The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-29
TENANTS H0T--< UNDER C0LLAR->
 60 ON STRIKE
Rents Up, Steam Down, Indig- nant New Workers Declare
 Strike.

1 steam coming in here and making so much noise you could hardly hear 1 yourself talk" said Mrs. Lillie Past in her flat on the second floor, rear of No. 1423 Wilkins Avenue, the Bronx. about S:30 o'clock last night. l Maybe IL knows that newspaper reporters are here to report the meet ing of the Strike Committee of the tenants of No. 1422, No. 1410, No. 1412 and/ No. 1419 Wilkins Avenue, and No. S33 Jennings street." said Barnett Lubetzky of No. 1410 Chair man of the committee.
 "Ees," supplemented Morris Cohn of No. 1412, rand although this looks and listens to me like the strongest it would have to be lot stronger to stop Us from Having a regular strike"
 You see, as I was saying" con- tinued Mrs. Past, who, as Secretary of the committee, had an armful of books and papers, 'the real reason for this strike is that our landlords, the Jennings Realty Company for No. 1410 and No.s 1412 Wilkins Avenue and for No. 883 Jennings Street. and Gruenstein & Mayer for No. 1419 and 1423-which are all the same thing raised our rents $2 in November and now have told us there will be an- other raise on the first of the year." Only One Way Worker "Yes, that's why" said Max Fish CT of No. 1423, although it is true the janitar says he doesn't mind pull ing the dumbwaiter down, but that he does object to pulling it up. The raise in rent is the real reason for the strike-and there are lots of other real reasons too."
 "As I was saying" Mrs. Past went on, 'this committee has been ap- pointed to make arrangements for a big mass meeting of the tenants for tomorrow night"
 Also explained MT. Lubetzky, cit will begin immediately to collect a $5 deposit from each, tenant as a sign of the tenants good faith that he will not pay the landlord his rent, but will give his rent money to a special com mittee."
 "This committee, as I was saying" said Mrs Past, twill put the money in the, bank, and will pay it to the landlord in bunch.
 '"The landlords won't be so quick to say what they will do if instead of 4$16 or $22 or $20 at a time they are being paid $3,000 at time and the person who is paying them the $3,000 represents all the tenants in bunch,'' explained Hyman I. Cohn of 2311 Crotona avenue (phone Ire mont S81. president of the Tenants League, of 75 Delancey street; phone Orchard 5990.)
 Cohn Friendly Outsider.
 "As I was saying Mrs. Past inter- jected, tMr. Cohn is not one of our tenants, but more than 30 of our tenants already have joined the Ten ants League, and MT. Cohn is doing everything he can to help make our strike successful S- Look at this here,'' Jacob Abiam- son of No. 1410 cut in, showing a re- ceipted rent bill, for $22 dated Dec. 1, 1916 ,on which was typed: No shades will be supplied by the landlord.
 And besides MT. Cohn, Mrs. Anna Rappaport of 325 East 163rd street, phone Melrose 5S4e, of the Socialists Consumers League, is helping us,'' Mrs. Past said.
 ''The Socialists Consumers League is going to place pickets in front of the houses if we have to leave be- cause of. this strike. It's going to be a regular strike.".
 Did you tell those reporters about the notices to leave our apartments land get out on Jan.~1,' demandeR Max Fisher of No. 1423>
 "Oh, yes," MT. Lubetzky said, rsev- eral tenants, including Mrs. Cohn of No. 1419, have got those slips.''
 Gruenstein Was Defiant.
 And did you tell the reporters what Benjamin M. Gruenstein told mo and him there,'' (indicating another member of the committed 4in front of a newspaper reporter this afternoon that we could all get out, and that if we didn't pay our rents like we should he would see to it that we, all got out if it cost him $5,0O0; he didn't care.''.
 <"How many tenants are in this striker" was asked.
 We'll said MT. Lubetzky, "out of 75 families in Nos. 1412, 1410 and 8S3 we have 55 signed in our book"
 "And as I was saying, out of Nos. 1419. and 1412 we have to date 30 families signed up out of 46,'' Mrs. Past announced. "But we are going to get more-to sign in Mo- 1413 We want them all.'' o
 You see, this is to be a regular. strike" MT. Lubetzky said.
 'Yes, and if those apartment houses at Nos. 760, 764, 74S, 752 and 756 Trinity avenue, also owned by the same landlords, go on strike with us, as this letter indicates" Hyrnan '. Cohn said, tossing the letter on Mrs. Past's dining room table, why, it will be a regular strike, and no doubt"
 Others Eager for Action
 The letter, signed by Mrs. Rosefeld and Mrs. Abel of No. TIA Trinity ave- nue, asserted that 125 tenants of the addresses named had signed papers," each agreeing to pay s3, wanted tenants strike, and would like EIr >Cohn to help.
 ''But just look at that steam Mrs Past said eff the reporter, hadn't been here at 6 o'clock when it was cold, I would explain to him now that it Is not always so hot here 1t is un. comfortable to wear a coat
 "Bzzz!" went the steam in the radi- ator.
 "As I was saying" Mrs. Past con- tinued, "here is the list of names of the strike committee Bernard I,1-