WHERE HAVE THE TENANTS GONE?

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1073, 11 March 1911, Page 3

WHERE HAVE THE TENANTS GONE?

Sir,—l notice at the deputation re tramway extension yesterday, Mr. Wilford called attention to tho number of empty houses in the city, his excuse for such being that people had gone to live in tlie suburbs. Now, as I spend my spare timo when not occupied in my shop in rambling about the suburbs, 1' must say that I have found almost as many empty houses there as in the city, Hult, Petone, Kclbume, Mitchclltown, Island Bay in particular being at fault. Now, niv answer as to wliero have the tenants gone, is to Sydney and Auckland, especially the former, and.a persnal of the passenger lists backwards and forwards will substantiate my statement. I am aware we are Mining a substantial increaso from Groat Britain, but tho majority of these,are not staying in Wellington, and the remainder, unfortunately, live in rooms, as they are not in the position to pay rent at present. Now, sir, the truth is that prosperity has not returned to ■Wellington vet, and Hie sooner our public men admit same, instead of pretending that' things are humming again, the better, then, perhaps, somo means might bo takeu to mako them better. As I have been in business in Wellington n.s a _rptailer for somo years, I can speak with experience, aud I know to my cost that tho spending power of the public has diminished considerably, and is now onlv half what it was in 1907. Every week shopkeepers who have been in business here for years are closing down, as they see it is" useless to continue on, owing to the general stagnation in tho spending department of the people.—l am, etc., SHOPKEEPER.