The sun., 1919-07-29
MAYOR AT HEARING,
BUT TENANTS LOSE
Younger Joachim 0bdurate
Despite Hylan's Personal
T. Please to Rent Booster.
FIRST CASE LOST so FAR
Returns Would Justify Rails
ing Assessment from $4,000
to 100000.

Mayor Hylan had his first ''close up
yesterday afternoon Of the Mayors Com
mittee on Rent Prohteering In action.
ing of a. rent boosting case and saw the
moral law" applied In an effort to eff
feet settlements Of rent disputes between
tenants and landlords He made a speech
to the tenants and held a small boy
the son Of a tenant-on his knee just to
show what he thought Of an order pro-
mulgated by the landlord banishing
children from his rent producing prem
Uses.
He did his Level best to induce the
agent OF tho property to cut down the
demands for increased rents. but the
more questions he asked the more stub
born the agent became. When all the
testimony was in the, committee sorrow
fully recorded the fact that for the first
time in the settlement of cases involving
over $1,000 families a landlord had re-
fused to make concession. However, the
committee refused to surrender and
continued the hearing.
Elder Joachim Goes Home.
= The complaint was that Of tenants of
apartment houses at s1s, 320 and 322
West 1soth street, owned by Abraham
Joachim. 81 Hamilton avenue. Joachim
and his son. Emanuel. agent of the
property. were punched by one Of the
tenants, James A. McNamara, q STU
ott M fha Int nj
hearing before Capt. Goldsmith Friday
afternoon.
When the elder Joachim put in an ap-
pearance yesterday he complained that
he had bad heart and thigh blood
pressure" and Mr.. Hirsch and the Cap
tain prevailed upon him to go home and
leave everything in the hands of his
son. Emanuel thereupon took over the
defence and never budged from his
Original principles"
Others beside the Mayor who had
seats with the conciliators were william
T. Collins. chairman OF the Committee
on General Welfare of the Board of
Aldermen: John Jerome Rooney. ex-
Judge: Edward F. Bennett, Assistant
Corporation Counsel; Charles A., Strauss.
secretary Of the lawyers committee CO.
operating with the Mayors Committee.
law committee.
Capt Goldsmith got down to brass
tacks by telling young.Joachim that his
own figures showed expenditures of
e17.3SS on the properties and. gross
rentals OF $21.T60. including the de-
manded increases. on an investment Of
$4,000. He considered that the rent
increases were altogether too high. The
property is assessed at $4,000. Based
on the returns Mr.. Goldsmith said 1t
should be assessed at s162.Qo0.
Joachim said the reason the rents
were raised was that the property was
running into debt.
why. the taxes are the same. less
this year than last, four points less"
proudly said the Mayor.
Then somebody said something about
the mandate that children should go.
whereupon young Joachim announced
that he didn't dislike children, but was a
boy himself once He insisted that the
children had damaged the house.
"And was amateur champion fighter
of the world In 1907" he added.
Mayor Hylan asked the young man II
there were any tenants who were
friendly with him. whereupon Joachim
replied: ct never knew a tenant who
was friendly with a landlord. I've never
asked them
,.All those who are friendly to this
landlord stand up" said the Mayor, ad-
dressing the tenants.
Nobody assumed the perpendicular
and many who were standing in the
back of the room tried to telescope them
selves.
can those unfriendiy to the landlord
stand up" demanded the Mayor.
He'd Sell to the City.
Everybody arose on the instant with
who was holding his five-year-old boy
"Jamesey'' on his lap.
"Get up, get up!' shouted a woman.
pulling him by the shoulder. and Nc
Namara dropped the youngster and
stood 6 feet 2.
SHOULDN'T you rather have the kindly
sympathy of your tenantsY' asked the
Mayor pleadingly.
Don't you think friendship Is better
than grasping for the last dollar?" in
quired Chairman Hirsch.
"I don't agree with you that we're
Rrasping for the last dollar" said
Joachim. 1--WE can't nor will we run an
Apartment at a loss. II it's a question
of municipal ownership we're glad to
sell the apartments to you"
Joachim referred to what he called
the ''unjustified attack" on his father
at the last hearing and declared that
his father had been citizen for thirty
seven years
He has $4,000 in Liberty Bonds"
he shouted, land II you don't believe II
I'll have them at the City Hall to-mor-
row. He was attacked by a court on
GER"
These tenants are all willing to pay
a legitimate advance In rent" Mr.
Hirsch said. This committee wants to
be fair to both tenants and landlord.
We've arbltrated more than ii, 1000 cases,
representing $4,000 families Why can't
we adjust this matter here?'
Yes. this committee has done won
derful work." admitted Joachim.
Various tenants told their stories
about bad smells, poor plumbing, rules
prohibiting children in the houses, &C..
but Joachim was obdurate. A~camera
man came in. the Mayor adjusted his
cuffs, and the landlords son moved up
close 80 he could get in the picture with
oser Mayor and the others. The pho
.%krapher wasn't quick enough to oatch
the picture of "Jamesey" McNamara in
Mr.. Hylan's lap as the Mayor patted
the golden haired youngsters cheek.
Then Mr.. Hirsch announced that the
Mayor would have to go.
"And / want to say" SAID Mr.. Hirsch,
shat there have been many Mayors IN
this city and / think no Mayor has had
the interest OF the people more at heart
than John II. Hylan." (Great applause }
ROsenbaum Is Emphatic.
''If was your landlord" Mayor Hy-