The Washington herald., 1919-08-26
LANDLORDS ADMIT
PLANS TO INCREASE
APARTMENT RENTS
CONTINUED FROM FACE ONE

OF Onlookers and asked that he be
permitted to answer the testimony
given against him. He was told
he would be given an opportunity
TO testify later.
The next indication Of the stand
Of real estate dealers ard property
owners came when J. W. StagEers.
a lawyer OF Washington and New
York. told Of his intention to re-
quest from Is per cent to 30 per
cent increases of rent from his ten
ants at the Mohawk Apartment, 1876
II street northwest. declaring he
had lost money on the property and
would barely make a 5-per-cent
profit with these additional rent
raises.
Mr.. SuaEgers attacked the Sauls-
bury act and told the Senators he
had evidence to prove that the ma
jority Of prOfteering was done Nv
INSCRIPTIONS parties who sUblet at
eNOrbitant figures and who could not
be reached by law. Mr.. StagEers said
he would be glad to sell several OF
his local holdings at 70 per cent
less than they cost him
Claims Heat Cut on.
Mrs X. c. RAIN. Of the CobIentz.
ned that when Or. J. .. Cohlentz, the
owner. was prevented by the Sauls-
bury law from forcing her to move
he refused to furnish proper heating
facilities She said that the apart
ments in this house averaged between
S22.jO and S25, but that she had heard
DIT. COblentZ say ne iHteINed TO
charge 50 an apartment as soon as
possible
Dr.. J. C. BuIIoch. 1869 Columbia
road. told the subcommittee thai three
years ago he rented his ap4Itm tment
for S6O a month. Recently he was
notified that. beginning October l. his
rent would he S9p a month He said
there had been no repairs or improve
ments to warrant a raise in rental
Mrs. Clara V. SimmOnsOn. The Ash
ley. testified that u I,t2 she rented
Er. apartment there a $40 a InontL.
She was gwen % uule,s tuf' the
other day that she must IN nC|
lease at a rental II so or So n month
iE sHr ITS TO K, 80 apartment
Mrs. Sarah c. y. Prentice, OF The
Piazza. Washington CIrcle, said that
I'm September, 1911, she paid 50 q
month for her apartment in the Plaza,
in October. 1918, she started 20 pay
IS and that she now understands sng
Prentice said the owner would make
no repairs
Others Experiences.
Edward G. Witkawski. the Niss,s-
slppI. swOre he rented his apartment
in January. 1911. at $3.50 and that
beginning October he must pay ~,
with no additional repairs.
Richard =. Roberts. 254f Fourteenth
street northwest. told the committee
he had been paying $3.50 and that
he has been notified he must pay $40
IN the future Mr.. Roberts told the
Senators ne had eight girls and ons
boy and that Lee could not afford this
increase as hc only made Sl+0 a year.
David NICClelland, 1910 FairmOnt
street northwest. said he started with
a rental Of $3.50 month. and that
he understood all tenants in the
apartment house were to have theI"
rents raised TO So a moth. lie SAID
that he was an architectural drafts
man and that he considered S25 a fair
return for the apartment he lives in.
Chairman Ball made a special point
to ascertain whether the apartments
in Washington We're filled TO capacity
before the war. Without exception
evidence was presented that some
times One-third or on--half Of the
apartments We're idle before the war
demand came
To-day thirty more residents will
appear before the subcommittee 10
relate their rent grievances.
y. Y. Appeals to Palmer.
New York. Aug. @i-Nathan
IHrsch, chairman Of the Mayors
Committee on Rent Profteering.
has sent to Attorney General A
Mitchell Palmer q letter calling at
tentiOn 70 the need for remedial
legislation by Congress to meet the
rent profiteering and housing prob
lens. The letter. made public tods >
by Mr.. HirsCh, read, in part:
''Our Offices are thTOnged daily
from morning TIL night by dis
tresssd citizens whose rents have
been unjustifiabIy raised-5O. 10. 100
per cent. and who cannot bear this