THE RENT QUESTION.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 5558, 8 April 1905, Page 9

THE RENT QUESTION.

(To tho Editor “ X.Z. Times. v > Sir, — In u rccout Issue, Mr Richard Howell ventures upon the discussion of tho rent problem hi a manner worthy of Oilhertiun opera. Ho a ays he will not “ enter upon the grout question of land values”—as if high rents could ho discussed without taking laud values into account. Hut this is always tho way of th-o quack reformer. ‘Tf you’ro eager for to shin© in the philanthropic line, Anri wm fame that will endure, You must act on my suggestion and dabble with the question Of tho housing of tho poor; But be very circumspect or you’ll spoil the whole effect. You must dearly understand That at conference or convention you must always dodge all mention Of the Landlord and tho Land. And everyone will say, etc.” Ono is not surprised to hear from a fakir of this kind something about that old hoary chestnut, Uio- Fair Rent Court. Those Courts arc a. failure in Ireland, where I have seen them operate. If you establish them here, what will happen? The owner of the land will come into Court, state that his .section is near the tramline, that it is much better than a section that is more remote, that he owns the land, and that ho is entitled to the benefits of it. What can the Court do but estimate the rout accordingly? ‘lt is about time neoplc dropped talking about alleged remedies that aro no remedies. No remedy is any use unless it is effective for its purpose. There is no such thing as “ fair rent ” apart from State ownership of rent, and that is what people need to learn before any progress can bo made. AVo have a land lax already m operation, and we need only to gradually increase it in order to get the true solution of tho land problem. There is no need to waste time with Land Courts.—l am, etc., TRAVELLER. April 3.

(To the Editor, “N.Z, Times.”) Sir, —In your issue of the 31st, Mr Howell suggests that the Premier should follow in the footsteps of the late Mr Gladstone, and introduce a Fair Kent Bill, by which Land Courts would fix tho value of laud “according to ah th© circumstances of quality, situation, etc-” Mr Howell cannot have given much thought to tho remedy he proposes, else ho would not, advocate a scheme which has utterly failed in Ireland to solve tho land question. It is true, as ho states, that the legal fraternity would gain, but he has not told us how tho Land Courts have operated. Theso Courts have to take into consideration “all the circumstances of quality, situation, etc.,” which go to make up the value of land. I have in my mind a cas© that came before tho Court come time back. A landlord filed an application to have his tenant’s rent assessed under the fair rent clause of tho act. Evidence was adduced to show that his land was in close proximity to tho sea, and that th© seaweed could ho used for . fertilising th© soil, or in th© manufacture of iodine. Tho tenant contended that he did not us© the seaweed for either purpose, but the Court had to decide in favour of th© landlord, and increased the rent because it had to take inlo account “all tho circumstances of quality, situation, etc.” Now, what would bo tho result of a similar Court here? Suppose a tenant lived in A'ro street, 'Wellington, before the tramways began to run. If we had a Land Court, tlio landlord would bo entitled to take his tenant to Court in order that a fair rent might bo assessed. The landlord or his solicitor would point out to the Court that as the trams were now running his tenant could get co town in five minutes now, instead of the twenty njinutes it would formerly have taken him. The Court would have to grant tho landlord’s claim to have tlio rent raised, notwithstanding the fact that tho.tenant might not use the trams.

But what is tho use of wasting tim© in getting Land Courts to assess rent? If the owners of tho land arc entitled to its value, tho Court has no business adjusting the relations between landlord and tenant, for tho landlord may I>3 confidently trusted to get tho most ho can for his own land. If the landlord is not entitled to th© value of the land, how can tlio tenant establish any hotter claim to it, since “ho community is the real creator of land values. The truth seems plain, that if the community receives its just rights, it ought to tax Dio land value, and so secure the property of all th© people for all tho people. In this way tho holding of land for speculative purposes would ho brought to an end, and hence land would everywhere he cheapened. thus effectively preventing overcrowding, for a man does not willingly select a slum when ho can live in an open space just as cheaply.—l am, etc., JAMES BRUTON. Ghuzneo street, April 3rd.