DAIRY WORKERS’ HOUSES

Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24640, 9 August 1945, Page 6

DAIRY WORKERS’ HOUSES

PROPOSAL TO INCREASE RENTS OPPOSED

(P.A.) AUCKLAND. August 8. “Any proposal to raise the rents of old houses in the industry will be fought to the bitter end,” said Mr L. D. Robertson, general secretary of the Dairy Workers’ Union, when referring to a suggestion made at the recent Dominion dairy conference that a tribunal be set up with authority to raise the existing low rentals in order to reduce anomalies between employees who occupied existing houses and those who occupied ones erected at a higher cost. “In the past," said Mr Robertson, “dairy companies have in the main ignored the necessity of providing adequate and suitable accommodation for the 'dairy worker Now that one of the major problems was lack of accommodation, the industry was building accommodation in an endeavour to rectify the position. Due to high building costs, however, and the inability of the worker to pay a higher rent, it was proposed to» lower these rents, but to raise the rents of older houses.

Mr Robertson added that there would be serious trouble if any attempt was made to step up existing rentals, as many members were protesting at the already high rents paid for the class of house now provided