New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-26
New Rent Laws
. Amply Protect
= City Tenants
Mayors Committee Says
, They Are Sufficient to
Make Strikes or Vio-
lent Moves Unjustifiable
Landlords Keep Up Fight

Attempts to Raise Rates
and Evict Occupants De-
clared Numerous as Ever
Three weeks experience with the
new rent laws has demonstrated that
they afford ample protection to worthy
tenants against rent gougers so far as
immediate needs arc concerned, and
will go far toward preventing the
threatened crisis on May I, officials
of the Mayors Committee on Rent
Profiteering declared yesterday. While
some flaws in the laws have developed
they are found to be sufficient to make
any rent strikes or other violent
demonstrations unjustifiable, they
added. One of the chief troubles is
that not all tenants are availing them
selves of the protection they afford
"The rent laws and the cooperation
Of the municipal courts are making it
possible for the committee to handle
the situation in way which l think
is generally satisfactory to the tenants
and which assures them their rights"
Chairman A. j. W. Hilly declared.
~'They are not perfect, of course, and
there are thousands of tenants who
are not giving US the opportunity to
Invoke the laws in cases where they
could be used with effect-but that is
not the fault of the laws.
Zone thing is certain-the laws have
proved drastic enough to remove any
possible excuse for rent strikes or any
demonstration of that kind. The
courts have all the power that is
needed, and they have shown that they
are willing to use it for the protection
of tenants Anybody who goes on
strike, or resorts to sabotage, or does
anything of that kind, simply shows
he is not looking for square deal.
Do Not Offer Permanent Solution
"The laws, of course, do not offer
permanent solution. l cannot say
what their effect on building has been,
and there are certainly q good many
things besides the laws which are hold
ing up construction. That, OF course,
is outside the scope of the committee.
Another committee has been working
on that matter. But for immediate
protection l may say that we believe
the laws are, on the whole, salts
factory"
Leo Kenneth Mayer, counsel for the
committee, pointed out that as a re-
suit of three weeks use the laws were
becoming better understood.
"There have been two main points
of divergence of opinion among the
municipal court justices" he said.
"They are coming together on these,
and practice may now be SAID to be
fairly uniform. One is the Is per cent
clause. 1t is now generally agreed
by the justices that the 25 per cent
increase which is made the llne OF
demarcation of fairness, unless other
wise shown to the court, refers to
rents as they were a year ago. That
means that, for the coming month,
landlord can raise rents 20 per cent
over what they we're in May, 1919, un-
less the tenants show that this IS
unreasonable, and that he cannot raise
beyond that without showing that ne
has a right to.
inc on the reduction of high rents
specifed in leases. Some justices have
held that such rents could be reduced,
regardless of the lease. But it is now
being held by most of them that IT a
lease lhas been signed it is binding IN
the vast majority Of cases. The proper
course for tenants who are being CO.
creed to make them sign exorbltant
leases is to refuse, and to 60 to court
when eviction is sought The courts
have shown their Willingness to protect
them in such cases.
Attempts to Raise Rents Continue
"Such cases, of course, usually oc-
cur in the higher class apartments, and
it is there that the laws are having
the least effect. In the cheaper tene-
ments and flats the landlords are most
~ being driven to come to terms, and
so the protection is going to those who
more expensive places seem to feel that
the laws are intended solely for the
protection of the poor and act as il
they did not apply to them at all.
"Of course, this is an error, as they
will learn when any tenant hales them
into court. or defies their extortion anc
appeals to the courts for protection
There are tens of thousands, perhaps
hundred thousand tenants, in sucl
apartments who are suffering extortior
simply because they do not care to take
the trouble or do not dare to appea
to the courts. But the laws are a.
much for their use as for that of any
one, and the committee is always ready
and glad to help them. A few case:
of that kind are now beginning to ap
pear, and we hope that before Octobe,
J. when the majority of leases in such
apartments run out. there will be
enough of them so landlords Of that
class will also be brought to terms.
We have not found yet that the
landlords OF the tcnements and cheaE
nats have quite given up the fight
There are as many attempts to raise
rents and evict tenants as ever, but ap-
parently this is merely in the hope that
the laws will be declared void in some
respects, and tho landlord will benefit
from having made big demands, or on
the chance that they may get their
cases before some easy justice.
In general, however, the laws are
doing the thing they were intended
1or, and 1t Is largely due to the ten
s ".s themselves that they are not be.
piled" '"o''''ely ap-
nl