Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-12-27
AMENDED BILL TO
PROVIDE SUMMARY
TENANT EVICTION
Ball Proposal to Be Altered
as Result of Strong Pro-
test by Realtors.
ORIGINAL MEASURE SEEN
AS AID TO 'RENT-DODGER'
Business Men and Landlords
Charge It Would Have Worked
Hardship on Them.

Cn01ge IL W0ulQ nave WOIhCu
Hardship on Them.
The Ball bill. repeating that section
of the District code authorizing the
issue of seven-day notices to quit
10 tenants, following the thirty-day no
tice, will be reported favorably to the
Senate from the judiciary committee
with an amendment. The amendment
will provide for summary eviction Of
tenants who default in payment OF
their rent.
>The Senate subcommittee to which
he bill was referred contends that
this amendment will meet the obJec-
tion raised by landlords and real es-
tate agents to the effect that the
enactment of the Ball bill into Law
would result in protecting persons
who refused to pay the rent which
they had agreed to pay when it falls
due.
Senator Borah of Idaho. chairman
of the Senate judiciary subcommittee
in charge of the Ball bill, today con-
ferred with the other members of the
subcommittee in regard to arguments
filed with him by opponents of this
legislation. including the Real Estate
Brokers Association of the District
No Desire to Aid '@DOdEers."
The other members of the subcom-
mittee are Senator'S Sterling of South
Dakota and Walsh of Montana The
senators have made it clear to the
opponents of the Ball bill that it is
not their desire to protect rent dodg-
ers, and that they are willing to
recommend legislation that will make
it possible to get a tenant out who
refuses to pay the rent stipulated for
when it becomes due. The opponents
of the bill have insisted that it would
result in making it impossible to col
lect rent. and that persons who were
delinquent in payment. Of rent would
be able to stay on perh2ps for year
or two without paying any rent
The contention is that exorbit2nt
rentals are being demanded in large
number Of cases, and since the rent
commission is not free to deal with
the senators, to come to the aid of the
tenants in some other way.
The repeal OF the section of the code
referred to in the Bali bill, according
have the effect of throwing all the
eviction cases into the District Su-
preme Court, and will bring about
much delay. SO that tenants will be
supreme Court of the United states
S.itdiiy I Il the Ban fsSt s soSSssslSs ssass
naet1l1s tfeA 10 Appeal.
A atoun14 ~ slselt cpntemplation Of
= paf4lyxing effect upon tho scityss
business and industry If Senator
Balls bin or. ordinarily framed. is
enacted into law. Washington busi-
ness men today prepared to make an
urgent eleventh-hour appeal to Con-
gress to make no change in the law.
Not only are real estate men and
builders perturbed by reports from
the Capitol that the proposed legis-
lation is likely to receive the sane
ton of Congress, but members of the
District bar and business men gener-
ally showed considerable agitation
over the situation today.
A special meeting of the District
Bar Association has been called for
tomorrow night to consider the mat
ter Ofhcers of the association al
the Ball measure, and at tomorrow
nights meeting. which will be held
in the courthouse. il Is expected their
action will be approved by the gem
eral membership.
The principal objection to the pro.
posed legislation voiced by real es-
tate operators is that il will nut a
premium upon rent lodging Under
the suggested law landlord and ten
ant cases would be transferred from
the Municipal to the District Supreme
Court, where an already overcrowded
docket. II is claimed, would prevent
tHeir being heard for a year or more
In the meantime unscrupulous ten
ants. s. is pointed out. could not be
forced to pay their rent and owners
would have no immediate redress.
Fear Eject of Bill.
The Ball proposal, say those IN.
posing II, is launched as an indirect
method OF preventing rent increases.
whereas it's direct effect. it is as
serted. will be that of promoting dis.
10 apI
stagnation to the real estate market
and building activity
Bearing on the question of the pro-
posed laws effect on payment of rent,
instituted in the Municipal Court dnr-
ing the year ended December Is las,
has Just been prepared by A. H. Bell
vice president of the Bar Association
and will be read before the assod,
alton at tomorrow nights meeting
There were 1880 cases inst it,,ted
under the seven-day summons pro-
vision OF the CODE" said Mr. Bell "OP
this number 11,340. or n 2-3 per cent.
were Tor non-payment of rent. In
the remaining $3.50 cases there were
suits for possession where purcha sers
desired to occupy the property ac-
quired for their homes and suifs for
other purposes. such as where mort
sagors had held over after a sale.
The tabuiation shows only a snrin
King of cases in which the sevenrday
rule was evoked as d means Of in,
ereasing rent"
Will Cite Other Laws.
Charles S. Shreve of the Real E,st.,.
Brokers Association is preparinp a
digest of laws obtaining in ofber
cities where summary processes are
available in obtaining possession ~
property. Baltimore, he states has n
law which goes much further than
The District code in this respect There
only one-day notice is required ana
after judgment, the tenant ha. IN,
Two days in which to move The en-
lire process in Baltimore he states
consumed about four days. whereas
the process under the District code
frequently consumes from two t,I
three weeks.
That the action proposed by Sena
tor Ball is ill-advised and Constitutes
:. real menace TO Washington was the
, declaration today of Thomas Bradley
head of the real estate division of the
Washington Loan and Trust Com
pany.
1T would be hard to say what tho
Eject of the proposed law would he
without seeming to exaggerate" said
Mr. Bradley. But l am tonyipcaJ
that such a law would greatly restrict
sales of property. stifie building ac-
tivity and stop all lending on mort
cages. 1t probably would lead to
JIroflteering in subletting. as land.
lords would have no means of pre-
,-eprinv SublettinV or of prof 10 ~, - 10