New-York tribune., 1920-03-17

prepare list of all city owned vacant
property, to secure plans for hasty
building and to provide prompt con-
struction in case Of crisis. 1t au-
thorized the Comptroller to rent such
building to citizens.
The only negative votes came from
the Socialist Aldermen on resolution
indorsing the Mayor. Alderman Via
deck criticised the fact that the Iron
agents of the Steel Trust, and the in
vestors who want taxes on mortgages
lifted had been heard at the Mayors
conference on Monday.
Committee Unnamed p.
The other principal development in
the rent fight yesterday was a move
by Edward I. Hannah, president of the
Central Federated Union, to enlist the
Community Councils in support OF the
Donahuc- -Boylan bill at Albany. Eugene
c. Gibney. director of the councils.
took steps to bring out the sentiment
of the member bodies.
Mayor Hylan announced yesterday
that he had not yet chosen the men he
will appoint on his Sterilization Com
mittee He has decided to increase the
size of the committee from seven to
eleven members. After the committee
has been formed and has completed it's
preliminary work, it is expected an
other conference will be called.
Governor Smith, Mayor Hylan and
District Attorney Harry f. Lewis, of
Brooklyn, have been invited to speak
at the mass meeting of the Tenants
Rights League in Washington Irving
High School on Saturday night.
In it's report on rent profiteering the
Welfare, besides predicting crisis,
scored the rent pofteers and declared.
that drastic legislation is the only pos
sible remedy, but that there were tenn
porary measures within the power of
the city 1t said in part:
Economic conditions, so far as they
relate to the cost of living, have grown
steadily worse. 1t is impossible to
escape the conclusion that this is
largely, if not entirely, due to dishon-
orable and unconscionablc profiteering
to our shame, large number of Amer
lean citizens.
Two Plans of Relief
"At the present time preparations
are being made generally throughout
the city to further substantially and
drastically increase the rents in every
boough, and particularly in Manhattan
and the Bronx. Your committee is per-
suaded that if the present session of
the Legislature is adjourned without
crisis cannot be avoided, and a special
session of the Legislature undoubted
ly would be rendered necessary.
There is little or no doubt that suf-
ficient constitutional scope is afforded
the Legislature to meet the situation
Two methods that appear quite feasible
in dealing with the emergency situation
until building operations relieve the
strain are:
al. That commissions with judicial
or quasi-j judicial powers, operating in
our established judicial system, fix
the value of property to be rented
say as it existed on the I'd day of
April, 1917, the date Of the Presidents
war message to Congress, and the
value Of added improvements, and fix
a fair and reasonable rental based
thereon, allowing approximately 1G per
cent plus the reasonable cost Of the
maintenance of the building. There is
ample justification to declare such
property affected with public interest
for a reasonable emergency period.
"a second course, which would more
certainty De within the constitutional
scope of legislative authority would be
to fix the valuation of the property on
the basis stated in the first plan by
commission or by the various tax
boards, allow a fair rental and impose
an emergency excess profits tax on all
sums of rental charged over and above
the amount fixed. so large as to place
positive check upon the inclination
Of the landlord to increase the rental.
"To effect permanent relief sufficient
housing must be obtained. There must