The Washington times., 1920-09-30
.HOUS|NGCR|S|S.
M|ENACES D. c.
Hundreds OF Evicted Tenants
May Be Forced to Camp
in Park.
CITY FAILS TO PROVIDE
Transfer Companies Swamped;
"Sit Tight Woman Rent
Commissioner Says.

The District Rent Com mission
this morning gave the following
advice to Washington tenants in
distress through demands for
higher rents or who may be facing
eviction:
'Sit tight.
'Take advantage of every pro-
lection Offered under the provis-
ions of the Ball rent act.
'lhe Rent Commission was
created by Congress for your pro-
lection and means to enforce the
law to the letter.
.''If landlords ignore the determi-
nations of the commission note an
appeal which win protect you from
eviction or the collection of exhor-
bitant rents.
Bring your Complaints before
the commission immediately"
With approximately 1000 families
having been served eviction notices,
an unprecedented lack of avsilable
abodes, and prevailing shortage OF
truck drivers and transfer men,
Washington 10 threatened With tbe
most severe confusion tomorrow
that ever has featured a moving day
here. t-,-- Z,
MAY CAMP OUT. !.
Hundreds of families who have
been served with eviction notices are
expected to be turned into the streets,
with nowhere to go. No provision
has ben made by the city for band
ling these families, and 1t now ap-
pears that they will be compelled to
camp in the parks or any other avail
able places. h.-
Mrs. Clara Sears Taylor. member of
the Rent Commission, this morning
issued a statement in which she sd- :
vised persons who have ben served
with evictionnotices to "sit steady in
the bo~t,1 and remain where they are
until their rights have been estab-
lished. ~.
The confusion is, in large meas
ure, due to the controversy over the
powers and jurisdiction of the Rent
Commission. The District courts rec
entity declared the Ball rent act, under
which the commission was created
and Is functioning, unconstitutional.
The ruling has been appealed to the
United States Supreme Court where
arguments will be heard in October.
itVVv ~ SENHD hsDs
while cannot speak for the COM
! mission officially" Mrs. Taylor said,
II would advise persons who have
been served eviction notices to keep
q stiff upper lip, have the courage of
their convictions and remain where
| theY are until their cases have been
takn before the Municipal Court,
appealed and finally settled. At
least 900 eviction cnses have been
appealed to u.s.. I estimate that there
arc 900 who have not appealed. 49,.
"The hardship which will be i'm
posed upon the persons on whom
these notices have been served Is
emphasized when Il Is known that in
a large majority of cases the heads of
the families are women. To these
women l would say stay where you
are until your case has been tried and
appealed"
Every transfer company in Wash
ineton is turning down orders for
tomorrows moving. Some of the
larger companies have made arrange
merts to move as many as a hundred
families.
ave could move more" said an OFF,
cisl of one compans, but there As
shortage of labor which makes II I'M
possible for us TO get all our trucks
on the street"
While there is no strike OF transfer
men, the shortage OF truck drivers is,
according to transfer men here, Sc
we're. These drivers and transfer men
are paid from 50 to 70 day
I'VE have received many inquiries"
said another transfer man, from per-
sons who say they are forced to move,
but they don't know where they're
going. They wanted to be sure of
having some way OF getting their fur
to put u.