Evening star., 1920-03-26
MONMOUTH RENTS
PUT AT $112,0OD
Resident Manager Of Apart
ment Testifies Before Rent
Commission.

Mrs. Jack Hammer, resident man
| ager OF the Monmouth apartment
house, testifying before the rent COM
mission today in the case in which
100 tenants of the Monmouth are COM
| plainants against James L. Karrick.
| owner OF the building. told the COM
| mission that the gross rentals of the
| building aggregate more than $112,-
900 per year.
Mrs. Hammer gave the amount Of
| rent paid each month by the tenants
| of the various apartments. one by
one A number of the apartments in
the building are rented or leased fur
| nished. she said. the rentals in these
| cases being considerably higher. From
the totals of the figures given by Mrs.
Hammer 1t was deduced that the fur
nfture in the apartment building re-
about 5000 per floor for the building.
| which is eight stories high. Mrs.
Hammer, however, gave no figures
! showing the actual rental of the fur
niture itself.
Testify Assessment II $15O,OOO.
| Witnesses yesterday afternoon told
the commission the Monmouth is
assessed for taxation at s150,000.
assessments in the District Of Column
bia usually being on a basis of two.
thirds of the real value. Other wit
nesses estimated. from practical. ex-
perience in building, that the total
cost of the Monmouth, including ad-
ditions and requirements, did not ex-
ceed $4,000
Mrs. Hammer told the commission
that the heating plant in the Mon
mouth was Inadequate and unsatisfac-
tory and that 1t was impossible, dur
ing the past winter, to keep tenants
comfortably warm.
Other witnesses who testified today
to lack of heat, lack of hot water.
poor elevator service. insanitary con-
ditions as regards disposal of gar
bage. etc, as well as absence of out
side fire escapes, were Mrs. Jeanette
Headle. Irving H. Prince and Mrs.
Eric F. Burtis. Mr.. Prince told the
occasions to the health department of
| the lack of heat in his apartment.
The hearing today. as was the case
yeserday. was held in the absence of
Mr. Karrick or his counsel. only a ste
nographer being present. in the inter
est of the owner of the Monmouth.
Commissioner Mason did not sit at to-
days session.
Monmouth Apartment Case.
Alleging that on the basis of two
thirds assessment. for tax purposes.
the Monmouth apartment building Is
actually worth between $225.000 and
! $250.000, N. D. Eaton. a tenant of the
apartment building, told the rent COM
mission yesterday that he believed the
net return to James L. Karrick. owner
of the building, was at least $50.000
per year. He said the building was
assessed at $4,000.
The annual rentals. Eaton told the
commission. totaled $4,000 per year,
with the entire annual expense
amounting to no more than $4,000.
On this basis, the witness said.
Karrick's net return on the actual in
vestment was between Is and 20 per
cent annually.
Testimony Of Other witnesses.
Other witnesses at yesterday after
moons session told the commission
| that Karrick and his agents had re-
fused to renew expired leases. and
that the tenants continued to occupy
these witnesses were among those
whose complaints were alleged by
tc0unse1 for Karrick to be witho0t
standing on the ground that they had
no leases and were illegally occupying
/ the, apartments. Other witnesses told
| the commission that they were shar-
ling apartments with the signers of
| the leases, with the full knowledge
and consent Of Karrick. the arrange
ment being that only one person
might sign lease. though the apart
nienf was to be occupied by, several
friends and, relatives. sharing equally
In the cost, and not subletting to
other persons. Still other witnesses
told the commission that verbal per-
mission had been given by Karrick
| in the presence Of witnesses, to sub
rent one or more rooms SO as to cut
down the expense of leasing and fur
nishing the Apartments.