TENANTS ORGANISE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 220, 11 June 1920, Page 8

TENANTS ORGANISE

RENTPAYERS' LEAGUE FORMED

A FIGHTING PROGRAMME

A proposal for the formation of a Itentpayers' Protection League was nlaced before a, public meeting in the Trades Hall last night. About thirty persons were present. Mr. L. GCover.was votod to the chair. The chairman said that the need for the formation of a Ecntpayers' Protection League need not be emphasised. Tho facts were known. The tasks of tho leaguo should lie to protect tenants, to curb the autocratic power of landlords,, and to impress local bodies and the Government with tho neceisity of building more houses. The leaguo should consist of people determined to get justico ns far as justico was possible to the payers of rent. Ho thought that in view of the sinaEness of the meeting it vould bo good policy to set up a committee to draft rules and call a public meeting. The leaguo ought to have a jnembersnip

of at least 5000. , . Mr. H. Dyson said that since ihe Labour Party took some interest in the housing problem, many people had como to regard the Trades Ha'.l as a centre for inquiry and protest regarding housing. f<ot a day passed without tenants and would-be tenants appealing for advice and assistance. '.Ihe need (f an organisation to represent the interests of those people was obvious. The conveners of the meeting lielieved that a strong Bentpayers' League could be formed, which would help to bring the . housing scandal to a head. Some names of prospective members had I'een received already. Mr. Dyson letters expressing sympathy with tho movement.' Mr. P. Eraser, M.P., wrote expressing willingness to do duly ns .a picket outside tho _honie of any iamily threatened with eviction. Mr J- Bead said that the rentpayers would havo mueh greater influence as an organised body than as individuals. A strong league of fho kind proposed could be made a political force of lmpartance. Ho had heard that day of a mail who had been turned out of ft house and was now paying «£! pw week for a single room, which.-he occupied with his wife and four children. Iho workers should not tolerate such condiCatlow supported the proposal. She said that as a result of 'house-to-house visits she was convinced of the justice of tho demand for reform. Mr. B. M'Keen thought that the league would servo a valuable service if it cid nothing more than advise tenants. As secretary of the Labour Bepresentation Committee he had found as many as twelve persons .waiting at hiis door in one day to voice their grievances against landlords. The leaguo would not be able to dictate to tho landlords or tho public authorities; but it would have a very strong weapon in...publicity. Lublic opinion could be aroused. He tuoteu the case of a woman with five yning children, fflie father being an mcurablo inmate of a hospital. Tho owner of the houso was a single woman, who lived in rooms and also, owned several other houses. She hod moved to evict the woman and children, on the plea that she wanted the house for her own occupation. The law at present gave a tenant very little protection inde'td. The league would find an enormous field of work avaiting it. * Mr. J. Howitt moved that a Rentpayera Protection League should be formed. Ho said- he had been one of twenty tenants called to the court that day. Ihe league could help tenants to work up their cases in a proper legal way. MuiSa of' the trouble had been caused 1 by the inability of tenants to fight their own cases. A league would give them courage as well as expert direction. ■ Mr. E. Sproul seconded the motion. He eaid he had cifht persons dependent on him for shelter, ond ho had recently been given notice to quit. He had found i the War ifegulatxtos of assistance. His case had looked black, because the regulations did not apply to tenancies where the rental was over £2 per week. He was paying £2 ss. per week. He got over the dimculty by applying to the Labour Department for a reduction of rent. The Department. took the caso to court, with, tho result that the rent was reduced to i£l 7s. 9d. per week. He then resisted the eviction notice under the War Eegulations, and was successful. The proposed league should ask for the removal of the £2 a week limit, and should_assist tenants to protect themselves. TenAnts should have the right to retrospective reductions of rent in cases whero they had been overcharged. His own landlady had since sent prospective buyers to the house, but he had refused to admit them. A tenant was not obliged to admit people who wished to look over his houso. • Mr. T. Brindle suggested that the important thing was to develop a fighting spirit among tenant?, and encourage refusals to accept eviction. The members of the league should stand for 'direct action" in opposition., to the eviction of tenants. Some women were prepared to take possession. of unoccupied houses. When members of the league heard of threatened evictions, they must gather round and put the fgbr of the people in tlie landlords' hearts. Tenants must bo taught to sit tight and fight. After further discussion, the motion was carried -unanimously. Mr. H. Dyson was elected acting-secre-tary of the league, and a committee was set UP to draft rules and report to a meeting to be held oil Thursday next. It was decided .that steps should be taken to raise funds for the league.