Section 52. Each urban renewal agency shall keep an accurate account of all its activities, receipts and expenditures in connection with the planning and execution of urban renewal projects and shall annually in the month of January make a report of such activities, receipts and expenditures to the department, the state auditor and the mayor of the city or to the selectmen of the town within which such authority is organized, such reports to be in a form prescribed by the department and approved by the state auditor; provided, that such form shall not be inconsistent with any federal legislation and shall conform as closely as may be to such legislation. The department or state auditor shall have the power to examine into the properties and records of urban renewal agencies and to prescribe methods of accounting, not inconsistent with federal legislation, for such activities, receipts and expenditures.

A veteran, as defined in section one of chapter thirty-one, who holds an office or position in the service of a redevelopment authority not classified under said chapter thirty-one, and has held such office or position for not less than three years, shall not be involuntarily separated from such office or position except subject to and in accordance with the provisions of sections forty-one to forty-five, inclusive of said chapter thirty-one to the same extent as if said office or position were classified under said chapter. If the separation in the case of such unclassified offices or positions results from lack of work or lack of money, such a veteran shall not be separated from his office or position while similar offices or positions in the same group or grade, as defined in section forty-five of chapter thirty, exist unless all such offices or positions are held by such veterans, in which case such separation shall occur in the inverse order of their respective original appointments.

No person permanently employed by a redevelopment authority, who is not classified under chapter thirty-one, shall, after having actually performed the duties of his office or position for a period of six months, be discharged, removed, suspended, laid off, transferred from the latest office or employment held by him without his consent, lowered in rank or compensation, nor shall his office or position be abolished, except for just cause and in the manner provided by sections forty-one to forty-five, inclusive, of chapter thirty-one.

Any employee who has transferred from a housing authority to a redevelopment authority in the same city or town shall, for the purposes of this section, be credited for the period of time in which he was employed by a housing authority.