REFUSAL TO PAY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16928, 30 December 1922, Page 9

REFUSAL TO PAY.

LANDLORDS V. TENANTS. OPEN WARFARE ON CLYDE. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright “ The Times ” Service. (Received December 30. 8 55 a.m.) LONDON, December 27. The correspondent of The Times ” at Glasgow reports that a chaotic situation exists on the Clyde, where there is open warfare between landlords and tenants. The Courts are powerless to intervene. Twenty thousand householders in Glasgow, and tens of thousands in Paisley, Dumbarton, Clydebank, Renfrew and other x>laces in West Scotian 1, have been deliberately withholding their rent for months, and the landlords are refusing to pay rates. Local government machinery has been thrown out of gear. The trouble began in 1920, when the majority of factors failed to serve formal notices to quit on tenants before raising rents to the limit- allowed by the Rent Restriction Act. Because of this omission, the House of Lords decided that all such increases wore illegal, and tlio upshot was that the tenants were entitled to'sit rent free for periods of from nine to twelve months. Over 80 per cent of the Glasgow houses are affected, involving a rental of £3.000.000. If the House of Lords decision stands, the landlords will lose £1,250.000. The landlords believe that Parliament will eventually quash the House of Lords decision, which frustrates the intention of tho legislature, but the tenants are prepared t-o fight- any action favouring the landlords tooth and nail Mr Ramsay Macdonald has already committed the Labour Party t-o such a course and it was owing to the attitude of Labour on this question that its candidates were successful at the elections. The situation is more difficult as the House of Lords forms the only barrier to the eviction of thousands of people, and it is admitted that the quashing of their decision will not solve the p roble m.