RENT STRIKE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIII, Issue 7, 19 December 1932, Page 6

RENT STRIKE

PROTEST BY RELIEF WORKERS.

MASS MEETING IN HASTINGS COUNCIL YARDS.

At a mass meeting of relief workers held in the Hastings Borough Council yards this morning, the following resolution was carried unanimously, there being not a single dissentient.

“That we, relief workers of Hastings, do pledge ourselves to give our fullest support to a ‘rent strike,’ or protest, starting from this day. We, as relief workers, have decided that the maximum amount of rent we can afford to pay under existing conditions is five shillings per week.

“Therefore, having this in mind, we adopt this policy, not in any spirit of bias, but as a protest, and in order to bring together the landlords and relief workers in conference.”

The following are the monthly earnings of the various classes of men on relief works: —

A class men, that is, married "men with no children, earn £3 10/- a month, or 17/6 a week.

B class men, that is, married men with up to two children, earn £5 10/-, or 27/6 a week.

C class men, that is, married men with three or more children, earn £7 10/- a month, or 37/6 a week.

Thus it will be seen from the foregoing that it condenses down to this: “Pay your full rent and let your wife and kiddies starve”; or “Feed your wife and kiddies and you can only afford to pay a maximum of 5/- a, week rent.” The relief workers have also decided that any negotiations regarding rent and questions appertaining thereto are to be handled by the investigation and eviction committee of the Hastings Unemployed Workers’ Association. This policy has been in operation for some time in the main centres, the landlords there realising the difficulties of relief workers.