New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-17
Four Landlords
Give Up $1,000
Excess Rents
Money they Had Collected
From Tenants on April l
Is Returned as Court
Lowers Cost of Flats
Harlem Strike Fails
Mayors Committee Fights
Against Making Dwellings
Into ''Lapdog'' Houses

The first disgorging by landlords Of
excessive rents which they had col
lected before the passage Of the anti
hog laws took place yesterday in the
Court of Municipal Justice Davies,
when something like $1,000 was paid
back to tenants. Four landlords in all
contributed and the amounts varied
from So to SIS month a tenant.
The case which established the
precedent was that~of Morris Frankel,
landlord, of 513 West 134th Street. He
tried to dispossess some twenty ten
ants who had refused to pay their April
rent. James O'Sullivan, associate
counsel to the Mayors committee,
helped the court fix the rates that the
new laws allow for the fats.
The justice then ordered that Fran
KEEL repay to the tenants all above
this rate which he had illegally col
in March was cut to $50. He got SO
back. Another, dropped from SAB to
$35, recovered SO, and so on.
Rent Strike Terminated
In Justice Princes court rent
strike came to q sudden and painful
end. Twentyfour persons, members of
the Harlem Tenants League, produced
a lease which expires May Is and
which carefully specified the obliga
tions of the landlord, including a
promise to "sack and fire the fresh
janitor." They claimed the lease was
not being lived up to and refused to
pay theip last months rent.
"This landlord has not raised your
out. Gle seems to have kept the lease
pretty we'll and you have waited until
the last minute before accusing him.
What do you want?"
eve want to get better terms when
we renew the lease" said one of the
strikers.
"Well, this court is not going to
recognize any political party, or back
up any Socialist rent STRIKE" declared
the justice. "You have come in here
as tenants-and you have poor case
Pay that rent by Monday or III issue
eviction papers"
out. Trouble is predicted when the
time for serving the warrants comes.
"No "Lap-dog" Houses
Plans to prevent the conversion of
dwellings into "lap-dog houses" were
made at conference held yesterday
by Chairman Hilly, of the Mayors
anu dCCCIlOCQ ny OdpCldu
Leo, of the Board Of Standards and
Appeals, and the building superin-
tendents of all boroughs. At the close
of the conference, Mr.. Hilly said:
eve are going to do all we can to
prevent the conversion of apartments
into "lap-dog houses; family with
lap-dog or a cat pays the landlord
better than one with children. 1t was
decided at the conference that no plans
for alterations will be approved I'M
less the necessity is made clear The
building superintendent will carefully
scrutinize all such plans.
"The alteration of private dwellings
into studio apartments also came up.
1t was the consensus of opinion this
form of alteration should not be ap-
proved. 1t was the unanimous opinion
that everything should be done that
could be to promote the increase in
available apartments for families with
children"
Mr.. Hilly called on. the public to
help beat the bill introduced by SEN
ator Burlingame at the request of
real estate interests to modify the eff
feet of the antiAhog laws.
"The introduction Of that bill seems
to be an admission by the landlords
that they have given up hope of having
the new laws declared unconstitu-
tional," he said "They are trying to in
woke the aid of the Legislature to help
them in their profiteering schemes"