RENT RESTRICTION

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 53, 31 August 1926, Page 10

RENT RESTRICTION

EXTENSION OF PRO-

TECTION

UNTIL IST AUGUST NEXT YEAR

CLOSE INVESTIGATION IN

MEANTIME.

To enable an investigation to be made into the likelihood of the removal of the present rent restriction law from the Statute Book causing hardship to poor tenants, tho life of the protective legislation is being extended until Ist August next year.

The Minister of Labouf (the Hon. G. J. Anderson) stated in the House of Bepresentatives last night that since the Bill was put through its second reading he had gone further into the subject of rent restriction with some of his colleagues, and Cabinet had decided to ask the House, when in Committee, to make an alteration extending the operation of the Act to Ist August, 1927, instead of Ist March. In the meantime, as it had been represented to him that hardship would ensue to many people in the poorer parts of the four cities if tho legislation came to an end, the Government must endeavour —nnd he would endeavour to do so himself,. if possible, acting with the officers of the Health and Labour Departments—to visit those parts and gather information as to the valuations of properties affected, etc. They would meet the .municipal authorities, and if conditions'were found to be as bad as had been represented, they would see what could be done to meet the situation. Next August, after the session had been in 1 progress for about a month, further legislation would be introduced if necessary. If there was no call for further legislation, the present law would ceaso towards the end of next year. If, on the other hand, it was found necessary to make further extensions, Parliament could take that into consideration. He thought it might be said that only two centres were affected. Mr. P. Fraser (Wellington Central) thanked the Minister for the decision lie had reached, and expressed the view that it would meet the position very fairly. He had made many investigations since the second reading of the Bill, and had found that rents had beeu increased very considerably in many cases. A great many fears would be allayed by tho Minister's statement, said Mr. B. M'Keen (Wellington South). He welcomed the proposal that a committee of investigation would be set up. The Bill was amended in accordance with the Minister's statement, and was passed in its altered form.