Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-08-27
FLAT TENANTS
HIRE ATTORNEY
TO PROBE RENTS
Committee Representing o.
cupants Of AngeIus Apart
ments May Appeal to
Courts for Relief.

Preparatory to instigating an in
vestigation Of an alleged conspiracy
among Omaha real estate speculat-
ors and landlords to subject their
tenants to profiteering rates Of rent,
4 committee representing the occu-
pants Of the Angelus apartments,
Twenty-fifth avenue and Farnam
street, employed an attorney yester-
day and instructed him to ascertain
and advise them Immediately just
what relief they could obtain by an
appeal to the courts.
Tenants in the Angelus apart
ments declare their landlord pro-
poses to charge them. extortionate
rents. Following meeting on the
roof of the apartment house Satur-
day night, which was attended by
nearly every occupant OF the house,
il was agreed to resist to the bitter
end the proposed increases. which
: are said to range from Is to -
per cent.
Hardship on Thousands.
"This simultaneous and extor-
tomato raise in rents all over the
city seems to me to be the most
outrageous affliction visited upon
the Omaha public in years, said
one OF the leaders OF the revolt in
the Angelus apartments. 1t not
only is an unjust hardship on thou
sands, OF Omaha tenants. but it is
giving the city itself black eye. The
outside world will regard this city
as a place to be avoided. In my
opinion the real estate men and
apartment house owners are aiming
blow at the city in a business
way, which will be felt for years
to come.
II do not believe any court will
permit this particular clique of men
to get by with such selfish propo-
sition. They are willing to sacri-
flee the interests of the entire COM
munity for their own personal gain.
Aside from this feature of the situa-
ton, believe any jury or judge
will call these profiteers to account
for no other reason but that there
is an agreement among them to
Cypress the thousands of persons
here who are compelled to rent
their homes. - ,-'."~-
Fear Public Opinion.
"Omaha will continue to grow
and prosper. and>its residents will
continue to thrive and be happy in
spite of the selfish plans of some
real estate men and flat building
owners. If all other means fail,
public opinion will force an issue"
A half dozen women quietly were
circulating a petition calling upon
the occupants of the ZIG apartments
i'm the Drake Court flats to lend
active opposition to their landlords
plan to charge unjust and unreason-
able rents. The occupants of this
!. Apartment house, like the residents
iAtA seore of other apartment houses
ut the city, also have retained the
sxrvices of an attorney Ito resist
the demands of their landlord.
IF it is possible to prosecute per-
sons guilty of conspiracy to control
the cost of foodstuffs, / do not see
why it is not just as fair to apply
the same rule to those who get to-
gether to Cypress the tenants of
rented properties" declared an oc-
cupant of a North Side apartment
house. "In my opinion some of the
real estate men of this city are more
guilty than the profteers in food
stuffs. The high cost of foodstuffs
affects the individual residents,
while the profteers in rents not only
attacks the pocketbooks of the citi-
zens, but it obstructs the growth of
the community"
Council Will Probe.
On motion of Commissioner Butler
yesterday the city council resolved
to resume the rent probe next FRI
day at public meeting. The coun-
ell began an investigation of Omaha
rents last Friday night. Without
accomplishing anything, for some
reason they adjourned after holding
Z single meeting.
Commissioner Butler declared he
was in possession Of information
that apartment house owners and
agents held a secret meeting last
June and agreed to increase their
rates 20 per cent. Mr.. Butler is ex-
pected to reveal some startling in
formation in this regard at the coun
ell meeting Friday night.
Mr.. Butler declared he was in re-
ceipt of letter from c. w. Kraft,
confirming the statement printed
Monday in The Bee to the effect
that J. A. Aulabaugh, former owner
Of an apartment house on South
Twenty-sixth avenue. refused to
raise his rent rates to an unreason-
able amount at the instance of the
real estate men, and later sold his
property to the Calkins Co., real
estate investors. Immediately fol-
lowing the sale, the rents were raised