The Washington herald., 1921-08-29
DISTRICT RENT ACT
10 BE DISCUSSED
BY AMERICAN BAR
Chief Justice Taft Will
Head Notable Meeting !,
At Cincinnati.

4 - - =.
and meeting Of the American Bar
Association and the Ohio State Bar
Association, and associated divis-
ions of both Of these organizations,
The gathering viii be composed
Of Cabinet members. Senators,
Representatives. Federal and State
judges. lawyers Of national and in
ternational fame. governors. mayors.
other Federal and State officials.
authors Of law books and treatises.
diplomats and many others inter-
ested directly or indirectly in the
country's. legal problems. .r.
Davis District Envoy. VI 9.
The Bar Association Of the Dis
trict will be officially represented
by Attorney Henry e. Davis. al
though 1t is expected that other
members will, attend. -a
| Chief Justice Taft will preside at
the evening session on "Wednesday
and addresses will be delivered BY
tJohn w. Davis, former Ambassador
to Britain, and theN Hon. Sir John
Simon, former British attorney gen.
eral, solicitor general and secretary
Of state for. foreign affairs. Trib-
utes will be presented in memory to
the late Chief Justice white and
also in memory Of William A.
Blount, deceased president of the
association, and Stephen s. Gregory.
In the afternoon Of the same day
Attorney General Harry NJ. Daugh-
a. - a..
Of the. two associations.
Ball Rent Act Up. -.
The subjects to be debated, and
which will form the basis Of re-
ports by numerous committees, con-
sist Of the Ball rent act Of the Dis
trict, problems relating. to aerial
navigation insofar as they concern
present and proposed laws and
precedents: international law
which. of course, will concern itself
largely with our foreign relations
and the recent peace treaty with
Germany and Austria: Jurisprudence
and law reform, maritime laws. pro-
posed changes and notifications Of
existing laws. including both State
Of laws. judicial procedure. pro-
posed change of the date Of the
| inauguration Of the President OF
the United States, legal aid work.
patent, trademark and copyright
laws and numerous other allied
subjects OF national Importance, to-
sether-with special subjects Of per-
| sonal interest to the two associa-
tions.
The committee on noteworthy
changes in statute law will take up
the Ball rent acc for special con-
sideration. This act is classified by
both associations as Reconstruction
| legislation" ofs the type which Is
admittedly scarce: This committee
~ill report that rent legislation
has taken the form either of re-
pealing or varying statutory reme-
dies of the landlord in such way as
to compel or induce him to accept
reasonable rentals: or comprehen-
sive regulation iike that contained
in the act Of Congress applicable TO
the District of Columbia which
with a public interest and subjects
the relationship of landlord and
tenant to commission regulation.
New York's Method.
The New York type. Of statute
simply takes away the remedy of
eviction where the contract which
the landlord claims Is preached, Is
considered by the courts to be un-
reasonable; as, for example. where
the rent demanded by the landlord
Is. in the opinion of the court. ex-
cessive. The New York legislature
has declared as excessive any rent
which is more than 25 per cent in
excess of the rent Of the previous
year. The landlord cannot evict a
tenant who pays the reasonable
rental.
Congress authorized the Rent
Commission of the District of CO.
lumbia to adopt standard forms of
leases, to fix reasonable rentals and
terms of tenancy, and to determine
semiudicially controversies between
landlord and tenant. The authority
and procedure are analogous to
those of the Interstate Commerce
Commission in the field of inter-
state commerce.
Both types Of statutes have now
been upheld by the Supreme Court
of the United States as justifa BILE
regulation of private property in
the interest of public welfare dur
ing the abnormal housing conditions
following the war" ..
The new immigration Law, prob
lens confronting the. Shipping
Board as they relate to maritime
law, commerce, trade and CONNER
cial law will also come up for con-
sideration. The two associations
will debate on resolutions calling
for the right of the public to ap-
pear as friend of the court not
only before the Federal courts but
before all other administrative
bodies. This will mean that certain
acts Of Congress will have to be
amended IL the public Is to be heard
| In ways other than through attor-
Il neys for business concerns or: pri-
vate individuals in cases in which
the public as well as the individual
or the business concern is interested
or made a party plaintiff. or; de-
fendant thereto. = ...'
| ~: James n. neck to Speak.
Hampton l.. Carson. acting presi-
dent Of the national association,
/ viii preside at the other sessions.
assisted by, Daniel W.. Iddings.
president of the Ohio State Bar As
sociation; Frederick W. Lehman,
former Solicitor General Of the
lUnited States; former Senator
| George Sutherland, OF Utah, and