THE FAIR BENT QUESTION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2200, 30 April 1896, Page 7

THE FAIR BENT QUESTION.

DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER FOR LANDS.

LANDS.

A deputation, consisting of half a dozen citfzftns, waited on the Hon. J. M'Kenzie (Minister for Lands), ab Wain's Hotel, on Thursday morning, in reference to the fair rent question. The depu'ation was introduced by Mr W. Hutchison,- M.H R.

Mr Wabdeix (of Wardell B-o*.) referred to his experience in connection with his firm's" leaso. Five or btx j*ara ago, he said, they* bought a2l years' lease. The ground' was valued about six months Ago, Mr Wales actingas umpire, aud Messrs Petra and Burton being the arbitrators. They valued the land at £2 a foot, which he (the speaker) held was quite enough, for on the opposite fide of the street there w.ts a much better section than the one held by them, and its price was mily £2 10s. Bub they had. to pay £5 10s, which was momtrous. Of course, they had' the optiou of going out, but they could not get another suitable place. They practically had to take the place at the rental fixed, and he (the speaker) had no doubt he was quite right when he said that it was the landlords who arranged to have the bidding ruu up at the auction, knowing that they would have to take it. In fact, those persons said afterwards that they regretted they did not run it up another pound per foot. JTheir case was * very bard and unfair one.

Mr James Watson : Through your enterprise you created the value. Mr Waudell : Bafore we bought the place it - was of no value at all. Mr E, Hudson : It was not letable, in fact. Mr J. Braithwaitb: It is a facb that the tenants make all the places valuable. Mr Hudson said that there was another glaring caie — that of Messrs J. and J. Watson. The Hon. Mr M'Kenzih : I know that one. Mr Watson said that he bad been a*ked to attend the deputation. He would jnst like to' state that if a Fair U^ut Bill had been iv force some yeara ago he aud hi 3 brother would probably have been fairly well-off men to-day instead of poor ones. If a bill were to be introduced it would have to be two-sided and. not one-sided. He (the speaker) was not a landlord. It had not been his lucky lot to be one, but he had always been creating something for landlords. He reiterated that if a Fair Ren<; Bill were to be introduced it would have to b& equitable.

The Hon. Mr M'Kbnzis ; gsd jroa soe-my bill of last session?

Mr Watson : Yes. The Hon. Mr M'Kknzib : Well, it is twoeided. <

Mr Watson- said in that case the bill wonld then act fahly and equtably. He thought th4t there should be a revaluation every five or seven years, so that the tenant might have the option of re-leasing. That was the only' way he could look at the' matter. It/#*s pretty well known that during the time be and bis brother vrertt' in the r Grand. Hotel tbey paid some £28 000 in rental. They h&d puid 'about £2000 a year tor 14 years, and whenever they fell into arrears they wore charged 'interest at the rate of 15 per cent. What wai the result P At the end tbey were so jnuch overburdened by this enormous sum that suddenly one morning they lost everything. The building, which cusb th'-m £35,000, and the furniture anoth-r £6000, were sold for £6500, and they (the brothers Watsra») were" put out into the street. The Hon. Mr M'Kenzie said he thought that Mr Watson's case was pretty well known.

Mr Bbaithwaite said that ha bad bo grievance at present to complain of. He was there in fulfilment of a promise in respect to the qaestiou of a Far Ue.it Bill us a gewva] principle. For instance, ho could give the Minister a practical illustration in his own case. About two years ago hu completed a lease of 10 yeara in the ehrfp where he was at present. Prior to his going there the place was nnltt for s >mething like six or nine months ; in fact the whole neighbourhood .was unlet. He was there no time whan the neighbourhood commence! to improve, and he did a much better business than in his old place. Unf n'tuuttely, he leatad the premises at a, very high rent, but at th*t time — so mo 13 years ago — both business and urcfits were fairly good. However, in the mean'ime things had got very bad generally, and he found that he was severely handicapped with the extortionate rent he had to pay. He expostulated with the landlord as much as he could, but hi got no redress. He ftimply had to pay rent all through, and oould get no redress whatever, although the tenants in the neighbourhood aU round — some in the same line of business — were paying very much lew rent than he was. . They, wore paying a fair r.?nfc. It was needless to say that this waa an nnfair load to carry in the way of competition. Ho thought, speaking generally, that there should be some principle by which the matt-sr could be Rubject to an inquiry and therent reduce I in accordance with thai paid in the neighbourhood around. That* would bs only a fair thing. Oa the other hand, he also thought that if things " boomed," as the saying went, the tenants could pay more proportionately, — (Hear, hear ) There could be no donbfc about it that, as a rnle, a good tenant increased the value of the land. Perhaps it would be tbought egotistical for him to say that he believed it wonld be admitted that he bad increased the value of all the property around him, not only on his own side of the street, but the opposite side also. He believed that it was due to his energy that the value of the property had increased. Therefore he thought that it was very hard that a landlord should have power at any time to absorb nearly the whole of a tenant's earniugs beoanse he knew that a man was a good tenant and could not very welt leave the place. He (the speaker) thought that redress in that direction would bs most welcome. Another point he wii-be^t to mention was that he did not think a landlord should have power to tnrn a man out so long as he paid a fair rent. Of course that opened up a vary large question.

. The Hon. Mr M'Kenzie, in replying, said that last' session he had introduced, a F&'r Beat Bill which provided that landlord and tenant shonld have a tight to appeal to a board which was to settle ths question of rent. The second j reading, of the bill was carried in the House on the understanding tbafc it would not: be pushed further till the next spsmoo. He was glad to see so many gentlemen taking &a interest in thematter, because lasb session he was accused of bringing forward a question that did not interest many people. His travels through the colony, however, showed him that there were a large number of people concerned. — ("Ye*.")' Next session he would introduce the bill again. Of coarse, they knew that it was a new Hubjecb ib which large interests were involved, but it was only a question of time when the people would be educated up to it. They could i depend upon it that he' would do his best to j pass the bill, which would be subject to amendments when they found out its faults after practical experience of its working.

Mr Hudson paid that thay could mention adozen glaring oases where good men had been ruined in this town. He thought that- the main principles of the bill were correct. , Mr Connkix (Barningham and Co.) said' that some six years ago a large deputation waited upon the Premier. A number of glaring cases were brought forward, and he (the Premier) expressed his sympathy with the object. At the present time there were many individuals suffering from excessive rents, but they could not bring their cases forward publicly. When a man was going down hill he had' generally to, take a back Beat, but when a man was successful he could come plainly to the front and not c%ce for anyone. He (the speaker) thought that 'it would be fair to both side 3if the man who had put up the building was allowed a fair value and the landlord a fair value for his rent according to the times. AH at fcl W required* was something gimilar to Mr M'Kenzie's bill. All over the country there wer ls hundreds of. poor struggling, ppople in Sstnp afcDV ' w^ a 9 bill. — (Hpur, hear ) Mr M"'Kenzie : I am glad tor see gentlemen interested iv this matter coming forward, bscause yo u want public opinion, to back yon up. The deputation hav'ng thanked th« Miniate* for his reception of them, retired. The Oamarn Borough Council fitafl ta2ace& the rates by, 3d in-the pound.