The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-05-23
MUCH GAMBLING
IN HOUSE DEALS
New Workers Buy Proper
ties, Raise Rents and Sell
at Great Profits
NOT A CENT OF
MONEY EXCHANGED
Great Increase in Building in the City
Expected New Homes Will Be
Ready for Thousands of Families Be
fore Winter Sets In.


NEW YORK, May 23-The superin |
tendents of buildings in the five Dor
onghs of the city appeared yesterday |
before the. state legislative committee |
is holding daily sessions at the City |
Hall. The officials testified that more
plans for houses are being fled at pres
ent were being filed a year ago, and
expressed belief that building condi-
tons will become better in the immedi
ate future, although they could not say
that the housing shortage problem was
on the way TO quick settlement.
Albert E. Kleinert, superintendent of
buildings in Brooklyn, said there was a
great deal of gambling in real estate in
that district by men who did not invest
n dollar in property. A common meth
| cd, he added, was to sell property say
at - o'clock. the new owners notifying
| the tenants immediately that the rent
| would be raised, and then when the
owners could show higher income on
paper, they would sell the property to
someone else, who would raise the rent
again and resell TO another SPECTATOR.
| Thse sales, he said were not bona iidc,
and were made ION a shoestring''
| Mr.. Kleinert urged that builders be
licensed by the state. He said this
would tend TO get rid of the speculative
builder, who puts up structures of liz
ferior material to sell at the highest pos
sible advance. He was opposed to state
or federal aid to speculative builders
At present, he said. not more than 6 or
per cent of the builders in the city
are Legitimate. Speculative builders
he called gamblers in real estate" and
incompetent
The housing committee of the Mer-
chants association. of which Burt L.
Fenner is chairman, submitted n report
yesterday on the plan proposed by the
housing committee of the state recon
struction commission While expressing
doubt that the Plan QfferRya complete
solution of the problem, the report said
that if carried out efficiently the plan
at least could accomplish these results:
l. 1t would secure the completion be-
fore next winter of housing for several
thousand families
:. ?. Because of the wholesale scope of
| titS uhtCA tan - utSAintt duN3llcc III
type Of housing would result,
3. 1t would win the interest and par
ticipation of philosophical citizens il
the solution of one of the most i'm
portant of reconstruction problems.
For these reasons the committee rec.
commended that the plan be endorsed il
principle.
Commissioner of Accounts Hirsehf field
! took testimony yesterday in the case o
tenants occupying sixteen two-famih
houses on s.. Marks avenue, near Sar
atoga street, Brooklyn. One tenant sait
, that in 1917 he paid 1913 rent month
He had to pay $40 last fall Shortly
afterward, he said, the interests repre-
scented by Harry Rubin of 3lT Brad
. dock street took over the property an,
raised the rent TO $3S. Recently TN
! tenants were informed the houses wer
being sold and they feared their rent
again would be raised.
Rubin testified that the houses ha,