BINT RESTRICTION

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 26, 30 July 1927, Page 10

BINT RESTRICTION

m CONTINUANCE

BflLt THROWN OUT

; EiSWIMD M COUNCIL '- : ■_ The Rent Restriction Continu- . Bill was unexpectedly thrown put by the Legislative Council yesterday afternoon after brief • : <liscussion. Opponents of the pro- ;. : posal were in a majority of one. Spe gon the second reading, the Pon. Sir Frederick Lang said that last , frear they had been asked to pass the pleasure and trust to the Government jiot to make a further extension. Instead of restricting rents, he contend-1 fed, the legislation had tended to cause tents to go up. What had had greater ■fffect in keeping rents down was the Valuable work of the State Advances department, enabling people to build i tomes. .The Hon. "W. H. Earnshaw commendj^dwhat the Government had done in j too matter of housing advances, but be suggested that continuance of the ! legislation waa not really helping the l^tuation. Houses were going to rack jbnd ruin, and being held unimproved pending the demand for replacement by industrial and commercial buildings. Jt- was time the restrictions were ter- j Jriinated. Eents in Wellington were up I p>. : the limit now, though he did not faggest landlords were making too much of a good thing out of them. The IH-H was useless to effect any real purJipse. Too much legislation to-day was £a_sed upon expediency rather than iptinciplee. However, he would not oppose the measure. The Hon. B. Moore said he regarded i&e Aot as a dead letter, and said he 3?il not think the repeal of the Act •tfould make any difference at all, pending a decrease in the cost of building. '.The . Hon.. G. J. Garland said the icasme did not affect new houses. He *ooght the Minister of Labour had torn I*AXy advised, and hoped that Bißel year >« -would bring hi a Bin ;b remove **ttos blister," as he.called 'P* Aet£ • ■- - ■ • ] Han. '&. S. Malcolm declared Mia* Iba original BUI destroyed the eon-' fid*ne« «£ private builders, and the 9*t had had the effect of restricting I*ivate enterprise in building houses for rent. The Minister appeared to |be under considerable pressure—not political pressure; but pressure from poor people to give a further extension. The second reading was defeated by 39 votes to 14, the division list beinc is. follows:— ' \Ayes (14): Bell, Rhodes, Barr, ftlark, Earnshaw, Hawke, Isitt, M'lnJtyre, Moore, Eeed, Scott, Sinclair. (Smith, Stout. •ftoes (15): Allen, Carrington, Cohen, Kerning, Goiv, Hanau, Lang, Mackenjpe, Malcolm, Mander, Mitchelson, Newjwan, Kikihana, Stewart, Triggs.