The evening world., 1919-04-28
CUT THE EXPENSES,
RAISE THE RENTS,
LANDLORDS MOTTO
Letters of Tenants Prove That
Their Complaints AreO
Justified.

A general survey Of tho thousands
Of reports received from tenants in
all parts of the city since April 10.
when The Evening world first pub
lishcd its blank requesting facts CON
cerning rent proftcerng, shows that
not moro than ono IN hundred COM
plains OF rent increases under 20 per
cent. Since II is known that many
increases Of from 10 70 20 per cent
have been made, the indicatlSn IL that
tenants generally do not rcgad such
advances as unreasonable.
Another feature Of the survey Ia
that in large majority OF cases
where the increases have been mani
fcstiy Of a prorteering nature there
has been an actual reduction OF eN-
penses in the upkeep OF the property.
In more than three quarters OF suCh
cases the reports show that the iand-
lords have refused to make obviously
necessary repairs. have cut down jan
itor and other services ana nave not
given the heat and hot water which
they either actually or implicdly con
tract to give.
SIN another outstanding fact in
most OF the unjustiiahle increases
reported IN that the properties have
recently changed hands, many OF
them three or four times In the last
ak months. The irresistible con-
cluslon ia that there Is horde or
eXploiters operating in all parts OF
the city whuse single purpose Is 10
squeeze every possible dollar out OF
tenants and give as little service
as they can. in order that they may
resell or release the premises at an
add tional profit, passing them on 10
other profiteers who al. once proceed
to force a few more dollars out OF
tho luckless tenants. And humilia-
ton is expressed by large proper
ton OF these tenants that their grasp
ing landlords are alienA chiefly from
Russia many OF whom cannot read'
write or speak the English language.
one such landlord is reported TO
hold leases on seven large apartment
buildings in Brooklyn housing not
less than 500 refined middlc-clnss
American families. Tenants OF these
buildings report that as fast az their
leases expire the landlord increases
the rent and refuses TO make new
leases. thus forcing his tenants To
continue on n month-to-month basis,
giving him the right TO throw them
out whenever he can get tenant
who will pay more for their apart
mcnts. 1t Is claimed that he Ia seldom
seen about any OF these apartment
houses save on rent day: that al
though he has a telephone II is not
listed in the telephone book and his
janitors will not give It's number tn
tenants. II In further reported by
the tenants OF one of these houses
that their Janitor has himself Dragged
TO them that he gets s. every time he
let's an Apartment 10 a tenant for s.
a month more than the present tenant
Is paying, and that he gets COM
mission on all the coal he saves"
Whether HIS boast he true or not, the
tenants know he saves SO much coal
that their apartments are seldom
adequately heated. Indeed, last Fri
day, when the mercury went down
and down still more. there was no
fire under any OF the four boilers
which are supposed by law TO furnish
6S degrees OF heat TO every living
room I'm the entire Reventy-two
apartments In this building. and on
the following day, which was much
colder. no fires were built until "A
Health Department inspector, called
In by the tenants, orlercd II n little
before noon. As result several OF
the tenants have bad colds and worse
dispositions to-day, for they say cx-
perience has taught them that as soon
as the inspectors back is turned the
process or saving coal begins again.