New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1918-04-24
THE LANDLORD PROFITEER

ORANGE, Texas-House rents at
this place have more than doubled
since the establishment of the ship
building industry along the Sabine
River. An investigation shows that a
three-room house that rented in 1916
for ST a month now rents for $14; in
1915 a ive-room house was $14, is
now S35. Small houses built of scraps
and thrown together in the most tenn
porary fashion rented for SIP a few
months ago, but have since been jumped
to $25 month.
Several small houses formerly rent
ing for 81 are now in the $50 class, and
the cost for negro shacks has increased
from SO to $40 and $3.50 a month.
SEATTLE, Wash. The Seattle
Metal Trades Council, representing
$4,000 shipyard workers, threaten a
rent strike to check landlord prof.
teering. The unionists acknowledge
that elections may result, "but we
have vision," they say, 'of anything
from 5000 to 10000 ejectment pro-
ceedings going through our courts at
one time.
"The workers in Seattle are willing
to cooperate in providing the necessary
labor for this emergency, but we will
not be a party to bringing thousands
of people here to be exploited by para
site real estate sharks, who in some
cases raise the rents of the tenants and
notify the owners after such increase
has gone into effect.
eve have evidence of rents being
raised in some cases Sc 2-3 per cent
during the past four months, and, in
one case, rent has been raised 66 2-3
per cent and party already notified
that further increase from February
/ will be asked. We are investigating
reports that promise to prove that
rents have been raised as high as 100
per cent in many cases during the last
six months"
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - D. w. Hay
maker, Of Detroit, member Of the Ma
tional Lumber Manufacturers As
ISOLATION, told delegates to the state
Retail Lumbermen's convention here
that labor disorders could be attributed
to improper housing conditions.
Efficiency in the big plants manu-
featuring war materials in this dis
trict is being hampered by Tabor
turnovers'' the speaker told the con-
vention. Labor turnovers," he said,
are men from other districts who,
with no home ties, are continually
moving from place to place.
CHESTER, PA. - During the past
year land near the waterfront has
doubled and trebled in price, due to
activity in war industries. Rents in
labor residence districts have increased
enormously. The Philadelphia North
American estimates the total land value
increase, since entry of the United
States into war, in Delaware county,
Of which Chester is the metropolis, to
be $4,000 900.
WILMINGTON, Del. - This city
has doomed since war began in Eu-
rope Thousands OF workers came to
take places in the dupont works. The
town of PENIS Grove, on the New
Jersey side of the Delaware, has grown
from a village of few hundred people
to town of 10000. Since entry of
the United States into the war this
tendency has increased. Land owners
on both sides of the river are reaping
a rich harvest.
WASHINGTON, D. C. - Rents have
risen so rapidly in the District, owing
to increase in number Of government
employees, and scarcity of houses, that
bill to check advances has been in
troduced in Congress by Ben Johnson,
chairman of the committee on the
District. TIE bill put a tax of 100
per cent on increases in rent since Sep
TENDER 80, 1916. It was introduced
on January rs, reported favorably on
February to the committee of the
whole house and awaits further &C
ton. Four years ago, Henry George,
Jr., then a member Of tie House, in
PRODUCED a bill to reform the tax system
of the district, which if passed, would
have discouraged land speculation and
stimulated building. That was referred
to Ben Johnson's committee, who so
changed and mutilated it, that Mr..
George was compelled to repudiate it..
Memory of this circumstance leads
some observers to comment that Mr..
Johnson is now trying in crude and
unscientifc way, to repair the damage
he did with the George bill
WASHINGTON, D. C. NATER) -
The Crosser bill for. federal taxation
of land values is still pigeon-holed by
the House Ways and Means Commit
tee. The members are looking for