Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

RENT STRIKE
What It Means
If the Tenants' Protection League
carries out its objects, landlords who
make exorbitant rises in rent are in <
for a rough time. At a meeting at
jucnmonu, it was urgea mat u ism
strike be organised to combat any un
warranted increase in rents.
Mr Don Cameron, secretary of the
Socialist Party, who lias been doing
some special investigation work for
the League, explained to a "Herald"
representative what was meant
by a rent strike. He also quoted 1
some examples of what he called
"rack -renting."
"Over 50 new members were en
rolled last Friday," said Mr Cameron.
"Briefly, our Idea is that if the land
lords are not disposed to be reason
able, tenants will refuse to pay the ;
increased rents. Then the landlord :
will have to take the case to court,
and this he will be loth to do. because >
of the unwelcome publicity lie will re- .
ceive. 1
"Also, if a member of the League is
taken to court for his rent, funds will j
be raised to engage a good solicitor, 4
so that the rack-renting methods of j
the landlords will be properly venti- I
lated." . ' .
Mr Cameron is of opinion that If j
sufficient publicity be given to high ;
rents, a rent strike would not be ne- ;
ecssary,. It is intended to extend the I
campaign to other suburbs, when the !
League has become fully established. ;
In one home, Mr Cameron con- j
tlnued. the address of which he had
promised not to publish, there were >
several families, although the house j
was big enough for only one. Seven
girls slept in one room in this house. j
Prom £2/10/ to £4/15/
i i
! Following are some of the ;asea
cited by Mr Cameron: —
Haberdashery shop. Church s „reet.
Richmond. Rent in June. 19J2, £2
10/ a week. Raised in September, ;
1923, to £4/15/. The premises have _ \
been sold. A further increase, said >.
Mr Cameron, would drive the occu- J
pant out of business.
Seven four-roomed dwellings in j
Balmain street, Richmond, valued by
the Council at £300 each, were re- 1
cently sold at £400, which will mean j
increased rent. Mr Cameron added i
that these houses were in a dilapida- |
ted condition, and should be con-
demned. j
Houses in Dickenson street, Rich- J
mond, rent last year 13/6, increased j
to 17/6, excepting in one case in. J
which rent was raised to IS/6, "be- .|
cause," said Mr Cameron, "the ten- . |
ant has a large family." 1
The rent of houses in Clifton street, |
Richmond, has been raised from 32/6 |
last year to 70/ this year.
"This house," said Mr Cameron,
speaking of a house in Cubitt street. -
Richmond, "is absolutely unfit for
human habitation, yet the rent is 22/6
a week."
The same remarks were applied to
a house in Berry stret, Richmond, the
rent of which, he said, was 20/ a
week.
Other Richmond instances were; —
Houses in Fraser street, last year
20/, this year 30/; in Hunter street.
last year, 20/, this year 30/; in /
Church street, last year 20/, this
year 30/; in Rowena parade, last year
25/. this year £2/10/; in Balmain r .
street, last year, 15/, this. year 25/; in
Church street, last year 35/ to 40/,
this year £2/5/ to £3; in Clifton street, :
last year 42/. this year, £3.
Mr Cameron added that all these
figures could be vouched for, as he
had personally looked them up in the
Council's books. It was to stop such .
tilings that the Tenants Protectloh
League had been formed. When every L
suburb had a branch of the League.///
landlords would see that they could
not pile ujj the rents with impunity. "Bjj|
$