The Washington times., 1918-08-31


spite the efforts of hackers to save
him. Big influence did not sway
Myers at all.
working With Peyser.
In this rent game Myers is working
with Capt. Julius Peyser, of the
health and housing division OF the
War Department, who has hung up
several thousand landlords in the
local courts. For months Peyser has
been as busy as a fox terrier in a
back yard full of cats, and soulless
landlords love him about as the cats
do the terrier.
Captain Peyser does not talk much.
Army officers are supposed to be this
way. It's no secret, though, that sew
eral powerful Washington landlords
tried to get his scalp at the War De-
partment The brief investigation
brought the captain out with flying
colors. In France he would have
been given several varieties Of medals,
and in Germany he would have had a
bucketful of iron crosses.
Captain Peyser quietly passed the
tip that whether he remained in the
army or retired to civil life he would
devote his time without pay to tying
profiteering landlords into bowknots
in the courts.
Rent Ralsers on Defensive.
E. S. Hege and other officials who
have been in the thick of the fight
against rent raising, report today
that rent raisers are on the defensive,
and have been stopped in exorbitant
demands by the Salisbury resolution.
Tenants have pretty generally found
wk~mA AnZHI- - l. IL
exception Is in room renting and
among subtenants.
THE most fragrant profiteering to-
day is done by tenants themselves"
said Mr.. Hege. MANY 'of them are
making small fortunes out of proper
ties they are getting at reasonable
figures from landlords. They utilize
the protection given them by the
Salisbury resolution, but profiteer in
q shameless manner on those to
whom they are subrenting. Any law
passed by Congress should provide
severe punishment for these people"
Board Going Upward
Hundreds of Government employees,
especially girls, are complaining to
are asked to pay for rooms and board,
anu SldlG lndI llG lGnucHCy Gil lnG
time is to increase prices, especially
for board
To forestall this as much as pos
sible, Mr.. Hege's room registration
bureau, on New York avenue, is plan
ming a new campaign for the addition
Of rooms to the registration list
there. Rooms are growing scarcer on
this list, but Mr.. Hege believes there
are hundreds of Washingtonians who
will place rooms at his disposal. The
first of the big Government dormi-
tories, under rapid construction on
the Union Station plaza. will not be
ready for occupancy before December
], and incoming Government clerks
must be provided with homes until
that time and even afterward, until
other dormitories are built.
The quartermaster's department of
the army is helping Mr.. Hege's office
by placing large trucks at his dis
posal to convey clerks for that de-
partment to rooms assigned them in
Washington.
Moderate in Demands.
Landlords and their agents are no
longer sending out short, sharp no.
tices that rents will be increased.
The letters are those which set forth
that some increase is fair and right,
and putting 1t up to the tenant to
judge whether or not he should con-
tribute an increase. other letters set
forth that the owner knows that the
tenant does not have to pay an in
crease, but that in all fairness he
should do so. Then there are still
other letters limiting at cutting off
elevator or other service if increases
are not agreed TO, avowals not to
make repairs or do anything agree
able, etc.
There are large number OF tenants
who consider the requests seriously
and volunteer TO make reasonable in
cfeases II they are not thereby re-
moved from the protecting provisions
Of the Salisbury law.