises. .As the latter stubborn!v refused to quit, the husband sought the aid of the police, who informed him, however, that they wore unable to, assist him it* his trouble. As time was dragging on, find the parties were still arguing stubbornly over their respective rights, the landlord decided on a definite course of action, and commenced to remove the furniture from the kitchen and scullery into the washhouse. He had just completed removal operations, and was’about to .isolate the two rooms from the rest of house hv locking the doors ,and uiieu to take* his departure, when there loomed up in the fast fadm plight a company of sympathetic neighbours, beaded by the‘irate tenant. On scenting an unwholesome tang in the atmosphere the landlord decided that discretion was, at the moment, Um

j noii-or pun. ui \uwui, <n»vc u* looked himself lu. He was tlicn hesicced for ;i considerable time, unit Constable Herne, sorting wind of tin trouble, rode along on his bicycle and counselled the besiegers again si acts of violence. Darkness had by ibis time fallen, and the investing army drew the constable's attention to the Jact thit the landlord’s motor-car was standing in the roadway without lights. The lull in the watch outside afforded the landlord an opportunity of escape, when the constable informed him that he would be prosecuted for allowing Ids motor-car to stand without proper and sufficient lights attached. Under the protection of the officer the landlord I then entered his car, only to find that i his tail-lamp had been emptied. ol fuel, 'ami ho was only able to proceed on his homeward journey after borrowing a simply from the constable s lamp: while the neighbours were arguing the legal merits of the case with the eonstable. .The tenant has since, we understand. re-entered the locked moms, and the next move is -awaited with in-, terest by the neighbours.