HIGH RENTS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2764, 6 May 1916, Page 8

HIGH RENTS

LABOUR UNIONS PROTEST

PRIME MINISTER'S VIEWS

A vigorous protest against the rapidrise ir rents in Wellington since the outbreak of war was made by a deputation from Labour unions which waited upon the Prime Minister yesterday. Mr. M. J. Reardon said that the workers in Wellington City had always suffered by reason of the fact that rents of their houses were from ss. to 10s. per week higher than in any other part of New Zealand. The Prime Minister and the Government, wlion war was first declared, determined that certain people would not have power to exploit the community. They decided that the moneylender should not be allowed to exploit tho man unable to pay off his, mortgage on due date. But the landlords were taking advantage of tho misfortunes ot the poor by raising rents during the war period. Ho would mention six or eight _of many cases of which he 'had particulars. A landlord owniug some 230 houses in a suburban district had raised the rents of all his houses from Is. to 2s. 6d. per woek, and in a letter written to one tenant lie had Stated that he was raising rents because of - increased taxation. Five traniwaymen had had their rents raised, four by 4s. a week, and one by os. a week. Tenants of tho back part or a shop had had their rent raised froin 30s. to 40s. a week. A man who had for some years occupied a liouso in Adelaide Road at a rent of 13s. a week was 011 March 1 required to pay 13s. a week, and on March 22 the rent was still further increased to 20s. a week. • Tho rent of a house in Northland which had stood at 17s. 6d. was now increased to 30s. Mr. Reardon , mentioned also .the case of _ two men who had started a littlb business, in a small way in a sltop near Courtenay Place, for'which they paid £2 a weok. They had just worked up a payable business when their rent was raised to £4. Tho men refused to pay, and the landlord told thorn to get out, saying that lie would get £5 a week for the place. Ho (Mr. Reardon) was happy to say that the shop was still empty. Another case cited was that of a five-roomed house, twenty-years old, half-way up Mount .Victoria, _ with about 25 feet of back yard. Six years ago the tenant paid 21s. a week, but recently the rent was raised to 225. Gd., and then t0.305. These wero only typical cases out of very many. He urged that the Government should bring in a short measure to provide that all rents should go hock to the rate at which they stood 'on August- 1, 1914, and that any tenant who had paid increased rent since that time should he credited with the amount of tho over-charge-as rent paid in advance. Ho drew tho ntton-. tion of Mr. to tho Fair Rent Act of New South Wales, which, ho said, was a very fair measure, and ono that tho Government would have no difficulty, in getting through the House. The triflini* amount of war - taxation imposed 'did not at nil justify tho exorbitant increases in rents.- The suburban landlord who hndi increased the rents on his 220 houses was no exception. Another landlord in Newtown who had GO houses had increased all his rents bv 2a. tt

Mr. A. H. Hindmarsh, M.P., said that many married men were going away with the forces, and it was a very serious thing for these men if in'their absence tho rent of their cottages was to bo raised. _ He Iqiew; of .one man who had left a wife and four children, and the rent of hor cottage was, raised ss. n week. Tliero was no reason, for tho increase. Tho landlord simply took advantage of the temporary demand for houses caused by the infiux of people to Wellington because of the near neighbourhood of ttio camp. ■ ■ , Mr. M'Kenzie said it was particularly disgraceful that at a timo like this landlords should take advantage of tlio shortago of "houses to increase rents. Ho urged the Government to help to reduce this shortage by erecting more workers' homos'in Wellington. Mr, jMassoy, replying, said lie did not approve of tho increase of rents during the war period, If it was general, as alleged,; it was a very improper thing to increase routs to necessitous people. In saying this be spoke sincerely. Tlio rise in rents was not foreseen by the Government. The general experience had always been that rents went down' in war time, and his information went to show tlmt this had happened in' every New Zealand centre except Wellington. No doubt the rise of rents in Wellington was due to tho number of 'people who had come here to reside temporarily,. causing a shortage, of . houses. When Parliament imposed increased taxation last session, it was never intended that landlords would liavo an opportunity of passing it oil to their unfortunate tonmit. It had been suggested that tho Government should erect more workers' loines. Last year tlio Government would have built moro of tlicso dwellings hut for tho unsatisfactory financial outlook at the beginning of the year. Even then tho Government put .up a fairly goad record—having erected'B2 liomen, of which 30 wero in Wellington. For the year .previous tho number was very much bigger—l 6*2. There was no expenditure which gave him more satisfaction than tliat on workers' homes. How many would- lie built during the present year ho could not say, because the cost of building material had increased a great deal. The New, tiouth Wales Fair. Bent Act, and tho working of it, had not escaped lii's attention. Ho had no fault to find with the Act, but it was not working out as its authors had intended that it should. It had had the nO'tct of stopping building almost altogether, and if this stato of' things,continued the sliortago of houses would he accentuated. He sympathised with peoplo who were now required to pay increased rents, and ho would try to think out some way of meeting the difficulty. Ho would'consult with tho Labour Department and with liis colleagues on tho subject.