Higher Wages Increase Rents

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 123, 26 May 1937, Page 5

Higher Wages Increase Rents

MORE WAGES WANTED TO PAY HIGHER RENTS' Per Press Association. AUCKLAND, May 25. 41 Very disappointing,’ * said Archbishop Averill, replying to an interviewer concerning tho rents announced by the Government for State houses. 14 1 was anxioue to see that provision was made for married people nn order to encourage families,’’ added His Grace. 44 My view is that houses of moderate rentals should have been built.” Trades Unioa officials conlcsscd disappointment at the scale of rentals but explained that they were not unreasonable in view of building cosfe and prevailing rentals. Our suggestion was that the scale was indication of the need for the Arbitration Court to fix a higher living wage and for the Government to take steps to produce building materials. BUILDING COSTS CONTROL RENTALS MR. LEE REPLIES TO CRITICS Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, Last Night. *1 am not apprehensive of the criticism of rents having regard to the present building costs. What I am apprehensive about is that other people building houses will claim that the rents are too low and will put them out of business,” said Mr. J. A. Lee, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of Housing, replying to the comment about the rents likely to be charged for Government houses. Mr. Lee claimed that the 17s 6d and £1 units in the Government Housing Scheme when built privately were being let to-day for from 30s to £2. Jf anybody could find being let to-day a type of house similar to tho 25s unit and let at a figure approaching that rental he would like to see it. "Some people dhy we should build cheaper houses but the most we could do would be to build them cheaper by a very small amount aui the resultant racing would not affect the by one penny piece ns the cheapness ot the unit would necessitate budgeting for a shorter life period and nighcr maintenance. It must be remembered, too, that the figures mentioned in the message from Wellington were the average rentals. In some instances they will be higher and in some lower to yield the average we have struck.”