Evening star., 1918-03-31
JOHNSON rent BILL
REDRAFT THIS WEEK
George R.. .Linkins Presents
Board of Trade View to
Subcommittee.

The Senate District subcommittee in
charge Of the johnson bill to prevent
profiteering in rents is expected to be-
gin. the redraft OF that measure for
report to the Senate early this week.
Members of the committee are con-
yinced that SOME legislation is neces
sary, but at the same time they be-
NAve that-in many Of its features the
Johnson. bill is impracticable and in
equitable.
senator Sherman Of Illinois, one of
the committeeman. said u, last st nigh night ne ne
LEGISLATION drafted and considered as
soon as possible. He said he believed 1t
was necessary to act speedily. not only
to protect persons from prof1teers. but
also to put an end to the uncertainty
which has existed among property hold
ers in Washington ever since the John
son bill was drst taken up in the House.
The attitude of the Board of Trade
toward the johnson bill was laid before
the subcommittee during the hearing
by George r. Lfnkins. In beginning his
statement. Mr.. 1inkins declared the
Board of Trade to be squarely opposed
to profiteering in rents either here or
elsewhere. The. position of the board
First. That any legislation upon this
subject should he to the whole coun-
try and not to: the District of Columbia
prevent. prices are fixed by the law OF
supply and demand. The rental OF real
estate is no exception to this rule, as
owners of real estate In Washington
years just previous to the entry of the
United States into the world war can
testify to their sorrow. This law of
supply and demand works as well out
sidA Of the District Of Columbia. as in
side of IT,; and there are many other
places :. in !. the United States where.
through shoYtagSsof housing facilities.
due 70 war rsetnat,ess the G eyias h OF rent en-
sufferers are as well entitled to relief
second. The legislation should be
.along. the lines of criminal statute
brings US to one of the principal objec-
tions to tho -Iohnson bill; namely. that
1t ID ma9QueradinE under false colors.
Its author himself admitted that the
bill 'w1senot designed to raise revenue.
and he did not. believe In practice 1t
would raise .revenue--in fact, any
transactton.fr from which revenue can be
derived is uniawfui under the bill, yet
tho legislation sets up complete tax
ing niAchinery in an effort to accom-
done sby express prohibition without
any cAnouhage.
'Thipd. No action to fix rentals should
b. teken excspt in cases where COM
plaanfs are actually n1ads..s..s
Tha bin pndsr consideration would at
tempt 10 divide ali real property in the
District Of Columbia into one Of tho sew
'eral classes provided In the bill and to
ARBITRARILY hx the rentals Of the
ing the class into which it fell. This
Is inequftabfe, unreasonable and un-
neces6ary. an -unwarranted- interference
with the right Of competent persons to
make contracts satisfactory to them-
49, hi
avoids and nullihes contracts entered
into in good faith b. parties who at the
tima- of making them were. and still
are. satisfied with all the conditions.
THAT cornes in. in many instances in
my own office, and other Offices. where
property has been leased as many as
ten years ago on scales of rental in
creasing as the lease lengthens. All
faith before the war came on or was
even thought of. would be made void
under the provisions of this bill.
Urges 1snt Fixer.
81 come now to tho nnal recommends
ton Of the Board of Trade, namely, for
.hs rent % sSptsists.tor .s to 5 AZ a rentals for
sonahie term theteafter in cases
brought before him. This would, in
my. opi9ton, solve the question to the
s.sss voas o ssn
excessive rentals. and yet IL cases arose
where it was necessary that rentals
BE- -dxsd, the. rent administrator could
case. before him and In rendering his
dsctstcn take all things into account
and do Justice to both parties to the
leass. - asi'
Rentals OF real estate are the only
things which have mot generally in
creassA. ana to say to the owners OF
real estate that they must pay SO per
they cannot get more than q 10 per
cent .inorpass In rent over that obtain
ed dunnS the period whom rentals in
WashinGfon were at the lowest point
In ,yAAfB, q, to My the least. unfair
How would .; law be viewed by the
farmers Of the country that fixed the
price sof wheat at 10 per cent above
The 1915 peice?'