Ownership arm Rents.

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 233, 26 June 1919, Page 7

Ownership arm Rents.

The houses may be divided into various classes:—

(a.) The fairly convenient four and fiveroomed house 3 which have been erected by the companies and sold to tho miners, who repay the purchaso-money and interest in fortnightly instalments. The exact terms of repayment of these vary;

in some cases soma pay ,£1 per fortnight, plus the interest on the expenditure at 5 per cent., the interest being reducible every six months; in other cases ono definite payment covers tho interest and reductions of. capital oe the oidinary

.building society scale. (b.) There are houses erected by the miners themselves on land which they

have purchased from the company. In some crises there was no other land available than that which the company offered for sale. Some of the Louses erected on these sections are fairly convenient and sanitary, but in many cases the houses aro not by any means what they should be.

(c.) Tho owners of the houses erected under tho above two systems have often let them to incoming' injners. The houses nro ofteni in a. dilapidated state because the owners will do nothing to keep them in repair, and the tenants appear to be prepared to put up with all sorts of inconveniences rather than spend any money upon them. . (d) Houses wliich have boon bought by subsequent purchasers from tho original owners. It 13 only in exceptional circuinetances that tho original owner gets a proper return for the money which he has expended. In the greater number of instances he is fortunate if he can sell his interest in the property for one-half of what it has cost him. If, for example, ho has paid olf ,£IOO he may se£l his right in the property for .£SO, and it is the risk of this prospective loss which deters many of the miners from creating decent homes or entering upon Iho responsibility of ownership. The great .majority of witnesses examin. Ed urged that the minor should not be placed in the position of tenant undot the mining company. Thero is certainly a groat deal of discontent arising from tho present haphazard system, but there is no general wish to get decent homes without proper payment of rent. The men realise that the liomes should be built simply and comfortably with modern con. vcniences, and that the rent should bo a fair interest on the capital expended.

Tho rents of tho houses appear to vary greatly according to locality. Compared generally with the rents, paid by workers in tho cities they ato considerably cheaper. I'or four or five-roomed houses, devoid of bathrooms and'ordinary sanitary conveniences, the rents range from Gs. to 10s. per iveok, tho predominant rent being Bs.; three-roomed houses range from ss. to Bs. per week, the predominant rent being Gs.; whilo the larger houses of six rooms raiigo ifrom 10s. to 12s. per week, tho predominant rent being 105. Gd. Huts built by tho companies for 6inglo men, nnd accommodating two, range from Is. to 3s. per week.- Houses appear to Iμ cheaper, ns woll as of better quality, at Kaitangata. than in any of tho other townships visited, tho averngo for a llirecrooined house being ss. Gd., for a four, roomed house Gs., for a live-roomed house 9s. Ltd., and for a six-roomed liousjc 10s.