New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-03-24

from thu Bronx. But. tho hordes van.
ished before they reached the chamber
and it never was crowded. the larges,
number present at any time being about
The professions of renters started
out bravely. enough from the station
with Haunting banners and packed
ranks, hut. the ranks. dwindled az the
procession climbed the hill, and of some
$50 BronxitcS in one party, only the
s-ssdard bearers and tn. leaders were
left when the chamber was reached.
Fear OF the landlords was one Of
Tie reasons given tor the assertions
in a strange city may have had as
much to do with it. The renters were
much in evidence all over town.
The discussion before the committee
was supposed to- center on the series
of bills it has prepared to meet the
housing crisis, which provide in gen
erai that municipal court justices shall
have the right to determine the fair
ness of rentals and refuse dispossess
orders, and that 10 per cent profit
shall be considered fair or a Is per
cent increase on previous rents. But
the discussion covered the whole field
Of the housing question.
Two Lines Of Legislation
Two chief lines of legislation will be
considered in this connection:
That of making real estate invest
ment more profitable through exemp-
tion of mortgages or of the property
itself from taxation and that of chang
the alteration of old style tenements
and one family houses which are now
vacant. 1t is pointed out that there are
now $4,000 such tenements. which could
be made habitable without relaxing the
sanitary or fire codes, and $4,000 one
family houses which might be made
into four-family tenements, thus pro-
viding room for nearly $4,000 families
almost the entire number now In
distress
The hearing was opened by Senator
Lockwood, who denied there has been
unnecessary delay or that there was
any friction between himsel and
Speaker Sweet which would prevent the
prompt passage of relief measures. A
telegram was read from Mayor Hylan
in which he said:
81 hope the committee will act favor
ably on legislation which will protect
the tenant and honest landlords and at
the same time effectively deal with the
gouging, specializing real estate oper-
ators and landlords"
al tHuA y. w. AIIly, CHdIT1udu OIL tflc
Mayors Committee on Rent Profiteer-
ing. spoke for the Mayor.
The thing that is most pressing is
relief from the speculative landlord.
The Mayor feels that measures should
be passed which shall provide that the
Municipal Court justices shall be able
to pass upon the reasonableness of
rentals. We have been trying, in the
Mayors committee, to persuade them
to reasonableness. We believe that
the time for persuasion is past; that
we need the firm, strong hand Of the
law. We feel that it is time that some
Legislature should write into the law
the sacredness of humanity, a thing
greater than the sacredness of prop
erty. The failure of the law to recog-
nlze the cause of humanity has been
one of the sources of socialism-legis-
lation such as this will drag socialism
up by the roots"
Pastor Assails Landlords
Wild enthusiasm from the tenants
sidO Of the chamber greeted this. and
as Mr. Hilly closed curly haired man,
VINO nad been trying to drown him out
W. ne enthusiasm of his approval.
climbed on the desks and initiated the
an.lcs CT d College cneer- leader for
FULLY five minutes.
Assemblyman George M. Jesse de-
clared that no honest landlord could
oppose the bills which have been pre-
pared.
There long have been laws against
burglary" he said. "They have not
hurt any honest man. Only the dis
honest landlord, who will be hurt. need
be afraid of this legislation. TIE man
who declares that they will hurt build
ing is man who comes here and con-
fesses that he wants moro than a fair
return on ais property"
The Rev. Dr.. Lyman R. Hartley, of
Fort George Presbyterian Church, at
tackled the demands of landlords for
20 per cent income
If some laws are not passed the
citizens must perforce take things into
their own hands," he declared.
After. DR.. Berg had precipitated his
rear riot, Stewart Browne. president
of the United Real Estate Owners AS
ISOLATION. denied that he ever had
CLAIMED 20 per cent as fair return.
He said he believed Is per cent would
must be encouraged, and that not ONLY
new buildings, but the land on which
they stand should be exempted from
taxation. He denied that more than
twelve or fifteen of the 10000 mem
bers of the association had been guilty
OF protiteering.
Shackno Springs Sensation
Senator Shackno then made his
speech attacking the landlords, which
was the biggest sensation of the day.
Let me tell you landlords who said
you wanted all that you could get from
rents that the time is here right now
when you are not going to get all that
you want. Your seeking, to Justify
rental prices by the fact that the cost
of building has gone up shows not on]v
the weakness of your position but the
robbery you are trying to perpetrate
on the people.
You have been jabbing the knife
into the people every two or three
months. but the time has come when. if
there is going to be any jabbing. done.
the Legislature is going to jab it into
you. There isn't any such thing as an
honest landlord in the City Of New
president La Guardia Of the Board of
aldermen received the biggest welcome
OF the day when he took the floor. He
also mad near riot over his charge
was Jew u
want to make it clear at the start"
~; saia, mat l am absolutely partisan
~ ia'of OF the tenants, am not here
70 praise the landlord but to bury
ne argued that the committee nro-
yam ana not so far enough; that it
.esa'i~eo exorbitant rents already i'm
t toseu aha gave no protection to the
e o""u' until he was actually hailed into
court. He demanded n law Sx;uo 49," ~