The Washington times., 1922-05-07
OCCUR
FREQUENTLY At
RENT SESSION!
Commission Will Go Into Ex
ecutive Session Tomorrow
and Redraft Ball Act.

Hearings on the proposed ehItn
sion OF the Ball rent act. which
would automatically expire by iimita
ton on May 90, were concluded bi
the House District Committee lau
Yesterday afternoon, the final wit
ness being Mrs. Clara Sears Taylor
a member of the Rent Commission
who was recalled to explain some
her previous allegations of props
ganda by the real estate interests.
Questiond by Congressman Mills
paugh, who is bitterly opposing tn
continuance Of the Ball act, Mrs
Taylor 9. ia that she had seen VI
dence OF how one prominent rea
estate firm had 'blackballed certaiI
applicants for houses and apart
ments.'
How did they blaCkball em?'
Millspaugh asked.
with little purple flags, she rs
piled, and the audience in the COZ,
mittee room, composed of tenant
and landlords laughed.
Mrs. Taylor said that she had ex
amined the private files of rea
estate office and has seen varioul
cards which had been Tagged al
llIutSlTdDl' ilNi''i'S '
dividuals who had previously ap
pealed increases in rentals 10 tlh
Rent Commission.
Millspaugh upbraided Mrs. Taylor
saying that on account of her POSI-
ton on the board she should no
be 80 unfair and biased"
At this junCture Congressman
Sproul took his colleague 20 toe,
for the manner in which he had
questioned Mrs. Taylor, and tno o.
cident was dropped.
Tenant Gives Figures.
John w. Maher. who said thai
he was a chairman of a committee
Of the tenants of the Chaselton
apartments. the first witness al
the afternoon session. launched
into mass of figures as To the
property.
I'VE want facts" Congressman
Sprul objected. "and not your per
sOnal opinion about building con
struction."
Mahcr admitted that he had
never had any experience on build
ing construction and could not
state whether a building like thu
Chaselton cost $4,000. 900 or $751;
OOO 900"
Austin bingham, a property
owner. told Of a case in which HI
was obliged to increase the rent
from s45 a month ito $3.50.
Congressman Sproul. however
said that he had understood that
Bingham had tried to collect the
difference over several month.
after he had raised the rent. and
wanted To know when such in
Creases became retroactive. King
ham denied the allegation.
Edward r. Britton. former pri.
vate secretary to former Secretary
of the Navy Daniels, and vice presi.
dent Of the Tenants Protective
League. clashed with both Con
gressmen on depreciation of prop
critics. cost of coal and salaries ~
janitors.
On one case. Sproul declared that
/ the landlord who owned property
worth $4,000 and suffered a depreCia'
| tion of $500 in one year could GER
/ tainly not be considered a rent hog"
Sproul came to the defense of the
property owners, with the statement
/ he had 'an open mind on the qU"s
| ton and believe that both sides
should get a square deal in this
controversy"
The witness replied that "it is
case OF the lion and the lamb" and
mo matter whether the rent COM
mission is continued or not, the sans
/ intolerable conditions will still exist"
HouseI<eeper's Letter.
Millspaugh read in to the record \
} Iatt StOnaI hNy 80 ~ l,
| Housekeepers' Alliance to the effect
| that the continuance Of the Ball rent
act would be a menance to the
homesteaders OF the District"
In the absence of Congressma1
Reed, Congressman Fred n. Zihlman
presided.
Tomorrow the committee will 60
into executive session and rewrite
the rent act.
The committee also will consider
the advisability Of Incorporating two
amendments as recommend by
Chaplin Brown, attorney for the rent
commission, and A. Leftwich Sin.
clair. secretary of the board.
Mr.. Sinclair has proposed that the
committee provide that no dispute
of any notice to quit made by
tenant before the commission shall
be held to suspend or postpone the
payment of rent for the premises
occupied by the tenant pending tho
final determination of the dispute
II is also provided in the proposed
amendment that the acceptance OF
rent for said premises by the land.
lord after the notice in dispute has
expired, shall not be held to operate
as a waiver of the said notice"
The other amendment to be con.
sidered will stipulate that. pending
an appeal by tenant of a decision
granting an increase to the landlord,
the tenant will be required to furnish
bond in the amount equivalent 10
| the total difference during the tim.
/ the appeal Is pending.
"a,