LOWER RENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 66, 19 March 1931, Page 12

LOWER RENTS

TJKA^E TO LA^DLOEDS MR. (CQATES'S SUGGESTION A. point-blank^statement from ithe Government that landlords are expected to reduce rents during the present depression was .advocated by the Leader of the Opposition (the Eight. Hon. J. G., Coates) in the ■ House' of Bepresentatives yesterday, during his speech on th? Finance Bill. ;., ■" "At ,the earliest opportunity," >aia Mr. Coatesj ;/,(the: Government should say,; straight;;.out: ;/We expect you to reduce rents.'" .' • ■ ■ ' • Mr. P .Fraser; (Labour, Wellington Central): "Blessed is he who expeeteth nothing." / . ' "What about, reducing interestrates?" asked Mr. X M'Combs (Labour, Lyttelton). Mr. Coates: "I have dealt previously vith that question. I repeat that you iannot reduce interest.rates while the Government is. on the market at 5| per cent. "■■ When the 'Government lowers its rates, you will find that the others will come down." CASE OF RAILWAYMEN. Dealing with the increased rents of Faihvaynien, Mr. Coates inquired whether the 10 per "cent, wages cut would apply to those workers. "For the life of me," he/said,. '/I cannot understand why the recommendations of the Commission dealing with; the 'rents of;railway Chouses;/should/ have', been given effect to." ;: .•'. .-•'■•,-: ■-■-■ ■.'■.. ■ "Is not the remedy to take the cut off?" asked■ Mr. Fraser, when Mr. Coates had quoted-an; individual case. Mr. Coates:' "Whatever the remedy is, this; man-is entitled to it. The case I havtf quoted is a mild one. I have knowledge of others where the increase in rent ]■. has been' as great as 300 per cent. I think :it is a wrong policy. We should be bringing costs down,' not increasing, theinv .What has been done is an'injustice, arid should; be righted. The matter should be revised without The Minister of Railways (the Honi W. A. Veifch): '•'Public notice , was given recently that rents were being " revised!" v .'...,- ~',■' „ Mr. Coates: "I think they should be." Mr. JV M'Combs (Labour, Lyttelton) asked why the Reform Party had not reduced rents in 1921 y when it made two cuts in the Civil Service salaries. Since 1921 the rents had increased,, according to. the Government Statistician's figures,,by 50 per cent. This showed that cuts were not necessarily followed by reductions in Costs to the workers.. - ' V - i- .