Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-07-11
MEASURES IN VIEW
TO INSURE HOMES
FOR WAR WORKERS
Subject Fully Discussed Before a
Committee of the House
at Washington.
INTERESTING TESTIMONY
Special Dispatch from Every Evening
Washington Correspondent

Special Dispatch from Every Evening
Washington Cores pondent
Washington. july I1.-Adequate legls-
lation to safeguard war workers IN the
Delaware shipbuilding district, including
Wilmington. against persecution by prof.
itcrrinC' landlords began to shape Itself,
Tuesday Practices 10y minority OF
real estate operators, but by enough oil
them to drive to the verge of hystcrIa
The wives and children Of the shipworkerS,
were Described to u Subcommittee ot
the House judiciary committee by special
investigators for the Emergency Fleet
CORPORATION. Cases not only IN Phil
adelphia, but throughout the district,
were invcsti tigated at { he instance OF
former Rear Admiral Francis I. Bowlcs,
assistant general manager ot the FINER
gcucv Fleet Corporation, who Is IN
charge Of the Delaware district lie Is
anxious that the Darrow anti-rcnt gouglng
hill on which the hearing WAS held, shall
bc passed through Congress at the earliest
possible moment.
Testimony rs To rent 'proftCcrng was
submitted also 10y the Philadelphia United
States district attorney office, and by
the office Of the Philadelphia county fuel
administrator The conditions were CITED
rs Indicative OF those III all war work
communities throughout the country
hut which arc more severe IN cities as
Wilmington and Philadelphia, where
there Is n concentration Of war work.
\ full discussion oi the proposed act
cnSucd following tho unmlstakablc PROOF
of II. need Amendments were slg
gcsted. and notifications OF the bill
informally agreed upon. under the advice
uf representatives Of real estate owners as
we'll as OF tenants They arc intended to
meet such objections rs those which have
been sent 10 Congressman 10y real estate
owners in Wilmington.
WAT - SUGGESTED.
The ,hct amendments 10 the Darr0w
lll which seem probable rs the result OF
the hearing and which Will bc Incorporated
IN the measure If the judiciary committee
which IS dcclarcdly favorable 10 any
instrument tending to suppress rCnt
proiterring reports the hlll tavorabiy,
comprise tho following
First change IN its wording 50
that ITS prov i~ion- Viii apply only 70 those
commun itics winch are proIcrly dcslguat-
IA is bong war work communities lhls
NA~ suggest cd 10 avold the possibility OF
is l,.Ing declared an unconstitutional
interference with the right Of self-govcrn-
mcnt
second Such amendments as Will pro
fcct landlor Is from hearing an undue
prnportio Of the costs due 70 increased
taxes. and increased costs Of repairs and
improvements.
Third. \ provision which will put the
execution Of the act into the hands OF
Federal rent administrators In the various
localities. According to the original
draft the only recourse Of landlords was
to district courts II IS not likely this
Will be retained il the bill Is reported out
of committee
MUST PROTECT TENANTS
David Armstrong, assistant counsel for
admiral Bowlcs, told the COMMITTEES
that all tenants must he protected IN
order to protect the shipworkcrs, and
that conditions in Philadelphia are only an
indication of those elsewhere. He ad-
vlscd the legislation on behalf Of Admiral
Bowlcs, on the ground that il will prove
an effective deterrent 10 the general
disturbance which Is affecting the ship
yard workers.
Mr.. Armstrong and Samuel Rosen-
baum OF Philadelphla who aided In
drafting the bill were cross-examIned
~ 10 It's legal features by Warren Gard OF
Ohio. chairman OF the subcommittee,
and Andrew j Nolstead of Minnesota. a
course OF this cr0SS-examlnatlOn that the
suggested amendments were developed
John L. Weaver. OF Washington, ID,
G.. of the National Association Of kea
Estate Boards stated III general terms the
considerations favored by the real estate
dealers throughout the country, as al
iecting such legislation. They were prIn-
cipleS adopted at a convention last month
AT 1t Louis and were considered fairly
representative Of the protests and de-
sires of the real estate men IN the COM
munities 10 be affected. His testimony
was offered following a description by
: h Reeves, special investigator Tor
Admiral BOwles, who cited case after
case Of the most miserable persecution
at the same time he credited the great
ma !ority OF landlords with entire iar-
ness
BELIEv Rs N NATIONAL CONTROL.
We believe" said Mr.. Weaver that
the rent situation should be controlled
nationally But We believe there should
bc Just ICE to landlords as well as TO
tenants. We don i believe that you should
make the rentals Of April 8, 1917, an
arbitrary standard, as the hIll proposes,
Al that time in many cities there was u
normal percentage Of vacancies and some
an abnormal percentage, so that cOmpe-
tition among real estate owners brought
down rents We believe that the rent
should be fair percentage Of the actual
value Of the property AND We believe
that the situation should be controlled
by a rent administrator ID each city who
Is not i real estate man. and VINO Is not
q coal administrator
Mr. Reeves told OF many shipworkers
and Others who had 10 move because
the landlords told them they must buy or
got out or whose rent was raised to a
DrohltitiX,. level He investigated more