New-York tribune., 1919-05-13
Merchants AssociationCon-
mittee Joins With State
Reconstruction Commits
sion to End the Situation
There's No Lack of Monev
Real Estate Operator in The
Bronx Says Tenants Must
Pay $14 or SIS a Room

Municipal court justices, real estate
operators and experts, new commit
tee on housing of the Merchants As
sociation, the Governors Committee on
Reconstruction, and other Individual
and civic organizations entered ycster-
day upon campaign to stimulate
construction in New York City, recog-
nizing- this as the only means of re-
lieving the housing crisis.
\ The courts having jurisdiction over
landlord-tenant cases were thronged
yesterday, but no unusual evictions
were ordered. City marshals sale that
the few dispossessed were families who
forced the landlord to the added ex-
pense of legal action. moving van
took the furniture from the curb in
each case tc rooms rented and pre-
pared III advance.
Of $40 cases on the calendars Of
Parts 1 and II, Municipal Court, The
Bronx, 140 were satisfactorily COM
promised out of court, 12O were either
disposed Of in favor of the tenants
or adjourned, and eighty warrants of
eviction were issued.
Justice Harry M. Robitzek, of the
Municipal Court, who was one of the
first to recognize the existence of a
housing crisis, declared emphatically
yesterday that immediate and extensive
building is demanded. He said that he
knows of 100 builders who ar, ready
bor of
in The Bronx, but are unable to OBJ
tain sufficient loans. He suggested
tfat the government interpose and offer
building loans on the principle of the
farm loans, through banks.
Shortage of Jurors, Too
Justice Robitzek, who presided at
thirty jury trials in Part III of the
Bronx Municipal Court yesterday, de-
clared that the rent situation is be-
coming worse steadily, notwithstand-
ing reports to the contrary The jury
cases in municipal courts are being
complicated, he said, by the unwilling,
ness OF jurors to serve for SO a day
when the compensation in the Supreme
Court was recently fixed at So
Burt l.. Fenner, chairman of the
Housing Committee of the Merchants
Association, issued statement yester-
day for himself and his associates on
the committee. After declaring that
II am inclined to believe that rent
profteering does not exist to any such
extent as the exploitation of a com
paratively few cases would lead the
public to suppose" Mr.. Fenner asserts
that the following two phases should
be discussed:
"First-The relief of the present
emergency as far as practicable by the
n tn ,%ox ,@x,,~ j
without waiting for legislative action
by the city, state or nation.
"Second--The broad subject of hous-
ing in all its economic and sociologi-
cal aspects, which is national rather
than local in scope"
Mr.. Fenner says that prior to the
war private capital and private initia-
tive kept the housing supply equal to
the demand, and continues:
During the last four years the sup.
ply has gradually fallen off until the de-
suit is hardship and privation, crowd
ing to highly unsanitary degree and
with general renewal of industrial
activity, shortage of labor must
follow"
After observing that the difficulties
of financing appear to form the real
crux Of the emergency, Mr.. Fenner
continues:
There must be cure. There is no
actual shortage of money.
"The banks of the United States have
abundant resources for the financing
of industry. Cannot way be found
to show that improvement in the phys-
cal environment of the wage Garner by
the construction of more and better
homes is as vital a factor in stimulat-
ing production in all industry as is the
construction and equipment of the
plants themselves
Members of the Committee
Mr.. Fenner's associates on the com
mittee are Leo S. Bng, of Bing &
Bing; G.. Richard Davis, of A. L. Nor
decai & Son, Inc; Ernest F. Eidlitz
counsel for Building Trades Employ
ersSAssociation Francis N. Rowland
of Candee, Smith Rowland; Clar-
ence H. Kelsey, president of Title
Guarantee and Trust Company;
First National Bank; Walter Stabler
controller of Metropolitan Life In-
surance Company; Charles II. Strong
Of Strong & Mellcm, and Robert F
Simon. Mr. Fcnner is with McKim
Mead & White.
II. J. Semple, q veteran real estate
operator of The Bronx, declared that
while families search frantlcally fo1
dwelling places blocks of unimproved
territory stretch out along the new
subway lines. The property, he said
is even deprecating in value.
"No man can build" he said, "and
hope to charge less than $14 or S1F
for a room. Construction in The
Bronx is almost at a standstill Prices
are prohibitwe.
Increases Are Justified
increases in rent Of 25 and even &c
per cent are justiiiable. High rents
in new buildings would be only fail
to the builder, but with the agitation
against rent profiteers, no one will
take chance. Building is going or
only in the sections where people un.
derstand conditions and are willing tc
pay for service and quarters with ar
appreciation of the conditions con.
fronting the builder"
Mr.. Sempke gave the following table
Of increased costs of construction over
1914:
Bricks. per .o0O.......... 800 sls5
| Cement. per barrcl ..,.... I.5O 30
Lumber per 1000 feet. $500 700
! LA Dor, per day:
Plasterers ...........,.. $50 0
| Carpenters ............. 450 81
tnskiilcd ..........-.... LIS OF