RENT RESTRICTION BILL.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 October 1932, Page 4

RENT RESTRICTION BILL.

It is difficult to see what justification there is for the extension of the special legislation covering the renting of house property in New Zealand. Its addition to the Statute Book was the outcome of war-time conditions and their sequel, which led to a serious shortage of housing accommodation. The Rent Restriction Act was intended to prevent profiteering, but it would be hard to find any owner of houses to-day who would expect to obtain exorbitant -rentals for them. In actual fact tiie spe-

cial legislation hindered rather than assisted the overcoming of the house shortage by checking any detire of investors to use their capital for building houses. To-day there is no shortage of accommodation, and other legislation has prevented anything more •than a rental based upon a modest return upon capital being charged. The great majority of landlords have found the prevailing economic conditions quite sufficient to induce them to be reasoncable in rental demands, and to legislate for a few exceptions seems an undesirable continuance of the State interference with private enterprise which has contributed to some extent to the conditions which Obtain to-day. Cases have been heard in the Courts which indicate that protection for the owner of a house is often just as necessary as is the protection of tenants from rapacious landlords. The duties and responsibilities of the house-owner are once more to be emphasised in special legislation. It would only be fair if the new Rent Restriction Bill which is l to be introduced made it clear that tenants as well as landlords have duties as well as privileges and made it as easy for the house-owner to obtain his rights as it is for a tenant to -seek redress from what he considers harsh .treatment.