HOUSING COSTS

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 93, 19 April 1916, Page 8

HOUSING COSTS

FAIR RENTS COURT WANTED GOVERNMENT TO BE APPROACHED. High rents and housing problems were considered at a largely-attended meeting of rent-payers held in the Trades Hall last night. The meeting was not open to the press, but the particulars of the business transacted have been supplied. Mr. M. J. Reardon, president of the Trades and Labour Council, was in the chair. A summary of information supplied by tenants was presnted by the secretary (Mr- L. M. A. Rearden). Mr. .Rearden stated that he had investigated all the cases submitted, and could vouch for their authenticity. In view of the fact that many people, though bearing an increased rental burden, did not care to have their grievances publicly.' ventilated, the replies received must be considered very satisfactory. They indicated that rents had been raised to an extent which was unwarranted, not in a few, but in very many cases. In all cases quoted the secretary had the name of the tenant and of the landlord. It was found that some landlords, having much house property, had raised all, or the greater number, of the rents. Some cases were: In a small shop, leased for £2 a week, on expiry of the lease the landlord demanded £4 a week, and as the tenant could not pay this he had to give up his business; a fourroomed house, in a very bad sUte of repair, increased from 13s to 15s 6d, the husband of the occupier is at the front; an increase from 20s to 21s 6d was made, on the ground of increased rates and taxes; a tenant of four years' standing was called od to pay 2s a week extra for a small house; a block of small houses had been increased from 16s to 18s each; a tenant was informed that the house had been sold, and that if she did not quit by a given date the rent would be raised from 17s 6d to 30s; a small house was increased from 13s to 15s at the beginning of March, and, before the end of the month, notice was gi^en that there would be a further increase of ss; house of twelve rooms at the back of some shops was increased at the end of a four-years' lease from 30s to 40s; three houses were raised from 32s 6d to 355; a four roomed house, occupied by a woman whose husband is in camp, was raised from 14s to 17s 6d —the house had no glass in the front door and no locks to any doors, the tenant said she could only pay 14s, and the landlord thereupon gave her three days' notice to quit; on a house let at 20s the rent was raised twice in two months, to 23s 6d; a four-roomed house out of .the town was increased, first to 10s, and then to 12s—-there were four children in the family, and two were under a doctor's care; four rooms at 15s, raised twice within a month to 18s 6d; a four-roomed house in a bad state of repair, was increased from 13s to 15s 6d—the tenant was earning £2 13s 6d a week and had six children, all under eleven years of age. After consideration of the report it was decided to send a deputation to the Prime Minister to place the full facts before him and urge upon him the vital necessity for dealing with the question by the establishment of a Fair Rents Court similar to that recently established in Sydney. It was further decided'that the Trades Council should continue the collection of information to be placed before another meeting of tenants in a fortnight's time. Progress will then be reported and consideration given to 'the question of forming a rentpayerg' association.