Evening star., 1922-05-07
COURT G|VENPONER
IN new RENT BILL
Proposed Substitute for Ball
Act Resolution to Be
Written.

Proposal to substitute for the reso-
luton which has already passed Inc
Senate, continuing the life OF tFe
Ball rent act for two years. when II
automatically expires may 22.., "A Dill
which would give original jurisdlc-
tion in rent disputes to the Mu-
nicipal court will be considereH
when the House District commute
meets in executive session tomorrow
to rewrite the rent measure
The new bill has been laid before
the members of the House District
committee by George r. Linkins, a
Washington real estate dealer, who
has been especially invited to sit In
with the committee in rewriting the
legislation. Chaplin Brown. attorneE
for the rent commission. and F. +.
Lee of the legislative. drafting ser
vice. have also been invited to The
conference, which is specifically Tor
the purpose of framing amendment
to the proposed changes in the law
as now in force
Regulation Proposed.
The Linkins bill proposes to "reGu-
late rents and the right to the pos
session of real estate" but specifics
that it shall be considered temper
ary legislation, and that 1t shall ter
inmate on May 22, 1928. unless sooner
repealed" The resolution passed b.
the Senate, on which hearings have
been held in the House committee,
closing yesterday. would continue the
rent commission, with increased mem
bership, for two years.
The Linkins bill would carry out
the recommendation made Friday hE
Capt. julius l. Peyser. who helped to
draft the present law, and who testi-
fed that it has outlived its useful
ness. and that the rent cases can
now be disposed of more expeditions
ly in the Municipal Court.
The Linkins bill would care for the
interests of landlords as well as ten
ants. specifically excludes business
property and all buildings in the first
and second commercial and any in
dustrial district as designated by the
coming commission. and grants a
right of appeal to the Court of Ap-
peals, where the rent appeals would
have precedence over other business
Of the court.
This measure would require the
court in its decision fixing fair
and reasonable rent to set out the
following facts: (a) the present
market value of the whole property
90 the allowance for maintenance,
repairs, taxes, service: (c) the sep
arate rentals as fixed by the court
or as paid by the tenants; CD the
courts estimated net return to the
owner on the value fixed.
s79,OcO Spent BY Commission.
The hearing closed after morning
and afternoon sessions yesterday.
Near the close Representative Sproul,
republican, of Illinois, himself a
veteran builder, asked for the figures
on what the present rent commission
has cost This showed a balance of
S10,9792s. which left S79,O20.72 spent.
A Leftwich Sinclair. the chairman
of the rent commission, stated that
$4,000 a year in rentals has been
saved to the people of the District
and Representative Sproul said that
If what the rent commission had
cost was Iut into the erection of
buildings the rent troubles would
sooner have been cured.
Representative Hammer of North
Carolina. democrat, who is leading
the fight in favor of the extension
Of the life of the Rent Commission,
put into the record yesterday after
noon a statement sworn to before a
notary public, which had previously
been read to the committee. This
was made by Mrs McEachern of
the Monmouth apartment, 1923 G
street, who complained against poor
elevator service, heat. hot water
that the gas range leaked and that
her family was nearly asphyxiated
Edwatd E. Britton, a newspaper
correspondent. formerly secretary to,
Josephus Daniels while he was Sec
retary of the Navy. told of his peri
sonal experiences in appealing to the'
Rent Commission and praised it3
work. He said his rent had been
increased over 100 per cent. Repre-
sentative Sproul explained to him
that the value of real estate prop
erty and the cost of building ma
terials has gone up more than 100
per cent, and figured out that the
owners were not getting per cent
they are entitled to on the property
Mr. Britton rents.
Some other tenants gave testimony
along lines previously developed.
Anri1 Cirrn1at;o,,