THE COST OF LIVING.

Evening Star, Issue 12308, 24 September 1904, Page 11

THE COST OF LIVING.

TO THE KDITOK. Sir,—With reference to Mr Tregear's memo, to tho Premier asking the Government to acquire suburban properties for the purposes of subdividing and erecting working men's homes', the Secretary of the Labor Department gives as a reason thatworking men are not reaping the full benefit they should from the good labor laws of the colony through the high price of rents, caused principally by the high price of kind. He inters that owners of suburban property will not sell at a reasonable price. Now, had Mr Tregear tried to induce the Government to furnish proprietors of suburban towinships which" flurourid Duuedin with the means of unlocking this land, Mr Tregear would find the owfiers only too willing to sell at a reasonable price. Working men would then havo no cause to cry out about the high price of rent or the high prices of building sites. As your readers are probably aware, there wore about 1,000 quarter-acre sections advertised for aalc early in the present year, which had afterwards to be withdrawn from the market, owing, it is alleged, to the way the registrar of deeds interpreted the Public Works Amendment Act, 1903, as vendors of land were prevented from giving transfers to purchasers under that official's interpretation of the Act. I am reliably informed that townships, aggregating in' all 10,000 quarter-acre sections, are also locked up as a result of this Act. Can it, then, be wondered at that exorbitant prices should be asked for sites for residences when such a large 1 number of townships are prevented from being put on the market? Owners of property not affected by this Act are, as a result, realising fabulous prices, as much as £3OO being received for a section covering one-eighth of an acre. I learn that some of the upset prices for qunrter-aere sections' in the properties which were withdrawn from sale was £ls, and this, tir, in a township (<nlv twenty minutes ride from the centre of the City. I have always been an ardent supporter of the Scddon Government in their close settlement scheme, but when they are frying to bring about a "closer" settlement in our cities, then I am right against them. The Premier has frequently alluded to Ihe fact that pur railways are not for the purpose of yielding rnimen« revenue, but are the public highways of the people, and ri'.n to suit their convenience. He has often preached about working men wanting to crowd into the cities where houses are scarce and land more so, when they can obtain houses at suitable rents, with a little ground where they cou'd keep a cow and have a little garden,; and yet be within easy distance of the City. This policy of the Premier's would be" very. good, if. irisroid of being continually preached about, it were put into immediate effect, which could easily be done by allowing vendors of land to pell without putting urife'nS6f>ab l e restrictions upon them, as the Public Works Amendment Act, 1903, does. If trains were run to and from the cities at conveirient hours at cheap fares and for those who are employed in the cities, there Would soon he cheap rente and contentment for nil working classes and employers alike. I am, etc., ' H.L. September 22.