The sun., 1919-09-07
S71 FAMILIES WIN
LONG RENT STRIKE
Increase of $4,000 Asked Orig
inally in II Apartments
Is Cut to $3.50.
FIGHT ON SINCE AUG. I
Pickets Prevented Prospective
Tenants From Taking
Brooklyn Leases.

Brooklyn Leases.
The rent strike of tenants of seven
teen cold water. walk up apartments in
Flushing avenue, Bedford avenue and
Wallabout street, Brooklyn, which has
made things merry since August /, was
declared Off last night. The difficulties
between the 81 families and their. land
lord, the B. F. w. Realty Company,
were adjusted by Capt. Charles A. Gold.
smith, examiner for the Mayors Com
mittee on Rent Profiteerihg, Of which
Nathan Hirsch was chairman, and the
tenants contend they got the better of it
The settlement was effected on basis
of total increase beginning September
l OF $3.50, a reduction of $3.50 from a
demanded rent increase of $1,000, for
which the company's representatives
stood out for some time. Originally the
increase asked aggregated $4,000. but
this was reduced to $1,000 after the
strike started.
AS one of the tenants put II after the
last name had been affixed to the agree
ment by the rent strikers committee of
ten, lawyers for the strikers and COM
pany and Capt Goldsmith, "the Soviet
las won notable victory"
Hearings on the merits of the case
lasted from p. NJ. until 10 80 p NJ. on
Friday without intermission, and again
from 2 p. M. until nearly 10 P. NJ.
yesterday. The proceedings were
''at hair trigger. pretty much all the
time.
Renters Committee Fights.
The committee of ten stubbornly
fought every inch of the way. and many
times 1t looked as If the sessions would
break UP in row. Capt. Goldsmith had
the hardest Job of his life in keeping
both sides together until he could get
the list of names he wanted on his off,
cial document.
When the fight against the Increased
rents was declared the striking tenants
announced that they wouldn't pay, the
landlord a single cent of rent until the
company gave in, and they didn't. They
turned the money over to a tenant acting
as treasurers, and this cash. $2,S5S.5O,
was paid over to Capt. Goldsmith yes
terday as evidence of good faith that
the strikers were willing to play fair.
The Captain in turn will pay 1t over
to the landlord.
An attempt was made recently to dis
possess the tenants for non-payment OF
rent, and eviction warrants were signed
by Justice Meagher OF the Third Munich
pal Court, Brooklyn. When Hugh Nc
Bride, City Marshal, arrived at the/tene-
ments with his papers and "schieppers
the rent strikers sprung surprise They
were all union men and women, In good
standing with the Williamsburg Tenants
League, they said, and as union folks
of course the union ''schieppers" couldn't
tote the furniture from the apartments
to the sidewalks. The ''schleppers" fed
Later the City Marshal employed non
union "schleppers" and told them to go
to IL. The union tenants then pitched
into the nom union "schleppeTs' and the
latter were obliged 20 get out OF the
neighbprhood as speedily as possible
Rent strike signs in window.
Before all this happened the strikers
put signs in their windows declaring to
the world at large that everybody on the
inside was on strike and intended to
stay exactly where they were until some
thing or other froze over, or the landlord
company came down in the rents and
made repairs. AJdemand for repairs was
a strong point, as the houses long had
been neglected.
Furthermore, virtually all the women
did picket duty on the sidewalks while
their husbands were at work. They
carried babies in their arms and tod
ding youngsters chung to their skirts
as they marched back and forth intent
on keeping folks looking for homes from
taking possession OF vacant apartments.
In several cases in which a person had
paid n months rent in advance expect
ing to move In the tenants committee
refunded the rent out of their own
pockets and the landlord lost new
tenants. Had II not been for the pickets
the B. F. w. Realty Company would
have been able In August to fill up. fifty
or more apartments remaining vacant
during the strike.
Incidentally the strikers had a parade
in which they carried banners bearing
these LEGENDS: I'VE Want Justice,
| 1--WE Are Being Robbed Of Our Rights
xiii the Profteers." Hang the Land
lord Thieves" and sundry other inscrip-
| lions.
In all the proceedings in the Municipal
courts the fighting tenants were repre-
sented by Francis d. McGarey, Demo
| cratic candidate for Alderman in that
| district, who is a member of the Tam
many Hall law committee assisting the
| Mayors Committee on Rent Profteerine
| in its activities of smoothing out the
| wrinkles between tenants and landlords
Final Hearing Is Heated.
| The closing hours of the final hearing
| were peppery in the extreme. Each Of
the ten members OF the tenants com
| mittee insisted on having his or her owr
way, and that way did not always agree
with the way of the nine others. The
representatives of the landlord company
| insisted that the tenants should stick tc
a tentative agreement that the $3.50 II
crease be divided pro rata among the ole
tenants and not the new tenants whC
had moved in since May 1, when the
company took possession of the build
ings. The new tenants had n d the in
| creased rents demanded and ! acob FOX
agent for the company, ana Lawyer
Highlander, the company's attorney. de
clared that they should not share in tn
additional increase. The tenants com
mlttee held out against this proposition
for a long time. but finally gave in.
/ The rents for the apartments original
ly ranged from $3.50 to $13. The in
crease demanded for August 1 woult
have made the rents $14 to $40. Thu
settlement calls for increases of s2.75
lS2.25, S175 and $3.50, depending upoI
the location and number of rooms,
After the agreement was signe'
Lawyer Engiander made little speech
in which ne said the Mayors Committed
had worked well for the benefit o
tenants and landlord.
Women members of the committee an
nounced they would have a block part!
TO celebrate the tenants victory.
While number OF landlords and lessee
| - a,,,Iidin0a accuaad of rent hooStinp