New-York tribune., 1922-02-05
Lock " ood's 5
Housing Report
Not Correct
Builders and Realty Men
Say Git. l. Mol Short
900 Homes nor |,
Public Health Nenaced

~ : i-iaNIlV iAHl week. N' fNCHl
Estate Board of New York and Samuel
3. Donncily, secretary o: the Building
Trades Employers Association. arc
particularly outspokcn in their criti~
cism Of the report. They regard as
absurd the statements that New York
IS short Nooo0 homes. accommodations
Tor 4oo,ooo persons. or that The health
of the city is mcuaccd by the housing
situation.
NJ. ponuclly charges the commit
zee vith the desire 10 create an un-
favorable impression in the public
mind. lu Il statement issued ycstcr-
day re said:
"Ihc wage rates OF all mechanics
and workmen are still from 20 to 100
per cent above the prc-war rates and
thc number Of the unemployed Is much
loss than it Was in tho wears 1873 and
1916. We have no homeless people
"fhc housing construction now
under way and projected Will exhaust
the resources OF the material and labor
markets and create surplus OF ac-
commodations greater than That which
existed prior to the placing Of ~.
embargo on housing construction by
the government in lelS. The building
industry is solving the problcm
ire-War Surplus Overlooked
"I BE fac, that great surplus cf ac-
commodatiouS existed when the war
embargo became effective was not ro-
ferrcd TO bV the city officials who tcsti-
ied before the Lockwood committee.
That tnc population OF tnc city in
crease ~ the rate Of $4,000 a year
doe aot mean 1hdt 1000 apartments
Nlu.'t be provided annually. It is not
necessary that an additional apartment
or nous" should be constructed when
ever rvc babies arc born. Babies arc
usually born in existing homes. Tho
increase IN, population t. not tsc only
factor that must be considered in cst-
mating thc shortage or Surph. Of
housing accommodations ] he mirra-
ton Of people to and from The city,
:n7:~1 :" rate, The demolition Of e.
i~ss .-5itatIuHs and many other lac
Ags aouSl be considered
&c report Of The Lockwood commit
zee clearly conveys the impression that
II wishes To create in tie public mind
hostility toward all doricilcs erected
prior to 1890 and destroy ytho Value
Of not only the cold water tenement
but OF all the comparatively old resi-
dcncc buildings Of the city regardless
OIL tneir sanitary co0dlti0N.
City Has Lost 100000 Population
Tho Real Estate Board Of New York
says:
"Thc claim of the committee that
here Is locally Il general shortage of
housing TO the extent Of $4,000 living
apartments is founded merely upon an
estimate of the Tenement House Com
missioner, which was based uyon the
also presumption that during the
Neriod between January /, 1917, and
tcce II. 1921, tho increase in pop
uation of tho city had been greatly i'm
excess Of the additional housing pro
vlded during that period As a matter
Of fact, statistics that must be tnSen
as reliable show that the lArulatiou
Of New lork City as 2 whole increased
but 1i.351 between JUL !. 1916 anI
July l. 1921, whereas in his recent
testimony before the housing commit
toe the Tenement House Commiss oner
showed that since January |. 1917. ad-
ditlonal living uuAiterS for more than
1900 families 2l5.0oo people had
been actually constructed. 1t is cspc-
oially notable i'm this connection that
during the period between July !. 1919.
and July !, 1921, there was Il decrease
in the population ei Manhattan oC
more than 30o.' g. as the Real F-tatc
Roard of Nov York is prepared t.
prove by iIrcfutablc statistics.
Suggests Tha, Would Helm
"Uudor these circun stances. even
the ostensible reason for tho rigid
applica on of the rent laws to apart
mcuts desired by, and Within the
means the well-to-do and wcalthicr
classes has ceased To cAist and ac-
'ordiNglY. tho Real Estate Board or
New York has suggested = series OF
statutory amendments which, if c's.
acted, viii go far in the direction Of
relieving the congestion in the munich
pal courts and VIII. at the same time
encourage speculative builders 10 r.
sumc the construction OF multi
family houses.
"Thc proposed amendments would cN-
empt from the application ot The rert
law proceed lgs instituted 20 dis
possess oojcctionable occupants as we'll
as Objectionable tenants; discharged
lanltors: tenants Of Il building Other
ihan a tenement house, where riaNs
have been Glcd for converting tn"
h tructurc into living quarters for two
= more families; hold-ovcr tenants
= no have failed TO make timely rcpl}
to written notice that their lease
may be renewed az .hc old rental, aud
all premises occupied under leases
hereafter entered into or hotel apart
nents occupied by tranSicnts or uNdrl
lease. J, is @lso proposed that the Law
cNemptirg comparatively owned tenc-
mcnt houses from the application Of
the rent laws be amciorateA to pc.
NIT the taking over of an apartment
in such Il house b. the stockhoidcr sub
scribinr therefor, even if all the othtr
apartments have not been subscribed
or.
Have Referees Decide Cases.
in order to remedy the congestion
N the municipal courts that the rent
laws have produced. the Real Estate
Board has recommended the repeal of
the statutory provision that allows
costs to landlord as Il matter Of right
only Al case he RECEIVERS the full
amount claimed in an action for rent
u renta value. As the law now stands,
tenants have nothing TO lose and every
thing to gain by litigatinp every dis
lercemcnt a. to rents II is contendod
n behalf OF the proposition of the
Real Estate Board that d return 10 the
traditional policy OF making costs abide
ne result Of 4 litigation would pro-
note the arbitration OF amicablc as
ustment OF thousands of controversies
,etwec nlandlords and tenants, which
would spondiugly reduce the de-
IA nd upon municipal courts and
urics.
TO The same end. the Eca Estate
}oard has recommended the re-intro-
luction Of the bin vetoed last year by
he MaNOr ant horizirr thp Annoliatc r