A FAIR RENT BILL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1199, 22 February 1895, Page 37

A FAIR RENT BILL.

PROPOSED LEGISLATION.

Intimation was made in Parliament last session of the intention of the Government to take steps during the present recess to frame a Fair Rent Bill. Arrangements have now been made to acquire the necessary data for the purpose, with a view to legislation next session. Mr Barron (UnderSecretary for Crown Lands) has issued the following circular to the various Commissioners : " With the view of enabling the Minister to judge of the desirability or otherwise of introducing into Parliament a measure dealing with 'Fair Rent ' for land, will you please take steps to collect information on the subject in your district, in respect to rent of all classes of land, including Crown lands, lands held on trust as endowments for education or any other purpose, and private lands held in freehold. "Information as to whether rents of Crown lands are fair can be obtained in a general way from your surveyors and rangers. The Registrars of Lands wiltjbe able to give information as to other leases, and the rentals past and present payable thereunder. From these and all other available sources you will, I hope, be able to form a fair judgment as to the reasonableness or otherwise of the rentals charged. " You cannot, of course, consider in detail all the leases in your district; but, irrespective of your general researches, I will thank you to take fair samples of each kind of tenure in different parts of the district, an«d make full and' careful inquiries into them, tabulating the result in form 'A' herewith. " You will also please seek information from every local body in your district, and for this purpose you will at once send out to each local body one copy of Circular ' B/ together with two copies of Schedule 'C/ first numbering the circulars consecutively, and marking each schedule with the same number as the circular to which it is attached.

1 "By local bodies I mean Borough Councils, County Councils, Educational Commissioners, Eoad, River, Domain, Drainage, and other Boards of all descriptions, having control or endowment of public lands. The information thus supplied is to be summarised by you on the form ' D' herewith; and you are requested to get all the information by the 15th March, and furnish your report, in form ' E' herewith, by 31st idem." Form "A" mentioned above contains separate columns for the description of lease, the date, term, area of land, yearly rent, estimated fair rent, and remarks. Circular " B," which has been prepared for distribution by the Commissioners of Crown Lands among the local bodies of their several di&tricts, contains the following definition of "Fair Eenf'r — " By ' Fair Bent ' is meant, in the case of agricultural or pastoral land, such a rent as the tenant can fairly make from the land after paying— (a) cost of production, (b) interest on capital invested, and (c) reasonable maintenance of himself and family. In the case of town or suburban land, it means such rent as the tenant can fairly be expected to pay in view of the productive capacity of the property (site, buildings, &c.) where let for business purposes, or of its conveniences and other advantages where let for purposes of residence." This circular also states that "The main principle of the proposed measure is to secure a fair rent, as thus defined, by a re- , view and readjustment from time to time of existing rents, at the- instance of either landlord or tenant; and in order to assist ' the Government in obtaining tho requisite information you are requested i*> uv i;iu«l

enough to answer as far as you can the questions in the accompanying Schedule * C and return the same to me before 15th March, 1895." __ The schedule which accompanies this circular contains the following questions in relation respectively to agricultural, pastoral, suburban, and town lands :—(a) Approximate number of cases in which the rent is more than a fair rent as above defined; (b) approximate amount per annum of such excess ; (c) approximate number of cases in which the rent is less than a fair rent; (d) approximate amount per annum of such deficiency. Provision is also made for classifying the information as to town lands under the following heads : —(1) Shops, warehouses, and business places; (2) residences containing seven rooms and over; (3) residences containing from four to six rooms; (4) residences containing three rooms and under. These further questions are also asked : —B. Assuming the rents to be reviewed and readjusted under a Fair Rent Bill, how would vour annual revenue be affected thereby, and to what extent ? C. Do you think the existing rents are such as would justify the introduction Of a Fair Rent Bill ? D. Suggestions or remarks as to details of such a Bill.