Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-01
ASKS CHIEF CLERKS
TO DISCUSS RENTS
Postmaster Chance Sends
Letters Calling Conference
Affecting U. S. Workers.

Chief clerks of the government de-
partments were invited today by City
Postmaster NJ. o. Chance to join a con-
ference to devise ways and means of
helping government employees who have
Eeen asked excessive increases in rentals
this fall
Letters carrying this invitation from
the city postmaster were received to-
day by the chief clerks of the seventy
SIX departments and independent estab-
lishments of the government here. Mr..
Chances letter to the chief clerks fol-
lows:
MY attention having been called to
the large number of notifications being
received by employees of this office of an
increase in rent for their homes or
apartments. effective during the last
ninety days, but mostly on October /.
issued notice requesting the employees
of this office who had received such
notifications of increases in their rent
10 advise me of the amounts involved
and the dates effective. Quite a num-
Der of responses have been received. in
dicating that there is concerted action
on the part of landlords and real estate
agents for increase in the rentals this fall
from 20 to $50 per cent
increase IL <ADSOrDeO.
During the last session of Con-
Sress reclassification salary bill was
passed increasing the salaries of pos
tai employees, and in many cases the
increase in rent demanded has prac-
tically taken the entire amount of the
increase in the employees salary. This
action on the part of real estate own
ers of this city affects largely the
government employees located here
and it has occurred to me that it
might be well for the various ex-
ecutive departments and independent
branches of the government to take
the matter up with their employees and
ascertain from them how general the
movement is. with view to taking
some action in protest against it. and
also in formulating plans to aid the
employees In any necessary court
action.
AT the present time | am not pre-
pared to suggest what action might
be taken, but it is believed that if the
chief clerks of the various depart
ments would ascertain how generally
their own employees are affected that
a meeting might be held with a view
TO formulating action.
III the suggestion meets with your
approval and you feel that you would
like to cooperate in the matter in be-
half of the government emplyeS l would
be glad to ha you advise me, to-
gether with any suggestion you might
it would be agreeable to you to meet in
conference with the chief clerks and
others whose employees might be af-
fected."
Tell of Rent Increases.
Letters from employees of the Wash
ington city pest office, detailing rent in
creaseS asked of them, continued to come
to Postmaster Chance today. One
employee stated that the increased rent
asked of him would take 1906 within
the next twelve months. and that he
would pay s45 to the retirement fund.
making a total of 1851. which would
entirely consume his recent increase I'M
der the postal Redistribution of salaries
Another clerk, man familiar to
thousands of patrons of the post office,
stated that his one room and bath
apartment over business properties,
for which he had paid $3.50 for eight
years. had been raised to $20.50 last
year and to $1,000 last month.