New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-22
10 p. C.. Profit
Is Ruled Fair
In Rent Case
Court Decides Against Land
lord Who Shows Expense
Bills in Asking Eviction
of % of His ants
Barons Lose Many Trials
Organizer of Brownsville
Strike Denies Illegal In
tent on Part of Is, 900

A precedent which will weigh heavily
upon landlords who try to make excess
sive profits was established yesterday
by Justice Leary in the Sixth District
Municipal Court, East Thirty-eighth
Street, when he ruled that whom pres
emit profits are fair there can be no rent
increase, not even the rs per cent which
the law tentatively allows.
Joseph Gitsky, landlord, was trying
to evict twenty-five tenants from his
house at 1853 East Thirty-eighth Street
because they refused to, pay their April
rents. He had raised them from $34 to
$44. He was represented by G. Franck
and the tenants by James O'Sullivan, Of
the Mayors Committee.
Gitsky produced his account books.
He called in the plumber, the car
penter, the plasterer, the paper hanger
and he was even allowed to put in an
item for "collections," though these
are made by the janitor. His coal bill
and everything else he could think of
was shown in an effort to justify the
raise.
Eviction Papers Refused
1t was shown that he was making 10
per cent to II per cent on the old rate
Of rents. Justice Leary therefore or
dered that he could not increase the
price at all and refused eviction papers.
If he had won the increase he would
have made above Is per cent.
In the Fourth District Court Justice
Lauer had several cases in which land
lords attempted to justify rent in
creases and ruled against them in every
case. In one case the landlord showed
his income tax reports, but failed to
of eighteen tenants at $50 East Sixty
seventh Street, the case was thrown out
because the landlord had not kept
separate accounts on several buildings
that he owned and was therefore unable
to prove whether he was operating the
particular building involved at a profit.
Tenants who have been gathering the
idea that they might dodge the rent
hogs by moving into distant climes got
warning when Premier Edward G..
Theodore, of Queensland, Australia, told
Chairman A. j. w. Hilly, of the Mayors
committee, that the rent problems in
his home, 10000 miles away, are as bad
as they are here
Mr. Theodore was looking for infor-
nation that might be applied to cor
rect conditions there.
Rent Law in Australia
"The housing problem has only re-
Gently become acute in Queensland u
he said, "and we have just passed a
series of rent-curbing laws. Under our
| fair rent law there are established
special courts under a magistrate ap-
pointed by the government and with
wide powers. He will be able abso-
lutely to fix fair rentals. and there is no
appeal from his decision. Since the
crisis became acute this system has
been enlarged into full-fedged gov
eminent housing plan. Already be-
tween S10,000,000 and $15,OO0,O00 has
been spent on it. The government
builds either to let or to sell, but
mostly 1t has been to SELL"
Mr.: Theodore listened to two dozen
rent. hearings of the committee and re.
marked on the speed and accuracy with
winch they were handled.
Leo Gltlln, organizer Of the proposed
strike of $4,000 Brownsville tenants on
May l, denied yesterday that there was
any revolutionary or illegal intent. as
has been charged, and said a commit o.
would call on the Mayor to assure him
of this. "'A
Morris Feinstone, secretary Of the
United Hebrew Trades, denied that the
trades had any connection with The
brownsville strikers.