Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1920-01-30
RENT PROFITEERS
NEXT TO FEEL IRE
OF CHIEF MANCET
Victims of 20 Per Cent
Raises Invited To
Seek Relief

price commissions of Georgia will
turn their attention Immediately to
a campaign against rent profteers.
Such was the announcement made
today by John A. Manget, fair price
commissioner for Georgia. Follow
ing is Mr.. Manget's statement:
'If the Department of Justice at
Washington or that class of our citi-
zens who reside on the street called
easy" and are known legally as
landlords, think for one moment that
the Fulton County Fair Price Com
mission and the dozen other fair
price commissions in Georgia are in
business merely to force retail gro
GERS to sell necessary food stuffs for
profit below their cost of doing
business and leave the rent profteers
alone in all the glory of their prof
iteering, then the time for action has
arrived. The Department of Justice
does not think that. Attorney Cen
eral Palmer and his able assistant,
Howard Figg, are laboring fearless
ly to put down profteering and all
profiteers look alike to them.
"The twelve fair price commissions
of Georgia do not care what prof
iteers think-rent profteers or any
other kind-they are concerned sole
ly in being fair to all.
Cruelest Profteering
when the owners of three-room
shotgun houses-located on a back
alley so far out that you cannot tell
whether they are inside the city
limits or not = have been renting
them for SO, and suddenly notify
their tenants that Beginning on the
tenth your rent will be SIS per
month" they are profteering, and
it is the most cruel form of prof.
iteering, for there is no alternative
except to pay or be put in the street,
as there are no houses for rent. The
same is true of higher priced homes
and apartments.
"The high cost of living is said to
be an endless chain, every commodi-
ty link, the purveyor of every com
modify saying to himself the next
link to me is getting his, I shall get
mine.
"In Georgia, changes are being
made in the chain. The grocer is
selling necessities in his line for a
profit that does not cover his ex-
pense of doing business; the dairy
man is selling milk at zoe per gal
lon below the high mark of several
months ago; the shoe dealer is SELL
ing shoes at much lower profit; the
clothing stores are selling mems and
women's garments priced up to $45,
at lower profts-this limit to be re-
moved before the spring clothes ar
rive, March (which will mean a re-
duction in former profits of about
40 per cent; the druggist link in the
chain has also had so per cent of its
superfous profit removed; and now
we come to rents.
Must Have Shelter.
Everyone must have shelter,
though they may not have enough
food or clothing.
Every IeltllS III NCOlSl1 paying
$40 or less per month whose rent has
been increased more than 20 per
cent in the last two years is invited
to send to this office full information,
enclosing rent receipt at the old rate
and one at the present rate would as
sist materially. Those receipts will
be returned as soon as your rent in
crease has been checked up.
Evidences of profteering will be
followed by investigation of taxes
paid on the property in 1918 and
1919 and checking with the income
tax returns of owners.
"From this date all tenants receiv-
\ ing notice of advance in rents are in
! vited to notify this office in writing
giving the name of the owner ano
address and the location of the prop
erty and the advance demanded.
GAS soon as attention is given tc
tenants who are paying $40 rent OF
less, then those paying higher rents
will be looked after.
"The cooperation of all owners Of
property is requested at the begin
ming of this investigation, as mem
bers of the Georgia fair price com
missions are busy men and women
working purely for humanitarian
and patriotic motives, they do no
propose any longer to be forced tt
drive purveyors of anything into do
ing the right thing.
"JOHN A. MANGET,
''Fair Price Commissioner for
Con...-..