Evening star., 1924-05-18
Boards Right to Exist, How
ever, to Be Tested in
Court Tomorrow.
AFFIDAVITS OBTAINED
TO PROVE EMERGENCY
Government and District to Seek
to Halt Issuance of
Injunction.


afternoon signed the joint resolution
extending the life of the Rent Com
mission another year. Under the
present act the commission would
have ceased to exist Thursday of thi.
week.
The measure, reaching the Whit,
House from the Capitol yesterday 1T
noon. was sent Immediately to til,
District Commissioners for the forn,;,l
approval required from hem on Dis
trict legislation. Late in the after
noon, it was returned to the Whit,
House, and the Presidents Secretary.
c. Bascom Slemp. took the measure T.
the Presidents room along with son
other official papers requiring his at
tention. The President signed it in.
mediately.
Court Fight on Tomorrow.
While the Presidents signature tv-
tends the Rent Commissions life f.,
another year, the real test to deter
mine the commissions right to exi,t
under the law will come in the courts.
and a decisive battle in what
believed to be long struggle ahead
will be fought in the District Su-
preme Court tomorrow.
H. L. Underwood, special assistani
to the Attorney General, and Chapiu
Brown, counsel for the Rent Commit
sion, have obtained a number of af-
fadavits, which they will present to-
morrow to Justice Stafford in an ef-
IT RI oh hof ho ,ci
gency in Washington has not passed.
Both lawyers will argue that tn
showing made by these affidavit
changes the record as presented to
the court by counsel for Bates War
rem, who obtained a ruling by the
court that there exists sufficient prob
ability of the passing Of the emer-
gency as to justify the court in
granting a temporary injunction
Rent Commission.
Held Up Injunction.
Justice Stafford deferred the Sign
ing the temporary Injunction. which
he had decided to grant last Tuesday
when Attorney General Stone on be-
half of the United States filed petit
ton to intervene in the case in the
interest of the $1,000 government en-
ployes. most of whom are tenants
Counsel for Mr.. Warren and for Har-
~ Norment who has a similar petit
tion pending, consented to the grant
ing of the Intervention to the govern
ment. Justice Stafford then gave
to
affidavits to offset the showing mad
by the columns of vacant houses
advertised in The Star that there is
no longer a housing shortage.
Justice Stafford pointed out that
mere high rentals are not a justi1
cation for the Ball Rent Act, ana
could not be made to supply the
emergency, which alone forms tn,
basis for the continuance Of the
operations of the Rent Commission.
He followed closely the intimation
of Justice Holmes of the United
States Supreme Court in the Chastle-
ton opinion, in which he said that
if the Supreme Court was passing
on the question of the present exist
ence of an emergency, 1t would he
inclined to hold that the Ball Act
had ceased to operate.
Expires May -. 1925.
Approval by the President of the
Joint resolution makes the date or ex-
piration for the commission, May %.
1925. AS originally planned by the
| House the joint resolution extended
of fuyn
When it came up for consideration in
the Senate, however, Senator Overman
of North Carolina objected strenu-
ously to the two-year period and
Chairman Ball of the District commit
tee finally agreed to make the exten-
sion one year, to get prompt action
on the resolution.
The resolution continues the rent
act without change. An amendment
offered by Senator Caraway of Arkan-
sas and finally included in the reso
luton, requires hotels to post their
rates for rooms in a conspicuous place,
and to give thirty days notice of
change in rate. The purpose of this
amendment is to prevent hotel from
raising its rates during conventions
or on other occasions, which bring
| large crowds to Washington, when
hotel accommodations are in demand.
Held Emergency Exists.
Had the joint resolution failed to
! be enacted into law, the District rent
act would have expired Thursday. 1t
was contended by supporters of the
resolution in both the Senate and
House that a housing emergency still
exists. making it necessary to con-
tinue the rent commission to protect
| tenants from exhorbitant rentals.
The Senate District committee, un-
der authority of a resolution adopt
ed by the Senate. recently conducted
survey of the housing situation and
an investigation of charges. that com
binations have been entered into by
owners and real estate dealers to
| keep high the prices of rental ana
| sale properties here.
At the time the joint resolution was
before the Senate, Senator Ball sub
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