The New York herald., 1921-09-28
Van SCARCITY ADDS
TO TENANTS WOES
Forced to Move October 1
They Cannot Get Trucks
to Handle Goods.
NEW APARTMENTS FEW
Crowded Condition of Store
~ age Warehouses Makes
Situation Worse.
HOTELS BOOST PRICES
1nnumerable Lawsuits Are
Certain to Be Started, Says
Mayors Aid.
HOTELS BOOST PRICES


With the approach of New York's
semi-annual moving day, Saturday.
October l. thousands of families are
cndeavering this week to transport
their ht1sehold goods from old to new
abodes. VITA the result that moving
vans ara Almost impossible to obtain.
Charles 8. ,iorris. president OF the
Moving Var and Storage Association,
whose 2C0 members operate 2,10O vans
with $500 helpers, said yesterday that
the last ten days of September were
witnessing the worst congestion the
city ever has known.
THE difficulty is" said Mr.. Morris,
"that there has been little new build
ing and there is no surplus Of apart
ments. AS a result. moving becomes a
sort of chain affair-a family cannot
move into a new apartment until the
old tenants have moved out. Every
one has waited until as near October
as possible, becau.e that is the time
that old leases expire and new ones
become operative. The present con-
gestion is greater than ever before and
1t is simply impossible for many per-
sons who must move to get vans at all
probably the total number OF families
10 move will not be as great as last
September.
AN added feature in complcating
matters is that practically all OF the
city's storage warehouses are crowded to
their doors and storage space for house
hold goods Is extremely difficult to OBJ
tain anywhere in New York"
Mr.. Morris. who is president OF the
Metropolitan Storage Warehouse Com
pany at 80 West sixty-sixth street, said
that applicants were being turned away
at his establishment and that the same
condition prevailed at most Of the ware
houses.
Crisis Due Friday.
Junius p. Wilson. counsel to the
Mayors committee on rent profitec--
ing. said yesterday that the crisis in the
housing situation would come Friday
and that he looked for innumerable law
suits to be started for the possession OF
dwellings and apartments now occupied
by tenants who have refused TO meet
demands for Increased rent and who
have had their homes leased over their
heads.
THE greatest rent advances" said Mr..
Wilson. ARE to be found in cases where
leases have been running three or four
years at the old rate and the landlords
are now seeking 10 meet present day
conditions. Many tenants occupying
apartments under these conditions in
tend to hold them. carrying their cases
10 the courts IL necessary.
Many agents and landlords who have
leased apartments and dwellings over
the present tenants heads because they
would not pay more rent are not at oil
sure OF their ground and are uncertain
whether they will be able to keep their
contracts and turn the premises over to
new tenants October /. To protect
themselves they have been careful to
have inserted In every new lease a
clause In which they do not guarantee
the delivery on any specific date. Thou
sands of notices to vacate have already
been served by landlords on tenants
whose leases expire September so. The
courts are already months behind on
landlord and tenant cases and the ex-
pected influx of legal tangles will more
than double the size OF the existing
calendars.
Few New Apartments.
"There has been some construction
work during the year but the majority
of apartments erected are in the $4,000
and $4,000 class. Those at $50 and $50
a room have, with few exceptions, been
leased from the plans SO many persons
will be disappointed and forced to move
70 the suburbs.
"Some hotels are seeking to increase
rentals to an exorbitant amount where
tenants have held leases for years, con-
tending the new housing laws do no; ar-
ply to them. Some apartment house
owners are also trying to obtain exeinp-
tion from the laws by claiming their
establishments ere really hotels. In
some instances offices and clerks lave
been Installed on the ground floor for
this purpose"
Mr.. Wilson said the Mayors commit
tee has prepared formal letters To be
sent landlords in behalf OF tenants WHO
refuse to pay increased rentals and That
these letters would form the basis for
subsequent negotiations. The commit
tee also has prepared formal letters for
tenants who have been sued for rent.
"On the whole. the situation Is not as
gloomy as might be feared" said Mr..
Wilson mo conservative landlord
need fear applying 70 the committee for
rent increases II he has sufficient
grounds. Not all Of them are unreason-
able. Many persons are lnhorine under
the impression that II their rent was
raised 25 per cent. last year there. can
be no further increase now. Such IL not
quite the case. Any landlord who can
show he IL operating ut loss may have
such Increases awarded ~ Will make
mp for the deficit, even II X Is many
times more than 25 per cent