HOUSING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20642, 14 August 1930, Page 14

HOUSING.

JU. MIU! W.ICV.I.

Sir,—Your correspondent. Mr. \Y, K. Howitt, is not sticking to his guns. His snptK&stion through your columns was replacing of homes for the poor in the city area, and not merely the demolition of old properties. It does not take muck acumen to discover tho fact that tho demolition work would be but a. trifle; but what of the cost of constructing thesa " homes where there would be sunshine inside and out"? Ratepayers have a right to expect that tho chairman of tho Relief Committee, as a responsible officer, would retain an impartial and unbiassed mind; but "from tho evidence it would seem that tenants have all the rights and sympathies and the hated landlord none-; Tho bread merchant, the milk merchant, the meat merchant, are not expected to work at a loss, and they deal with the necessities of life: why this antagonism to tho land merchant t Mr. Howitt and X agrefc on one point; " dirt begets dirt. * He blames the houses for. creating dirt; I blamo the people that use them; so the detested landlord is to blame for his tenants' dirfc. Mr. Howitt tells us soma of his clients come to see him very dirty, and without a bath; because this recalcitrant owner has not supplied them with a bath. It only ueeds the water tho landlord supplies, a piece of soap given by the Relief Committee, and a _ basiu and the necessary energy and desire on the part of these same clients to produces the necessary cleanliness; no, the landlord/ is to blame. He is also to blame, for somt unaccountable reason, because some of these same people sleep in their clothes: in tho name of fortune, why ? Is not Mr. Howitt obsessed with his hatred of landlords? Again, ho says, " all this is so appai-ent that it is not necessary to ask if such is tho case." Does the Relief Committee give away the ratepayers' alms without any investigation? Personally, I have known of many cases receiving relief, but I have never yet heard of any investigation into tho truth or otherwise of the stories to!d. Mr. Howitt/ says investigation is not necessary; is this business-like ? Mr. Howitt states, which is quite true, there are hundreds of empty, houses for which the owners would takp low rentals; why in the name of goodness do not these wnshless tenants U'i and live in them ? And this same landlord is blamed for not spending Hip money he doesn't get; does not Mr. Ilowitf know the first call on whatever rent the unlucky landlord may perhaps get is foirates and interest ? Mr. Howitt is pleased to bo facetious at the difficulties encountered at present by the owners of theso poor houses: I would suggest that lie occupies a somewhat rlelicale position .'is the distributor of these same owners' alms, and that a little tact, an impartial and unbiassed mind and the recognition of the. rights of landlords as well as tenants would constitute an ideal chairman of the Relief Committee from the ratepayer's point of view. Owner.