Fair Rents Bill

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 225, 19 June 1936, Page 13

Fair Rents Bill

Sir. —What a pathetic spectacle is presented by the bankruptcy of statesmanship exhibited by the Government in the matter of the Fair Rents Bill! Did anv member of the Government give any serious thought to the fact that througU the cry of over-production emerges the peculiar fact of under-production in house-building (although not within 50 per cent., as stated by the Government), and did they not realise that th : 3 shortage is due entirely to the housing legislation brought down by the late Government under pressure from the Labour benches? They did not realise that the Bill would make the position worse as far as private house building to let is concerned, and also make things worse for those seeking houses to rent in the future. There is a large body of people, civil servants, employees of shipping, oil, insurance, banking and other companies, who are always liable to be transferred, and who consequently do not feel inclined to build houses of their own. The Bill will compel many owners ot rented property, who will resent the unfair interference and dictation of the Act, to put their property on the market: this will tend to depress the market, preventing building and causing further unemployment in the building trade and accentuating the position as to renting for the above-mentioned transferees. No one will be foolish enough to build for the poorer paid wage earner under the circumstances; this is evidently what the Government wants so as to give it the monopoly of building workers’ homes at the cost of the general taxpayer. Many of the landlords of New Zealand are working builders in a small way, yet a professed workers’ Government says to these men “You must not receive more than a maximum of so much.” To a worker living in a houfe belonging to worker No. 1, they say, “You must not receive less than a minimum of so much.” At what stage does a worker cease to merit the consideration of a workers’ Government? Is it when he builds a house and rents it to a fellow-worker? It appears so, and it is evidently the first leg in to stifle all private ownership and initiative.

The decision to leave out flats (in the meantime) will deceive only the unwary. This is on a par with the N.E.P. in Russia about 1930. No Government can be trusted at present, as witness the taxfree bonds and 29 per cent, reduction on Government interest. The late Government exempted new buildings from its legislation; these have all now. been brought under tie Act, and so it goes on, no sanctity of contract, no security anywhere, only opportunism aud expediency and repudiation. It is no part of the duties of a Government to legislate for a class, nor to make one section of the people carry the cost of a social service for another section; this should be carried by the whole country per medium of the consolidated fund. It will be interesting to watch the growth of the civil service in the near future, an army of inspectors for this, that and the other. If the Government van show some real statesmanship they may see another term of office, otherwise the writing is on the wall for a big revulsion of feeling nt the next election. — I am, etc., A. WORKER. Wellington, June 15.