H.—ll

with this material. The precautionary measures so far adopted both in this country and in Australia are (I) the provision of "crawlers" or "duck-boards," and (2) that no workman bo permitted to work on any roof covered with asbestos-cement materials if the space between the purlines exceeds 3 ft. in respect of small-section corrugated sheets and 4 ft. in the case of large-section sheets (N.Z.S.S. 282). SEEVANTS' EEGISTEY OFFICES ACT The number of offices registered has further decreased to 37. All appear to be well conducted, only one warning being necessary. FAIE RENTS ACT, 1936 The operation of the Fair Rents Act, 1936, was further extended by the Fair Rents Amendment Act, 1942. It now continues in force until the expiration of one year from the termination of the present war, and shall then expire. Every dwellinghouse—i.e., every house or part of a house let as a separate dwelling where the tenancy does not include any land other than the site of the dwellinghouse and a garden or other premises in connection therewith, but including any furniture that may be let therewith in the Dominion is now subject to the Act, no dwellinghouse being excluded by reason only that part of the premises is used as a shop or office or for business, trade, or professional purposes, though premises let at a rent that includes payments in respect of board, and licensed premises within the meaning of the Licensing Act, 1908, are excluded. With the passing of the Fair Rents Amendment Act, 1942, the term " basic rent " means with reference to a dwellinghouse let as such on the Ist day of September, 1942, the rent payable as on that date, and with reference to a dwellinghouse that was not let on that date, the rent that was last payable before that date or, in the case of any premises first let as a dwellinghouse after that date, the rent first payable in respect thereof. Increases on the basic rent are possible in two ways —viz., as a result of a determination by a Magistrate of a fair rent that is higher than the basic rent, or as a result of an agreement in writing between the landlord and the tenant, this agreement requiring the approval of the Inspector of Factories. In fixing a fair rent a Magistrate is to have regard to the relative circumstances of the landlord and of the tenant. Such fair rent is not to exceed the basic rent unless the Magistrate is satisfied, by evidence produced by the landlord, that in the special circumstances of the case it is fair and equitable that the fair rent should exceed such basic rent. In the case of premises to which the Act applied prior to the operation of the 1942 amendment, the fair rent is to be fixed with reference to the " basic rent " under the repealed sections. The 1942 amendment also contained provisions protecting sub-tenants, prohibiting the refusal to let a dwellinghouse to an applicant with children, and providing special conditions in connection with recovery of possession by servicemen as defined in the Rehabilitation Act, 1941. Under these conditions a serviceman landlord has an absolute right to possession of a dwellinghouse where he occupied the premises as a dwellinghouse until he vacated them for the purpose of serving as a serviceman, provided, however, that the tenant is not a serviceman or the wife or widow of a serviceman or a dependant of a serviceman. Where the tenant is a serviceman or the wife or widow of a serviceman or a dependant of a serviceman and the landlord is a serviceman, the right to possession is to be determined upon the basis of relative hardship. In the case of a tenant being a serviceman or the wife or widow of a serviceman, and a landlord not being a serviceman, possession can be secured by the landlord only on one or more of the following grounds :— (a) That the tenant has failed to pay the rent lawfully payable in respect of the premises, or has failed to perform any other conditions of the tenancy ; (b) That the tenant has failed to take reasonable care of the premises or has committed waste ; or (c) That the tenant has been guilty of conduct that is a nuisance or annoyance to adjoining or neighbouring occupiers. Under the Economic Stabilization Emergency Regulations 1942, it is required that a register containing certain particulars be kept, this register to be produced for inspection. Further, every person commits an offence against the regulations who stipulates for or demands or accepts for himself or for any other person on account of the rent of any dwellinghouse any sum that is irrecoverable by virtue of the Fair Rents Act, 1936. The Inspector of Factories is empowered to act on behalf of any tenant in proceedings under the Act, and the following table indicates the extent to which tenants have availed themselves of the services of the Department's Inspectors :—

The total number of applicants for the previous year was 6,346. The reduction is chiefly in the number of agreements submitted for review. The Department investigated 11 alleged breaches of section 15 of the Act, which imposes certain restrictions on the letting or selling of a dwellinghouse where the landlord has recovered possession on the grounds that the premises are required for his own occupation ; proceedings were taken in 2 instances, convictions being obtained in both cases, and penalties amounting to £2 were imposed.

13

Agreement under Cases where Fixation of Fair Bent, involved and Inspector Section 21. appeared in Court on behalf of Tenant. Tenant represented — by Inspector in Total Owner's Application. Tenant's Application Eviction Proceedings. Town. Number of ,. nmvK , 'Other Applications. Notap- .. . Bent reduced Cas <®. Inspector P roved - E ent Rent „™Jsio below Basic Rent not „ ,, „ .. reduced. justified. ,, "ft Bent or Fair reduced. Seotlon 13 - Section 14. nerea to. Rent Auckland .. .. 2,415 915 53 3 13 52 88 17 314 17 943 Wellington .. 1,503 313 25 17 8 3 183 15 125 42 772 Christchurch .. 534 134 4 7 22 13 (i 38 20 •will Dunedin .. .. 125 (>2 22 .. I . . . . ., 12 I Other towns .. 558 184 18 0 6 3 3 2 31 10 295 5,135 1,608 122 33 50 58 287 40 520 90 2,327 • These cover cases dealt with by the Department's officers without reference to the Court, in many cases involving considerable reductions in existinn rents, or applications which were withdrawn as a result of the tenant vacating the premises, or for other reasons.