Evening star., 1922-05-23
Rate by Mail-Payable in Advance.
All Other States
The New Rent Law.

Eleventh-hour enactment by Con
gress, and signature by the President,
have continued the rent-commission
law, with notifications, for another
period of TWO years. Had it not been
for this speedy action yesterday the
law would have expired by limitation
last night. and conditions affecting
rentals and leases in the District
would have reverted TO those prior to
the first act of Congress in So-CIllcd
regulation of rents. II is probably for
the greater good OF the greater num-
Der that rent regulation in some care
fully considered form should be con-
tinued for limited period.
The majority of the people of the
District are interested in rent regu-
lation as tenants rather than as land
lords. Some extension Of rent reSula-
ton obviously represents the will Of
the community. The hope now is that
the enlarged commission will function
in administering the law as Il board
of arbitration or a court of equity
representing one class.
The purpose OF the extended law is
to insure a scale of fair rents. fair to
tenants and fair 10 owners. Il was not
written and shoulf not be admins
tered chiefly To lover rents below the
point of reasonable pront or return
to the owners. N!r should It be so ap-
piled as to in.cose untlir burdens
upon those whit ,ent-
With the enlargement Of the com
mission it can more fully examine and
more carefully adjust the cases that
come before il. The five commission
ers can cover more ground with
greater thoroughness than the three.
Furthermore. under the new law each
of the commissioners may sit in in
quiry with full power of Investigation
and hearing, for report TO the full
commission for final decision.
In another respect the law is
amended in that it provides for ap-
peals to the Supreme Court of the
District Of Columbia instead of the
Court of Appeals. The hope is to Sc
cure sspeedier rulings. although the
Supreme Court of the District is itself
seriously congested with business.
In other respects the law is
changed, as, for instance, in case of
an appeal from a decision granting
an increase. the amount of the in
crease is to be impounded with the
commission pending final decision. In
another respect the law is made more
drastic by providing a penalty for
failure on the part of the landlord to
furnish proper service.
Elimination of business buildings
the law in it's bearing upon property
owners without weakening its effect
iveness to prevent eXtortion from do
mestic tenants. Again. the new law
grants the owner the right to gain
possession of his property for the pur-
pose of making material repairs or
alteration or for constructing a new
building, or for use for any other
purpose that does not involve the
eviction of one tenant in favor of
another tenant. This change is dis
tinCtly equitable.
Some of these changes obviously
make for greater equity in the bear:
ing of the law upon constitutional
property rights, and the law thus
amended and executed by an enlarged
commission with greater facilities fof
thorough and prompt consideration of
cases will, it is hoped. work to the
greater satisfaction of both owners
cency law, which expired at midnight.