HOUSING RENTS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 163, 12 July 1945, Page 7

HOUSING RENTS

POWERS OF MAGISTRATES LIMITATION REQUESTED Parliamentary Reporter. WELLINGTON, this day. Amendments to the Fair Rents Act were advocated by Mr. R. M. Macfarlane . (Govt., Christchurch South),-speaking in the Address-in-Reply debate in the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon'; The first amendment he suggested was. a,-limitation of the powers of magistrates to- increase irents.- He quoteC the case of a 31-year-old hoiise in his own electorate. There had been an application to increase the rent. The Labour Department valuation was 31/, but a magistrate, without seeing the property, had increased the rent from 26/ to £2 9/. The Labour Department', said Mr. Macfarlane, was to be congratulated on the action it had taken for a reduction of rents of flats. He suggested however, that something should be done to give protection from unscrupulous landlords to tenants whose rent had been reduced. . •. • He read two letters in. which complaints were made against landlords of abuse; One of the complainants said that ashes had been thrown on her clothes. .