New-York tribune., 1920-04-28
i. S. to Back
City in y e hit
OnRent Strikes
Mayors Committee Agent
TO Ask Federal Aid
to Stop Profteering in
Cost Of Moving Vans
Agitators Are Blamed
Conference Will Be Held
To-day to Plan Warfare
on Walk-Out of Tenants


Department of Justice and the Mayors
Committee on Rent Protiteering to take
care of any disorders that may grow
OUT of tho threatened rent strikes in
Brownsville or the Bronx is being ar
.>ansed Chairman A. J. W. Hilly an
rounced yesterday. Details are to be
worked out at conference to-day be-
tween Leo Kenneth Mayer, counsel for
the committee. and representative OF
Charles F. Scully, chief of the red
squad of the department. At the same
time Mr.. Mayer will ask action by the
Federal authorities to curb protteer-
ing by moving van men. which, he de
clares. is likely to be serious. This
may also be taken up directly with the
moving concerns.
Although evidence is increasing Of
the preparations for the rent strike and
the extremely radical backing behind it.
the authorities are more and more
convinced that serious trouble will be
avoided. though they admit they prob
ably will be unable to prevent the
starting of some disorder. Yesterday s
developments brought the Bronx Coun-
ty District Attorney into the rent strike
situation.
Agitators Back Strike
Justice Harry Robitzek, of the 1st
District Municipal Court of the Bronx,
District Attorney Francis Martin evil
dence that group Of agitators, backed
by a revolutionary organization, was
behind the plans for a Bronx rent strike.
The information, he said, was suf-
ticiently definite to warrant careful in
vestiga ton and carried the possibility
of criminal indictments.
The justice, who received his infor-
nation from tenants who have been
approached by the agitators, charges
that the agitators are being paid by
ne organize et:on, and that they are tell
.ns the less educated tenants that if
;hey will form soviets and report to the
major organization they will soon be
in a position where they will not have
TO pay any rents whatever.
The conference between Mr.. Mayer
and the Department of Justice agent
will be held at the formers office this
morning. The chief object will be to
compare information as to the rent
strike situation and coordinate prepa
rations to handle it promptly and eff
matter of precaution than due to any
belief that the danger will be serious.
II will also lay before the Federal
authorities" said Mr.. Mayer, "a re-
quest for action, evidence Of profiteer
ing by moving van people. Attempts
are being made by some of these peo-
pie to reap a golden harvest and every
efforts viii be made to stop it. Reports
indicate some of them are trying to
run the price up to $40 an hour for
a van-a price that is intolerable. We
will call on the city departments hav
Hg trucks and wagons TO help handle
tne situation"
Another Danger Threatens
Another danger which will come to a
head on May l. and which the Mayors
committee is trying to find some
method of obviating, is the confusion
that will come from the fact that the
courts are refusing to evict tenants
snd that there will be thousands who
VIII refuse to give up apartments into
which others will want TO move.
1t has been impossible to get any
definite figures as TO the extent Of this
danger. but it is recognized as serious
and may result in a muddle that will
cause the utmost confusion.
."What will happen when moving
van comes Up to q house and finds the
premises still occupied, carnot be pre-
dicted," SAID Mr.. Mayer. "Therc are
al. sorts OF possibilities. If there is no
way OF getting the furniture out Of the
van, then that van will go out of COM
mission Tor the day. and all the other
persons who had depended on its
crvices will be unable to move
''If eviction; a"e attempted there
will bc stacks of furniture on the side
walks and no place to which they can
DC taken. If the moving people de-
mand assurances that they can find a
place to dsliyer the furniture before
they take it, then the moving will in
many cases never start at all. In any
case, the muddle is likely to be very
serious"
TRENTON, April 27-The ant-evic-
ito bill, aimed to prevent hardships to
tenants througl. disDossession on short
notice or in bad weather. w;s signed
to-day by Governor Edwards The
bill, which is aimed particularly at
prohtcering landlords, and was intro
duced by Assemblyman Hansen, of
Hudson County, provides that a land
lord must give a tenant three months
notice to move and forbids eviction be-
tween October and April.
wv