HIGH RENTS FOR ROOMS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22197, 26 August 1935, Page 15

HIGH RENTS FOR ROOMS

Sir, —A letter in your columns on Friday on the above subject touched a vital spot in our community life. There are many old people trying to live on 15s or 16s per week, and. as pointed out in the letter referred to, how can a person pay 7s for a room out of that? I have been able during recent' days to arrange with landlords on behalf of aged people who have come to me seeking advice and help to get their room rent reduced to os per week, which seems to be the irreducible minimum. Some of these folk are over 80 years of age and, although most of them have a few pieces of furniture left, the residue of what they had in better days, they have been pinched beyond measure during the recent months, and some of them have been very cold this severe weather. There is something wrong when old people who have borne the heat and burden of the day and have been good colonists are. it would seem, almost forgotten. Years of social service has taught me that there are few sadder sights in life than an aged person who is poor and not too well. Through non-reciprocity of old-age pensions within the different parts of our Empire, much needless distress is caused, but our country will never be right till some scheme of national health insurance and national pensions is in vogue; it is promised to us, but how slowiv things are moving to put it into operation. W. K. Howitt.