The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1918-07-13
SAYS TENANTS
CAN HELP PUT
THRU RENT TAX
ny FREDERICK NJ. kEItBy
~. n. A. staff Correspondent

NEW YORK, July is.-~The rent
profiteering bill just introduced In
congress To prevent rent profiteer'
ing In 10 receive strong backing
from the Tenants league OF Greater
New York--the organization which
has been fighting losing battle
against the greed OF New York land
lords.
Fifty thousand families IN New
York face eviction or Increases In
rents OF their apartments and
houses. The Tenants league has or.
ganlzed "A large part Of these and In
planning 20 move on Washington to
ask for federal action to curb rent
profiteering.
at our next mass meeting ! shall
recommend that the league get be
hind the bill 90 stop rent profitser
ing" said Assemblyrhan Samuel Orr.
chairman OF "A committee Of three APP
pointed at the last naHs meeting Of
the league TO draw UP resolutions TO
be presented TO the president and
congress. Orr has acted aH counsel
for eyicted tenants Of the Bronx and
Brooklyn sections OF New York ana
has been active In organizing the
Tenants league.
To Send Committee
1T is planned 10 send Il committee
to Washington to plead with the GOV
eminent for effective action agains,
these rent bogs." said orr today.
The bill 10 tax rent proiiteering out
Of existence by putting a 100 per
cent tax on the practice meets ms
approval. do not know whether
the bill In perfect or not or whether
IL ls tho best possible way TO reach
the evil. but II certainly II the beat
thing yet proposed and our commit
tee will recommend to the league
that they urge congress to get busy
and pass this bill.
Add Five Per Cent
The rent profiteering bin pro
vldes that the pre- war rental that
is. the average rental collected for
the same piece OF property for the
year ending Sept. 30. 1916. shall be
taken as a fair rental. To thia the
bill will allow the landlord to add .
per cent additional for Increased
taxes OF costs OF repairs. The effect
Of the bill In TO fin rents at the pre-
war figure. This In exactly what the
British government found II had to
do. when landlords over there tried
tho same trick OF interfering with
war work BY charging ssorbitant
rentals 20 the men and women who
had flocked To the munitions towns
and shipbuiiding works.
III In possible that cur govern
fnent likewise could directly prohibit
these increases OF rents. but no doubt
the landlords would get together and
take the matter into the courts and
Try 60 get such a law declared N
coDati,uuonai. No such charge 81
unconEtltuiionaiity can be bought
against this bill. an view IL. because
II ~ on ia face n taxation measure.
and tho night Of congress TO levy
taxcs cannot DO questioned.
Had big Majority
"Thc profIteering blll follows the
bill which Representative Ben John.
son OF Kentucky fathcrcd In the
house o., representatives TO cover the
District OF Columbia That bill
passed the house by a big majority.
This was. no doubt because rent
profitncring IN the nations capital
had reached the point where IL had
become a national scandal-end also,
partly because. suspect. congress-
men themselves were being badly
profitscrcd upon By Washington
landlords. We ought 10 be able to
make our congressman s~e that IL Ia
just az bad to DO mulcted by rent
profitocrs In New York as II is in
Northumberland that Interference
with the war work OF the govern
mont is just an serious in New York
Pennsylvania. Ohio. New England.
or anywhere else. aa IL is In the Dis
trict OF Columbia
II am convinced that II all tho
tenants who are suffering under the
crtortlon of tho landlords viii get
E.l. -