New-York tribune., 1920-04-21
Tenants Score
Over Landlords
In 1000 Cases
Bronx Court Is Crowded
With Complainants, and
Many Women Bring Ba-
bies and Lunch for Day
Is PC. Law Is Enforced
Owner of One Apartment
Who Cancels Proceedings
Is Assessed 500 Fine

Municipal court justices attended to
some 1900 landlord and tenant cases
yesterday, with the tenants scoring
again. Increases exceeding 25 per cent
were promptly brought down to com
ply with the anti-hog laws. Justice
Robitzek, in the First District Court,
the Bronx, after disposing Of several
hundred cases without permitting the
eviction of single tenant, announced
that hereafter sworn statements to the
effect that they had not raised rents
more than rs per cent would be in
vestigated.
A feature of the days proceedings
was the assessment by Justice Robitzek
whose cases would not hold water
under the new legislation. Three hum
dred dollars in assessments of SIS each
was collected as reminder that the
courts time was too valuable to be
taken up by improper cases.
900 Cases on Calendar
There were 900 cases on the First
District calendar when Justice Robitzek
Of five days because Of a breakdown
due to overwork. About 1900 persons.
the majority of them women, many of
whom carried babies, crowded the
small courtroom, the stairs and lawns
around the courthouse. Many of the
tenants brought lunch.
Justice Robitzek adjusted the ma
jority Of the cases by allowing the
landlords an increase in rent of 25
per cent in holdover cases in which
the landlords sought to have the
tenants ousted. The tenants we're
allowed at least one months time to
find new quarters, and in some in
stances he gave them until Septem-
ber. In many instances the landlords
announced that they had discontinued
proceedings. These cases were dis
missed.
Harry Silverstein, owner of an
apartment house at 871 Fox Street,
who had had summoned to court twen-
ty tenants for non-payment of rent,
notified the court that he had discon-
tinued proceedings. The tenants, most
of them women, were in court. Justice
Robitzek imposed upon Silverstein
SIS cost fee in each of the twenty
cases.
Julius Applebaum, of counsel for the
Mayors Committee on Rent Profitecr-
ing, appeared for the tenants.
Tenants Win Many Cases
About 175 rent cases were on the
calendar Of Justice John Davies in the
7th District court, 125th Street and
Seventh Avenue. A goodly number of
them were decided in favor of the ten
ants. Thirty cases resulted from ef-
forts of landlords to raise the rent
more than rs per cent. In each of
these cases the landlord was ordered
to limit the increase to that percent
age.
Justice Davies's ire was aroused by
Jacob Greenwald, a landlord, of 528
West 131st Street, who complained
that his time was worth $50 a day
and he could not afford to waste it
waiting for tenant who was late in
contempt and informed that he would
have to wait in the jury box until the
case was called,
When the noon recess came the land
lord hastened to advise Justice Davies
that he had acted hastily in saying the
court was unjust and apologized. The
court RENTED the fine
In the 8th District court, 121st
Street and Sylvan Place, where Justice
Leopold Prince disposed of seventy
five cases, compromises between land
lord and tenant were effected in many
instances. Other cases, wherein the
tenants refused to pay increased rental
and the landlords claimed they were
entitled to the increases. as they were
not getting a "fair return" on their
lnvestment, were adjourned to enable
the landlords to submit itemized state
ments of expense in maintaining their
apartment houses.
delegation of tenants from the
apartment house at 20 East 116th Street
told the justice their landlord had in
creased their rental $13 last year and
that he now was demanding $31. They
claimed this was above Is per cent
They were advised by Justice Prince
not to pay more than $3.50. The dele
CATION also told the court that no re-
pairs had been made for the last five
years and that they were not getting
sufficient supply Of hot water. They
were told to acquaint the Health De-
partment with these facts.
Patrolman Complainant
Michael Egan, of 81 East 130th
Street, patrolman attached to the
East Sixty-seventh Street station, who
has nine children, told Justice Prince
that his landlord, Michael Donnelly.
had raised his rent three times and
was now attempting to dispossess him.
The court asked the landlord how
much time he would allow Egan to
get out and the landlord replied;
Until May l." whereupon the Justice
remarked:
I'll give three months and if he
does not find suitable apartments with
In that time III extend the stay"
Arthur ]. w. Hiiiy, chairman of the
Mayors Committee on Rent Protiteer-
ing, discounted the Revolutionary"
efforts on the part of Brownsville ten
ants to bring about rent soviet on
May /. He added, however, that there
may be some interesting developments
in connection with the concerted agita-
ton among tenants for May Day
demonstration in that section. Plain
clothes men are working on the case.
he said.
A delegation comprising 200 repre-
sentatives of the clothing Industry and
r. II: La Guardia, President Of the
Board of Aldermen, went to ALBANY