SOLDIERS’ HOUSES

Southland Times, Issue 18963, 9 June 1923, Page 5

SOLDIERS’ HOUSES

DEPARTMENT’S POLICY CRITICISED. (Per United Press Association). AUCKLAND, June 8. A matter of considerable importance to returned soldiers which has not received much public attention was considered by the Dominion Conference of the Returned Soldiers’ Association to-day. This referred t o the Lands Department’s policy, in some instances, of loading houses, vacated by returned soldiers, with arrears of interest and costs of previous owners when offering dwellings to other soldier applicants. A remit protesting against this policy and expressing the opinion that a revaluation of such dwellings on present day values should be made, was put forward. It was mentioned that it sometimes happened that a soldier found he could not keep up payments on the house and surrendered it, and the accumulated arrears of interest, with legal costs, were added to the capital value and this resulted that in many cases, a building had cost a great deal more than would be the case were dwellings erected to-day and made it too expensive for another soldeir to take over. One southern delegate mentioned that in his district there were four such houses on the hands of the Department and the local Association had been informed that until these dwellings were applied for and taken over, the Association could not expect to receive further grants for houses. The opinion was generally expressed that the State should bear the loss revealed by revaluation, and writing off of accrued liabilities. The remit was adopted.