Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-06-27
HOW TO PUT CURB
ON PROF|TEER|NG
Federal Agent Tells Council Ways
and Means of Checking
Vicious Evil.

Our city dads listened with deep interest
last p,vht Ia words of wisdom on how 10
handle nrofteers chiefly OF the landlord
yariety-from the lips of James Ford. a
r,prsentativc of the Federal Department
of I.abors Bureau of Housing, and alter
MIR Ford had finished they were so well
loaded I'M with information that future
troubles of the sort oughtn't to hold any
terrors for them.
Declaring that any war prohts. IN
cludinr war rent protlt, mean badge
of dishonor for the person who ENJOYS
i, and that anv man who willfully charges
an cxcessive rent does as traitorous All
act as the person who shoots down
private on the street. James fOrd, rep
rnsentatIve Of the Bureau OF housing oi
the Labor Department of the government,
outlined several met hods whereby the
rituation can he remedIed, before the lty
Council at their committee meeting last
night
MIR Ford made IT clear that not all
increases IN rent are acts OF prohfeering,
and that in n good many Gases an increase
is jurtIfiahle As to the wiliful prohteers
he suggested drastic nsasures
Before employing such measures. MI
Ford suggested methods whereby land
lord could be made 10 voluntarily come to
terms. One of these methods Il to take
every ca@e where there Is a difficulty DC
tween the landlord and tenant tTiore n
committees of thrcc. operating under the
jurisdiction OF the local or State Council
Of Defense These commIttees should
IN, numerous, perhaps twenty or rnorc 10
81. In these cases daily The membership
Of each committee should consist OF a
representative of labor manufactures
and third party a citizen OF respect
sQreeabie 10 the other two members
Should the committee, however, discover
that the proiiteering Is willfui the next
weapon o{ the committee IL 'prt1etss
publicity.
TELLING rfIr PUBLIC ALL.
"The public said Mr.. Ford, should
be told that the wiIiful prohteer rs the
most traitoruus Of traitors and public
oDsrIor Will easily remedy the situation
When asked bv Councilman Cath
cart whether there's any law which can
he appTied to the willful and unscrupuous
prof,rer. Mr. Ford stated that while
there's no general law. there's no reason
vhv TIN, National Congress may not cx-
tend the rent protitecrIng law from the
District Of Columbia 10 the whole nation
or the districts which are saturated with
war workers and short of houses
In connection with legal deevlces.
Mr.. Ford suggested that he would be
glad 10 take the city charter Of this
city to Washington and have the legal
department OF the Labor Department
draw I'D an ordinance which would
authorize the local committee to force
the wiIlful profiteer to come 70 terms
As general rule, however, he urged
the voluntary way Compulsion, he
said SHOULD come next,
But besides the system of committees
to sat SIS luries IN cases of rent increase.
Mr.. Ford suggested the Room Registry
aysaem. BY this MIR Ford meant Ia make
an appeal on patriotic grounds 10 homes
where there are extra rooms and ask that
those extra rooms be put on list ready TO
be rented
by Increasing the supply Of rooms,
MIR. Ford pointed out, the landlord
who is q willful prohteer Will he forced
by the economic law Of supply or de
mand to come 10 terms This scheme,
Mr.. Ford pointed out, was applied IN
Watervliet. \. Y, where there Is an IN
fiux of war labor and an acute scarcity OF
labor. and resulted in a relief OF the sltua-
ton