The Washington herald., 1921-08-19
SEN. BALL SHOT AT;
RENT ACT AUTHOR
HAS SLIM ESCAPE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

to use an umbrella to get to her
bathroom on rainy days.
Many people who. have put the
savings of life time toward the
purchase of a home, she said, and
after making three or four pay
ments are unable to continue ard
are forced out on the streets again.
Sinclair also declared the emer-
gency which gave rise to the act
still exists and that the situation
was still grave. Instead of coming
down with other commodities enter.
ing into the cost OF living, he said,
rents are still going up.
He declared he had information
that landlords plan to make still
further increases in October when
the annual moving day takes place.
II would be a great mistake to let
the Ball act expire in October, he
said.
Chaplin Brown asserted there was
practically no appeal, either for ten
of the Rent Commission because
those decisions are accepted as
prime facie evidence by the NUM-
cipal Court, and as there is a sort
of Gentleman's agreement between
the hunicipai and Circuit Court OF
Appeals. the latter court refuses to
permit appeals. He declared. how.
ever, that ii was. better that this
was so
Linklns Opposes Act.
Linkins. in opposing extension of
the act, declared it made il difficult
for owners to sell their property be-
cause tenants could force a delay
of from three to four months in
giving possession by taking the
matter to the Rent Commission.
He said he had frequently ad-
vised clients not to rent their prop
critics but to let them stand va
cant IL they really desired to sell.
The Ball act makes the handling of
property very difficult, he said, be-
cause the owners lose control of
their property and it is almost i'm
possible to evict an undesirable ten
ant.
He insisted there was no appre-
cable increase in rents during the
past year and that the increase on
rental of houses since the begin
ming OF the war averaged about 20
Fer cent, while the increase on
apartments was about 40 or SO per
cent.
Representatives Kunz and Ham
mer ridiculed this statement, de
claring the increase was more like
100. per cent, while Mrs. Taylor
pointed out in her statement that
in some cases the increase reached
as high as 800 per cent.
gu. s. Creates Values,
Representative Begg, of Ohio, who
Is not a member of the committee,
but appeared at his own reuest,
declared there is not a city in the
country like Washington, because
80 per cent of the value of every
mans money here is created by
the Federal government.
There Is not another city in the
country. he said. that has as big a
percentage of temporary citizens
who cannot afford to buy prop
erty.
IF a man tells you he can rent
any kind of property in the District
of Columbia commensurate with
the position he occupies he does not
know what he is talking about"
Mr.. Begg said.
He then related some of his own
experiences in securing living quar-
tiers, in which he said that he dealt
with supposedly Ieliable real estate
men, who didn't stop short of libel
or anything else"
They won't regard a widow with
family nor a man with a $4,000
job" he said. you tell me they are
not raising rents! They are pyra-
miding them.
81 own an apartment house, my
self, which I am renting for a fair
rental from which I am getting a
fair return on my money. I say to
the real estate broker: You are
the man who Is causing the suffer-
ing to humanity"