RENT RESTRICTION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22843, 25 September 1937, Page 17

RENT RESTRICTION

NEED FOE. MEASUEE MINISTER'S EXPLANATION - ACUTE HOUSING SHORTAGE fBT TELEGRArH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Friday V ery little opposition was forthcoming to the passage of the Fair Rents Amendment Bill through all its stages in the House of Representatives this afternoon. The measure provides for the extension of the rent restriction legislation of last session, which expires at the end of the present month. [ In opening the second reading tiebate the Attorney-General, the Hon. H. G. R. Mason, said the original legislation had been designed to meet a special crisis. However, experience had shown that the housing position was much more serious than had been suspected, even by those most closely concerned. The problem in the large centres was particularly acute and there was a genuine need for the legislation in order that tenants might bo protected . The Exclusion ol Flats "Some mention has been made of flats," Mr. Mason said. "I hold that it would bo a most serious mistake to include in the bill those flats not at present included. Possibly a certain amount of sentimentaligm will be worked up on this subject, but we do not want to have restrictions if the.v can possibly bo avoided. In Auckland when the original legislation was framed the greatest building activity was in the building of flats. Indeed, there was practically no other private building and that position still very largely applies. "If wo arc going to restrict the rents in blocks of flats, designed and built as such, there is going to be less building and the legislation will defeat its own ends. The whole housing problem will be intensified." Mr. H. S. S. Kyle (Opposition—Riccarton) said the Minister should have brought down a full and comprehensive report showing the extent of the housing shortage in the various centres. He would like to know whether there was a real shortage or if there was any prospect of it being met by the Government's housing policy. The Minister of Internal Affairs, the Hon. W. E. Parry: Wo cannot put up in 12 months what you neglected for 20 3'ears. Housing Schome Attacked "We have heard about enough of that," said Mr. Kyle. "There was far more housing activity under the old Reform Government than there is today. It seems to me that with regard to housing, there is one policy for the Government and another for the private individual. If a householder has a Government mortgage ho does not get much protection, but a private mortgagee can be dragged before an adjustment commission or the Court to get a slap in the face. "The housing scheme is not bringing down rents —it is merely a short cut to kill private enterprise. Anyone foolish enough to iuvest money in private housing to-day should go along to a competent mental specialist and get his head read." . . Information as to the administration of the Act during the past year was sought bv. the Rt. Hon. G. »• Forbes (Opposition—Hurunui). There were propert'v owners, he said, who had made substantial reductions in rents in order to help tenants during the depression, but when the Act came into force the basic rent was fixed at those low figures. The landlords were beaten down because of their generosity to their tenants, and they should bp given some freedom to make reasonable increases when conditions warranted. A Prophecy Fulfilled Mr. Forbes also asked how rentals fixed under the original Act compared with the rentals to be charged for the new Government houses. Mr. W. J. Poison (OppositionStratford) said the Minister was not quite so sanguine about the present measure as he was when discussing the principal Act in the "House last year. On that occasion Mr. Mason had said that the remedy was to accelerate the Government's building policy and that the legislation would not be necessary for much longer than a year. There was no doubt that the legislation had closed down the building of houses by private people. The then Leader of the Opposition, Mr Forbes, had predicted 12 months ago that the legislation would be renewed and that the position this year would be worse than it was last year. That prophecy had been fulfilled" Passed Without Division "I am satisfied," said Mr. Poison, "that cases have occurred where inspectors under the Act have incited tenants not to pay tho rent. I know of a case in my own district and the owner was a widow whose sole source of income was the money she received from the house. Under the bill there is no escape from tho unsatisfactory tenant." „ deferring to flats, Mr. Poison said it would be wise to show no discrimination and cut out all flats from the operation of the bill, instead of including ono particular type. In the main, however, there was nothing in the amendment to which he objected. Mr Mason, in reply, said the niajorritv of landlords hnd treated their tonants fairly, and the bill should not be construed as an attack on them. There was no hold-up in the Committee stages and the bill was finally read a third time and passed without division. POPULATION PROBLEM A DISQUIETING STATEMENT QUESTION IN THE HOUSE [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Friday Information of the Government's intention with regard to the population problem in the Dominion was sought in notice of a question given in the House of Representatives by Mr. I. H. McCombs (Government —Lvttelton). On behalf of several Government members Mr. McCombs asked the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, whether he had noticed the disquieting statement about the falling off in the rate of population increase in New Zealand as outlined in the report on the 1936 population census and whether tho Government would devise measures for improving the natural rate of increase within tho Dominion. . A note to the question quoted the report as describing the position of tho New Zealand population as highly critical and as stating that New Zealand's population had reached a stage where it was no longer replacing itself. The members who associated themselves with Mr. McCombs in the question were the Speaker, the Hon. W. E Barnard, Messrs. W. J. Lyon (Waitemata>, A. G. Hultquist (Bay of Plenty) and J. F. Cotterill (Wanganui).