New-York tribune., 1920-09-26

calculated to meet the Srux of the -situ~
alton. Tho lower branch of the Legis-
lature. despite the Governors 7 :essage
on the critical situation confronting this
city, and in spite of the favorable &C.
ton Of the Senate, which included the
votes of the chairman. of the 4egisla-
tive Housing Committee, and, several
other members Of. that committee. in
the tumble Of the closing hours, Of the
session turned deaf ear to the vig-
orous pleas made by AsSemblyme Don
ohue and McCue, and threw these bills
into the waste basket"
DIR. Copeland Disappointed .l..
The Corporation Counsel called at
tention to the, fact that at The, public
hearing on the city's bills, held IN AL
bany last Thursday, there was not q
dissenting voice to the program pro-
posed, although the chamber was filled
with representatives of real estate or
carnations, insurance companies, sew
ings banks, title companies and other
financial institutions. So far as it was
known, he said, no objections were
fled. <~ ,..f w -,
Dr.. Royal S. Copeland, Health Com
missioner, said yesterday that he was
greatly disappointed at the failure of
the Legislature to provide any building
program. .N y
II hope the change in the rent laws
will help the tenant" he said, "bat l
know that there are 100000 persons in
this city more than there are homes in
which to place them. ! know, there are
hundreds of families living III quarters
where no decent person ought to live.
1t is my opinion that the Legislature
fell short of it's duty in failing to pro-
vide a program to insure the erection
of buildings, and; secondly, to make as
surance doubly certain by prohibiting
non-essential buildings to be erected"
Hilly Approves Rent Laws
A. J. W. Hilly, chairman of the May
or's Committee on Rent Profteering,
declared that the rent bills passed at
the special session would not only I'M
prove the situation as to tenants, but
would also stand the test Of constltu-
tionality. He said that he considered
the new laws very drastic, but abso-
lutely necessary. He asserted they had
been carefully drawn and met with his
hearty approval. He regretted, how
ever, that the housing bills had not
been passed, and left the housing sit
uation without relief.
"The rent bills abolish the 25 per
cent rule for rent increases" said Mr..
Hilly, "and make all questions of
rental question of fact to be deter
mined by the Municipal Court. They
also eliminate all holdover proceed
ings, so that now the question is not
when you are going to get out, but
how much you are going to pay.
"The only grounds upon which
tenant can be put out are, first, that the
landlord is owner of the building and
desires 1t in good faith for his own
hot ho h1i
ing is to be demolished for the con-
struction of new building, but not
simply for alterations, and the plans
for the new building must be filed with
the Building Department and approved
by it; third, when it can be salts
factorily shown to the court that the
tenant is an Objectionable person.
Landlord Must File Particulars ~
"On the question of rental, when the
landlord brings an action to recover
rent which the tenant claims is unrea-
sonable the landlord is required within
FIVE days to file bill of particulars in
regard to his investment in the prop
erty and Of all expenses toward the
upkeep of the property: When this
bill is filed the case is brought to trial.
Meantime the tenant is REQUIRED to de-
posit with the court the equivalent of
the months rent on the basis on which
he has been paying. The tenant now
has the right to appeal, but has to pay
the fair and reasonable rental deter
mined BY the court from month to
month until the appeal is determined.
Gail leases which have not been. adj
justed can now be adjusted by the
courts. The landlord gets d Square
deal by haying the opportunity to pre-
sent all the facts on his side of the
case and the tenant gets square deal
while proceedings are pending. The
whole matter is now question of
rent adjustment and not question Of
being evicted"