Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-11
RENT
BILL Up IN HOUSE
Many Real Estate Men and
Trade Organization Mem
bers in Gallery.
AMENDMENT is OFFERED

! AMENDMENT is OFFERED
Tho so-caIled johnson anti-prohteer-
ing rent bill came up for consideration
in the House today, with many MEM
bers of the Real Estate Brokers' Assoc
citation and of trade organizations in
the District occupying seats in the gall
! lery.
Chairman Johnson Of the House Dis
trict committee offered an amendment
to his bill 10 include hotels in the first
| paragraph of the bill under the general
heading Of real estate.
! Representative Treadway of Massa-
/ chusetts. who is himself a hotel man.
at this point asked for information re-
garding the extent of prohteering as
developed in hearings before the House
committee. The fact was emphasized
that reports from the real estate brok-
| ers' committee showed that the in
crease charged on rentals handled by
the real estate men was about l per
cent.
Says Government Must Step In.
/ Representative Howard Of Georgia said
that the only way to meet the situation
was to decrease the demand and that the
government must step in and build tenn
porary structures TO house the government
clerk
Representative Johnsons amendment
having been accepted. Representative
| Tinkham of Nassa chusetts. leading the op-
position to the Johnson measure, offered
his bill providing for a rent administrator
and a board Of appeals as an amendment
! This provoked a general discussion
regarding the method of procedure in
Offering such an amendment. Repre-
/ SentativeS TOwuer Of Iowa. TtlSOu of
! Connecticut. Mapes Of Michigan. Esch
/ Of Wisconsin and MoDdell OF Wyoming
supported the position taken by Mr..
Tinkham in offeI ring his entire bin in
TO strike out the other paragraphs IL
the Johnson measure with notice that
if accepted he would successfully move
to strike out the other para graph in
. the johnson bill as they came up for
consideration.
Representative Rucker OF Missouri pre-
siding in the committee Of the whole.
sustained the point of order made by
/ Chairman johnson that the Tinkfam
amendment was not in order at that
time.
Representative Mapes of Michigan. a
member of the House District commit
cial attitude" in regard to the profiteer-
! ing measure, offered an amendment to
section of the bill, substituting the
date April 1, 1918. for December 81;
| 1916. when penalty for profteering will
start. This was done to remove the
retroactive penalizinG clause.
/ Chairman johnson said he would not
oppose this amendment
| Does Not Include Concessions.
A.. p.--x-o-.,,.,-o ca ro,a -
Wisconsin, Chairman johnson said
there was no thought or intent by the
committee to include under the pro-
visions of the profteering bill any in
come that might be derived from con-
cessions, such cigar stands in hotels b
In answering questions by former
Speaker Cannon, Mr.. Johnson said that
the intention of the bill was to limit
incomes from every piece of real estate
excessively rented. whether by the owner.
lessee or subtenant
Mr. Cannon inquired whether il this
bill was made operative in the District
lit could not be extended to cover COM
modities generally throughout the en-
tire country. Mr. Johnson said that tho
District committee had gone as far as
its jurisdiction permitted. but he would
be glad TO see the scope Of the measure
made as broad possible.
Mr.. Cannon raised the point that tho
purchasing value Of money had been
date Chairman Johnson's bin would
: IA Ike as a basis ror computation.
/ Mr.. Cannon said that following tho
same general principle there might be-
similar limitations put on the price OF
wheat meat Va ~ ana 3'i i--'s'erii--S. u"
pointed out TO Mr.. Johnson that whisky
from Nr Johnson own district was
now sold AT a much higher price than
in 1916. Mr.. Johnson said he would bs
glad to check eNtortion wherever ic
occurs and told OF incident whore a
shoe manufacturer 4 few days ago Went
into 4 store in Washington and found
a pair of shoes which his concern had
sold for 1915 being retailed at Sl:.
Reports of Profteering.
Representative Treadway Of Massa-
chusetts questioned whether the hears
ings held by the District committee
disclosed evidence to show what per-
centage Of real estate rentals had been
Axtortionately raised. He said he de-
sired TO know if the testimony dis
closed the extent Of prohteerlns- CHAIR
man Johnson said that a committee or
-he Real Estate Brokers Association
had made Il statement that. SO far as
il could lind out. the percentage OF IN
crease was less than per cert. put
that he himself had received numerous
REPORTS of profiteering. Pressed by
Mr Treadway, who said that doubt-
less spec &c cases who said that doubt
20 MN buE RNdt iif W tiilRf'l u
learn whether this was don" by the
owners direct or by sIhietters. Mr.
Johnson renlied. both lie expressed
me onfnion that from evidence brought
IN his attention the greaicr percentage
of this was h. owners themselves.
Chairman Johnson read list sent t"
him by an empIoye Of the census bu-
reau. giving names and addresses OF
persons who had received notice from
the owners OF the property which they
rented that they must buy or Nacato
tho premises Mr.. Johnson said that
this was a subterfuEe. SO that the own
ers might relet the property at a big in
crease in rental
Representative Hardy of Texas raised
the Doint whether this bill would not
give the privilege u increase the
charges on any commodity and thus
lead TO general assumption OF price
7yinc- by the government. Mr.. Johnson
said that the government has right -
Icyy an income tax on excess profits.
and that he believed such a tax should
be imposed to stop all proiiteeriuG and
eXtorticn.
did Not Have Information"
Nj Treadway of Massachusetts ask
ed Mr. johnson if he had been correctly
quoted as saying that he could not be-