The sun., 1919-05-08
STATE BODY NAMED
TO FIGHT HIGH RENTS
Joint Legislative Committee
Will Meet Tomorrow to
Organize.
JUSTICES NOT IN ACCORD
Many Plans Urged at Confer
ence-CoOperation of All
Investigators Asked.

j. Henry Walters. President pro tenn
or the Senate, announced yesterday the
names Of the Senate members Of the
Joint Legislative Committee, which ia
to investigate housing conditions in this
city and elsewhere in the State The
joint committee IA made up as follows:
Senators - Charles c. Lockwood
Kings; Peter A. Abeles. The Bronx, and
William A. Carson. Wayne.
Assemblymen-I w. SAINTS, Suffolk :;
Thomas A. McWhinney, Nassau; Peter
j. Hamill. Now York; James H. Caui-
field. Jr., Kings. and Earl II. Miller,
The Bronx.
The committee will organize to-mor-
row at the Murray Hill Hotel, or at the
City Hall.
Chairman Lockwood expressed the
peier that relief tor the housing situa-
ton would follow IL the great insurance
companies would release from S1o0, ooO,-
600 to s200,000,000 at per cent and
lend II to builders
Municipal Court Justices, who get
Doth sides of the rent story as arbiters
In landlord and tenant cases, apparently
90 not agree as TO proposed remedies
FOR the housing situation. At con-
ference Of peoples judges" in the
municipal Building yesterday afternoon
there were almost as many solutions for
the problem suggested as there were
members of the bench who talked.
Strong Cooperation Urxed.
Assemblyman Thomas A. McWhinney
OF Nassau county. chairman of the AS.
sembly's se'tion OF the Joint Legislative
Committed which will conduct a housing
injury, suggested just before adjourn
ment that everybody thresh the matter
out, get togehtre and come to the COM
nittee with views on the situation that
would represent majority u lns
Judges. Mr.. McWhinney urged COOP
Grafton on the part OF the Governors
Reconstruction Committee the Mayors
Committee on Rent Prohteering. the
Judges and everybody else who Is in
terested. With cooperation. he thought
somebody might get somewhere
The conference was called by Nathan
Hirsch, chairman of the Mayors com.
mittee. With Mr. Hirsch sat Mr.. Nc
Whitney. Charles D. Donohue, Demo.
cratic minority leader of the Assembly
William T. Collins. chairman OF the
General Welfare Committee of the
Board Of Aldermen, and Edward l. Han.
nah and Peter ]. Brady. Mr. Hirsch's
colleagues.
Chairman Hirsoh started the flow OF
ideas by declaring that there Is short.
age of houses and that something should
be done at once to relieve the situation
He said there Is no excuse for landlords
to increase rents to an exorbtant figure
Justice Jacob Panken, Socialist, ad.
vocated the enactment OF a law EN-.
towering the Governor to appoint a com.
mission Of five Con the lines Of the Pub.
lie Service Commssion) with power &c
pass on rent increases. II the landlord
could not Justify his increases by hi,
outlay permission, Of course. would bs
denied.
Favors Union OF Tenants.
the Mayors committee go on record as
favoring organization OF tenants for the
purpose OF collective bargaining witt
landlords in the matter Of rents.
Justice L. Prince asserted his opposi.
ton to all of Justice Pankens remedies
THE situation is not as chaotic al
!. Is painted" he said. 1T Is due &c
conditions brought about by the war
Everything has gone up. So far as
Legislature"
"Ninety-five per cent. of the landlords
are fair, reasonable and honest" said
Justice Harry Robitzek of The Bronx.
Five per cent. are crooked and are
profteers The remedy is not alons
Sociallstic lines, but constitution
lines The way to remedy the situa.
ton is to erect new buildings.
Assemblyman NJ. Baldwin of Tit
&rix iss In. afra tpht
Jacket in reference to apartments ant
lofts. It's not an Ism. he said. but I
condition that confronts US. He sale
that IL the State Of New York can lent
money constitutionally, he was for h
but he didn't think the city legislator
could get the upstate counties to do 4
in a million years.
Case Of supply and Demand.
Justice Samson Friedlander expressed
the opinion that the real trouble in the
housing situation is the law OF supply
and demand
Assemblyman Mcwhinney advised
everybody TO get together to decide what
Is best to be done He advised all hand,
not to ask Gov. Smith to call a specia
session of the Legislature until the,
could find out exactly what they wanted
in the line of legislation.
Bird $. Color, Commissioner of Char
tiles and Correction, placed at the dis
posal of the Mayors committee abou
nifty cots for use in Methodist churche:
in case evicted families seek shelter II
the churches.
James j. Haggerty. city marshal. ha:
eight families on his list for eviction to-
day. one Is Antonio Varrichecci. 27t
East 137th street, who has ten cildrer
and cannot find a new home for them
II won't evict that man." Haggert.
said yesterday, III it costs me my H.
cense"
AS landlord OF an apartment house
in Powell street was climbing a fire es
cape yesterday woman tenant or
strike upset a washtub OF dirty water
on him. Others pelted him with every.
thing but nosegays. No arrests wer;
made.
'SIAMESE TWINS ARE