Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-27
FAVORABLE REPORT
ON RENT MEASURE
Harrison Amendment Is
Unanimously Approved by
Senate Committee.
PROFITEERS' PENALTY

Bent upon relieving the rent situa-
ton in Washington and to prevent
profiteering in rents, the Senate agri-
culture committee today reported ia
vorably to the Senate the Harrison
amendment to the food control act,
which includes in the operation of
that act rents in the District of CO.
lumbia
The Harrison amendment. which
was added last night to the so-called
Haugen bill, amending the food con-
troll act already passed by the House.
received the unanimous approval of
the Senate committee.
The prediction was made today that
the Senate would back up the COM
mittee and enact the Harrison amend
ment into law. Under it the Presi-
dent would be authorized to make
such regulations as he sees fit to curb
profiteering in rents. and persons who
violated the regulations and were
found guilty of profiteering would be
subject to a fine of not more than
$4,000 or Imprisonment for not more
than two years or both.
Senators See Good Effect.
Senators today declared that they
believed the enactment of the Harri-
son amendment into law would have
most salutary effect upon the situa-
ton. 1t would go farther than the
Salisbury act and would protect those
who must obtain houses and apart
ments and rooms i'll Washington at
this time or during the fall. 1t is
true that the law would be operative
only for two months after peace is
finally made, but it looks as though
peace was still a long distance off.
= In the meantime the Senate District
subcommittee. headed Ex-senator Ball
of Delaware. is going ahead rapidly
with it's investigation of the rent
situation. and Senator Ball said today
that the adoption of the Harrison
amendment would not halt his efforts
to have enacted permanent law
which will curb rent profiteers.
Senator Harrison, author of the
amendment to the .anti-profiteering
bill. said today he was sure the SEN
ate and the House would agree to 1t.
Favors Fair Price Committees.
Another amendment to the Haugen
bill adopted by the committee last
night provides for the organization Of
fair price committees Itswase offered
by Senator Hoke Smith OF Georgia
Senator Harrison A6fd that fair price
ceumittee might. be, organized under
the provisions Of tiie bill t. deal VIII
the question Of rents here.
TT will not be hard to find grand
jury to indict rent profteers," said
Senator Harrison. ."and jury to con-
vict them after they have been in
dicted and brought to trial"
Rent Problem Stirs..
Senator Capper. who is a member
of both the committee on agriculture
and the Senate District subcommittee,
said today that members of both Sem
ate and House are stirred to a high
pitch over the rent profiteering in
Washington and that he had no
doubt that the Harrison amendment
would be enacted into law and that
more detailed and permanent form of
rent legislation would be drafted by
the District committee and enacted
into law too.
Senator Ball has had suggestion
from Harry Wardman to the effect
that solution of the rent situation
might be found if return were made
to the rents charged in 1915. before
the war. and an increase of 10 per
cent over those rents were allowed.