The evening world., 1920-03-03
At Last Constructive LegiSla-
ton for People Is to Be
Considered.
IS HOUSING MEASURES.
Bill Increasing Salaries of
Teachers Reported Out
of Committee.
By Sophie Irene Loeb,
tStaH Correspondent Of The Evening
WORLDLY.

Week uSners In the third month OF the
legislative session and not a single
constructive measure Of any i'm
portance has been considered by
either house.
From all appearances the Legisla-
ture has the sleeping sickness. ("
which may OF may not be terminated
with the passing Of the "hve Social
lists" and II what everybody says can
be accepted as a criterion, the tobog-
gan on which they viii go is being
RAPIDLY prepared.
This session will go down into legis-
fative history as the greatest of all
gabfests. The committee rooms are
filled with speeches and smoke, both
going the same way.
For a brief period to-day some leg
islative committees Will suspend the
arduous task Of talking and give ear
to tho cry of the public on at least
two measures OF prime Importance
the milk question and the tenement
landlord problem.
Members of the Fair Price MIX
Committee are expected here, headed
by DR.. Copeland, the Health Commits
sioner, their main effort being direct
cd toward convincing the farmer that
the bill championed by The Evening
World, creating a milk commission, is
not aimed in any sense to discourage
production, but on the contrary, to
give the farmer such a fair price as
to insure a larger supply.
1t is believed by those close To the
latter that the farmers understand
ing OF the nature OF this legislation
has been purposely distorted to make
them oppose the bill.
The Governor has already sent in a
special message on this bill and to-
morrow night he will call a confer
ence Of all tho legislative leaders and
the Fair Price Milk Committee on the
milk bill.
RENT PROBLEMS ARE MORE
PULLING THAN EVER.
With everybody here agreeing thnt
the rent situation will be more serious
IN the fall. solution is far from be-
ing reached. There are more than
twenty-five bills introduced on this
subject, each with such ramifications
on constitutional questions and
futures as would tax the brain OF a
Solomon to decide which would meet
the situation.
After a four-hour conference with
the Chairman Of the Housing Comr,It-
tee and several fathers OF housing,
bills must say that smelling salts
would have been most welcome and I
wended my weary way to the Cove, -
nor in the hope Of finding a fresh sub
jcct, but he was at II too.
"It Is a very serious matter" he
said. shaking his head, land one Of
the most important things Is TO get
more buildings-but everybody kn n.yws
that" he admitted, sadly.
What with 10000 dispossesses last
year and 27.0O0 families averaging
three living in two rooms in New York
City, the gravity OF doing something
definite Is most apparent.
Yet, unless some of the halls Of the
Legislature and the lobbies of the
hotels are emptied OF real estate and
landlord agents the cry OF the croN-deI /
c'ty and the wall OF the sufferers from
high rent win be drowned by theso
defenders Of dollars, who think only
in terms of property, rather than that
OF humanity. never knew landlords
had 80 many friends.
/ However there Is ono hopeful si,sn.
In all the discussions one funda-
mental principle IL sinking through
and being gradually settled; that Is.
that the matter Of housing is no
longer a distinctly private PROPOSE
ton, but Is clothed with such a public
interest as must admit OF regulation.
Although many Of the legislator s
would rather not face the fury OF
vested interests In regulating the
rents, yet the one solution Of mol e
buildings being impossible OF lmme-
diAte attainment, something will need
TO be done 10 curb the profiteer.
In the mean time pet schemes are
popping up that, on their face, seem
TO do something, yet In reality will
add more 10 ''tbOse who already
have"
Examples OF these are eliminating
income tax from mortgages on real
estate, which would help the person
who lends the money, but how IL will
affeOt the tenant has not yet been
shown.
Another example Is excluding from
taxation, for a period OF four years
all prospective improvements and
buildings. This measure is based or
the hope of encouraging building
but how this will affect the shortagt
of material 10 another question. Ano
80 II goes.
Perhaps the most promising meas.
ure Is that which limits the profit,
70 10 per cent, based on the taxatior
value, But this, too, Is being com
bated because Of the constitutions
4, The ssn that would saoluaa raluin,
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