Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-22
RENT BOARD ASKED
Ito HALT INCREASE
AT FEDERAL HOTELS
Guests Protest New RooE:
:, Rents OF $50. so Per
T Month.

T Month.
Willingness to determine a fair
monthly rental for rooms in the gov
eminent hotels on Union Station Plaza
was expressed in letter sent today
by the District rent commission to
representatives of the plaza council
The letter was in reply to protest
filed yesterday against the action of
the United States Housing Corpora
ton in increasing the rent for rooms
from S45 to 5000 per month, begin
ming October l.
The letter which was signed by
d. C. Roper, jr., secretary of the com
mission, pointed out that the tenants
joining in the protest should sign a
formal petition asking the rent board
to determine what the proper monthly
charge for rooms should be. Assur-
ance was given that the COMMISSION
would investigate conditions at the
plaza hotels and would afford the
management and the compliments an
opportunity to present their argu-
mentS.
President Robert Watson of the
housing corporation said this morning
that until the corporation formally mas
been brought into the controversy as
q party to the rent commission pro-
CeedIngS he would Wlthnolu comment.
Causes Peculiar Siss:ntiOn.
The proposed action of the women
at the dormitories places the housing
agency being summoned by another
government institution to defend It
self from allegations that 1t is rent
profiateer. In the notice sent by the
corporation to the guests at the hotels
it was pointed out that the salaries
of employees have been increased. and
that other expenses have mounted
proportionately-
Fifteen tenants of the Franklin
apartment house at 1918 18th street
ton now before the District rent COM
mission protesting against what are
described as unreasonable and I'M
WARRANTED increases in rent, de-
manded of them by F. II. Smith & Co.,
owners of the apartment house.
Rents Nearly Doubled.
Figures are produced to show that
tenants in twenty apartments have
been asked to pay increases ranging
from $50 to over $32 a month. 1t is
pointed out that this would mean vir-
tually doubling the scale of rents
which prevailed before last December,
when $40 advances went to effect.
The petition also alleges that ele-
vator service was discontinued last
April, and has not since been resumed.
The interior of the building is badly
in need of repair, it is said.
The signers of the petition, together
with their present rental and that
proposed by the owners. follow:
DR.. G. G. Morris, apartment S, five
rooms. now $50. owners want $55;
NJ Huguet, apartment z, five rooms.
now $40. owners want $55; Claude
now $3.50. owners want $50; Smith
Linthicum apartment s, five rooms
now $3.50. owners want $50; DR.. ]. B.
Cole. apartment 20, six rooms, now
$3.50, owners want $40; G. P. Chap
man, apartment p, FIVE rooms. now
Burgess. apartment %. five rooms,
now $40. owners want $50; Mrs. r. F.
ODonaghue, apartment %, five rooms.
now $3.50 OWNERS want $50; E. p.
Murphy, apartment 33, five rooms.
now $40. owners want $50: Mrs. NJ. B.
now $40, owners want $50: John Rey-
nolds, apartment 40. six rooms, now
$3.50, owners want $40; B. E. Byron,
apartment 43. five rooms. now $50,
owners n want ut So 60; ra h; W. ao. Daily siS
owners want $50; N. S. Hickman.
apartment so. six rooms, now $3.50.
owners want $40; E. w. c. Krieger,
apartment So, five rooms. now $50.
owners want $50.
Ine lSI Oh cases set 1oE HSakiHS to-
morrow morning, beginning at 10
o'clock, follows:
Thomas P. Van Arsdale VS.. Thomas
]. Fisher & Co., Inc, possession and
rent, apartment 3, the Yorkshire, 1853
Columbia road; A. G. Thompson vs..
William v. Mahoney, rent, apartment
4. 1913 22nd street northwest; Col.
John w. .Heavey VS.. H. L. Rust, pos
session and rent, apartment "a. the
Altamont, 1901 Wyoming avenue
northwest; E. Isabel Brink VS.. j. and
L. Alpert, possession and rent, apart
ment 2, 1643 18th street northwest
Thomas H. Knapp VS.. Stone & Fair
fax, rent. 1902 Rhode Island avenue
northwest; c. A. Quantrille VS.. Boss
& Phelps. Inc, possession and rent,
apartment 12-East, the Cadiz, lis E
street southeast; w. E. Criser VS.. E.
L. Stats. possession. 200 Bryant street
northwest; Mrs. Mary Anderson vs.
Arthur Carr, possession and rent, Az
L street northwest; W. p. Armstrong
and rent, apartment 3, the Hampshire
1853 Columbia road; Daniel V. CHS
holm VS.. J. c. Weldon. possession and
rent, apartment 288, the Congressional
LIST and East Capitol streets; Samuel
linden vs. Liebermann & Hawn, pos
session, apartment 2. the Tulane, 2l09
18th street northwest; Leslie d. Nc
Intyre ct al, VS.. Julia Thorworth, pos
session and rent, apartment A, the
Fulton, jas Park road northwest
Lillian PIE ct al, VS.. H. L. Rust, pos
session md rent, apartment Al, 1895
Chabin street northwest; Marie Contte
vSCaywood & Garrett, possession and
rent 1855 Pierce street northwest.