Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-04-21
WARE BRANDS RENT
I OUTRAGEOUS G0UGE
Downtown Association Fighting
Custer Gets Senator'S
Support
288 DWELLINGS INVOLVED

State Senator Edwin II. Ware today
denounced as Outrageous a rent
boost affecting occupants of 2SS houses
in South Philadelphia.
The houses, located in q downtown
ward, were owned by n merchant in
South Philadelphia. 1t was announced
yesterday that they had been sold by
him to an undisclosed purchaser. The
transaction was described as one of the
largest deals in local real estate in re
cent years.
''It was an outrage" said Senator
Ware this afternoon, for this man to
keep jumping the rents of these people
when he knows there are no vacant
houses in South Philadelphia.
Little by Little"
"You cannot quote me too strongly
concerning this matter. For some time
he raised their rents at one or two dol
lars a jump. At time when the in
creasing scarcity of houses had put the
tenants in position where they could
not get away he jumped them three and
FIVE dollars more.
Il consider this an imposition on
these good, hard working people. This
man would not have dared to do 1t had
there been any other houses in South
Philadelphia for rent.
"With houses SO scarce and every
thing up in price it is perfectly natural
for owners to raise their rents dollar
or two. No one can complain about
that. Also 1 think it is a good thing as
a general proposition for people to own
their own homes. The Own Your Own
Home movement, however, might have
been started at more favorable time,
when conditions were nearer normal
than they are now.
Vicious Abuse Of Movement
cit is all right, in fact a good thing,
for man to buy his own home If he
wants to and feels he is able to. 1t is
vicious thing to try to force him to buy
his home by threatening to throw him
out when he cannot get another place
to go to.
denim too strongly
Legal machinery has been set in mo-
tion to eject one of the tenants to whom
Senator Ware referred in his statement.
The tenant is preparing to fight the
ejectment proceedings. and the whole
matter may be aired in court.
The houses in question are Of two
sorts, larger houses on the main streets
and smaller houses on the streets be-
tween. In 1917, before the war began,
the smaller houses rented for S12 a
month and the larger ones for SIG q
month, according to an attorney repre-
senting tho tenants.
s'The first increase was made in
May, 1917" said this attorney today.
1T was 81 month. In January. 1918
another dollar month was added tc
the rents. In April, 1918, the smaller
houses had another dollar put on the
rent and the larger ones an additional
two dollars, bringing the rents up to
SIS and $50 respectively.
Then the Worms Turned
''There was no further increase de
manded until February Of this year,
when SO was put on the smaller houses
and IS on the larger. This increase
was to go into effect in March. The
tenants Immediately banded themselves
together in Tenants Protective Asso
citation. They paid their money for
March over to the officers of the asso
citation. Virtually none of the tenant:
paid the last increase demanded. Al
least $50 of them have refused to-l'fHf7s+
In March it became known that the
old rent would be received. TIE agent
took the rent at the old rate Tor Marct
and April.
.'In April he refused to take rent
from the president of the association
however, having served notice on hin
March ! to vacate the property. Wher
this notice was not complied with s
writ of habeas facias was received th
E L =.