The Washington herald., 1922-05-12
Measure May Not Pass
House Before Old Law
Expires, May 22.
NEW ACT REGARDED
/. AS IMPROVEMENT
Number of Commission
ers Would Be Changed
From Three to Five.

passed by the House until after the
old law expires on May %. il was
indicated yesterday when permission
to bring the bill in under a special
rule was refused.
The subcommittee OF the House
Distric: Committee in charge Of the
rent bill announced last niEht that
their request for a special rule un-
der which the bill might be given
right Of way in the House had been
refused by the Rules Committee and
a subsequent request TO Speaker Gi-
lett TO suspend the rules had met
the same fate.
II was hoped that the measure
might be considered on Monday. May
Is. which is District day in the Housa.
but members Of the District Com
mittee expressed grave doubts that
any action would be possible nov
until the following Monday. which
is the day the present law automst-
icalIy expires.
Fear Speakers Opposition.
II was stated that House Leader
MondeU. upon being approached by
the subcommittee. had criticised the
Ball rent act and expressed his op-
position to this character Of leglsla-
tion. but announced that he would
not interfere with its progress II the
Speaker should allow 1t to be brought
in as emergency legislation.
Memb,rs Of the committee wofe
also OF the opinion that the Speaker
of the House WAS opposed to the bill.
Senator L. Heisler Rail-. Of Della
ware. after n conference with Hou-e
members late yesterday afternoon.
explained that the bill would ha
brought up in the House May -
and arrangements had been made f..r
the Senate TO concur in the amend
ments of the House that af;, rn 0on
and TO obtain the Presidents siEns-
ture that night.
Provide for Gap Period"
should enemies Of the bill in the
House succeed in delaying its pas
sage on May %. various conn ca
tions were predicted. but other MEM
hers called attention TO the amend
ment added by the House District
Committee which makes the meas
ure retroactive over gap fcrisssT DO
This amendment il was contendpd
would virtually keep the law ia
effect until the new law was passed.
As the hill, on which a Favorable
report was agreed on YESTERDAY.
now stands. il is an imprOEeucat
over the original law in the opia-
ion Of Senator Ball and Senator Al
lee Pomerene. os Ohio. who framed
the original law and introduced q
in the Senate. As amended u has
the approval Of its sponsors and
this was taken to indicate a pos
Sibility Of its becoming a law NAY
%.
More Time TO Draft Report.
The bill had not been reported 10
the House late yesterday arternnoa
and failure to obtain the special
rule gave Representative Stuart
Reed more time TO draft the repor;
which probably will be submitted
today.
Representative Frank Minspaugh
+ " hN AOAthA AAit blAA IN AllF AoulflllA-
tee asked for permission TO file a
minority report which was granted.
he announced.
Senator Ball congratulated the
House District Committee in the
manner in which il had handled
the measure. and said that the Lam
gusge OF the bill had been i'm
proved considerably.
More CommIssioners wanted.
Senator Pomerene after going
over the bill as amended by the
committee declared that IL was a
decided Improvement over the orig
inal bill.
The new law would change the
number of commissioners from three
to FIVE and dispense with the in
spectors now employed by the com
mission. II clarifies the section
which regulated the subleasInC %
apartments. This section Of the
old law was SO worded that its
meaning had been misconstrued and
its purpose was defeated. the COM
mittee was told.
Efforts in the committee TO make
the measure less drastic were con-
sistently defeated and the bill will
be reported to the House contain
ing all its important features. il
was agreed yesterday by those mem
bers of the House interested in this
, Hesitation