New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-18
Big Rent Strike
Prohibited nv
Hylan's Board
Committee to Move for Eyic-
ton of Tenants Creating
Disorders; Threats Made
by Is, 200 in Brownsville
New Trick by Landlords
Increased Rent Receipts
Given as Basis for Raise:
Protest ON Loft CHARGES

ZO.U(
Brownsville tenants on May l brought
sharp warning yesterday from Chair
nan Hilly and Counsel Mayer of the
Mayors Committee on Rent Profteer-
ing. Mr.. Hilly declared that nothing
was to be gained by such mass tao
tics. and Mr.. Mayer said he had been
directed to have lawyers in court to
represent the committee and move for
the immediate eviction of any tenant
who Joined in creating disorder.
new menace to renters has been
discovered by the committee in q
growing practice among landlords of
giving receipts for more than the ten
ant actually paid Tenants who con-
slider this harmless may be surprised
next month to find that the landlord
has raised their rent to the amount
shown on the receipt, and that he Of
fers the receipt as prma facie evil
dence that the rent "has not been in
creased above that of the previous
month";" which is the wording of the
anti-hog law. Another evil will appear
year from now, when under the law
the landlord will be entitled to another
25 per cent increase. Again the re-
ceipt would be the evidence of the
rental for this month, and the higher
it is the bigger the increase will be.
Traps for Tricky Landlords
"The committee is keeping a sharp
watch for cases Of this kind" said
Julius Applebaum, associate counsel.
"A landlord &ho tries this sort of
thing is committing perjury, and we
will do our best to have any who arc
caught at it sent to the penitentiary
Any tenant who finds thisis being tried
should communicate with the COM
mittee."
"Rent strikes initiate against the
tenants" Chairman Hilly declared IN
discussing the Brownsville move.
Nothing can be obtained by mass &C
ton, rent strikes or anything that will
inevitably lead to disorder and VIC
lence. There are sufficient and suf-
fciently powerful agencies already to
deal with the rent profiteers, and with
the new laws they are amply able to
see that justice is done.
1.-THE first two weeks operation CT
the new laws has shown almost 100
per cent of the cases decided in
favor of the tenants and the landlords
are much more willing to compromise
reasonably. There are probably many
cases of perjury on the part of land
lords, but these are being dealt with.
No excuse remains for any rent
strike"
al have been directed by Chairman
Hilly to have an attorney in court to
move for the immediate issue of war
rants of dispossession wherever
tenants resort to disorder and cause
trouble" said Leo Kenneth Mayer,
counsel to the committee. "The com
mittee is unalterably opposed to such
a strike.
81 have heard that there are some
tenants who are threatening to take
the law into their own hands. and
boards of arbitration" added Mr. APP
plebaum. II have found that the
courts will not countenance mass &C
ton of any kind, and l will personally
urge immediate eviction of any ten
ants who do this"
Strike Captains Named
The rent strike plan came to head
in the organization of the Working
mans Consumers League in Browns
Vile Friday night. More than 1900
tenants attended the meeting, and East
New York and Brownsville were
divided into 100 districts. with strike
captain for each.
ave already have $1,000 members
and we expect to have $4,000 by May
t." declared Leo Gitlin, organizer of the
league. "More than 5000 tenants al
ready are on strike. We do not object
to reasonable rent increases, but we
are tired of the constant succession of
raises from Spectator landlords and
lessees. We have managed to come to
terms with many landlords, and our
fight is mainly against the spectators
We will settle all the cases We can
then we will strike"
One Of the plans the league intends
to use is to have its members make
certain that if one is evicted no other
tenant takes his fat. An attempt will
be made to stabilize all rents in the
district for year.
Representatives of various trade as
sociations having $4,000 members in
New York will send delegation to AL
bany Tuesday to ask for the extension
of the anti-profteer laws to lofts and
Office buildings. Bills are already pend
ing to do this.
"The manufacturers not only will be
out in force Tuesday," said Harry
Uviller, of the American C!cak and Suit
Company, who will head the delegation
"but we have received hearty response
from heads Of consumers organizations
who see the need Of curbng these par.
ticular gougers. After all is said and