Evening star., 1924-05-09
SENATE RENT PROBE
DATA TURNED OVER
T0U.S. PROSECUTOR
Ball Gives Findings in Searcf
for Combine" to Gordon
for Further Action.
ACTION ON MEASURE
IS EXPECTED MONDAY
Reported in Same Form as Passed
by House-Teachers' Raise
Approved.

The secret investigation which has
been going on for several weeks un-
der the direction of the Senate Dis
trict committee into reports of an al
legged combine to affect high rentals
and real estate prices in Washing
ton passed today from the hands of
the committee to the Office of District
Attorney Gordon.
Senator Ball, chairman of the Dis
trict committee. made it known that
confidential information gathered b.
his committee has been turned over
to Maj. Gordon for further inquiry in
the district attorneys office.
Senator Ball stated that he was not
prepared to disclose at this time the
nature or extent of the data that has
been quietly collected.
The chairman of the committee in
dicated, however, that he may reveal
some Of it to the Senate when the
resolution extending the rent law for
two more years is called up To-.
action on the floor of the Senate.
May Come Up Monday.
The situation in the Senate today
with the tax bill still under discus
sion. makes it unlikely that Senate.
Ball will be able to call up the rent
resolution before Monday. which is
calendar day. There is a bare posi-
bility that the rent measure might be
considered if Iull in the Senate pro-
ceedings should occur before Monday,
but Senator Bail is not disposed to
endeavor to break in on the tax bill
by asking unanimous consent.
The Senate District committee at IL
meeting yesterday afternoon voted Il
favorable report to the Senate on the
rent extension resolution and Senatoc
Ball had il placed on the calendar this
morning. Although four amendment
to the resolution, one of which would
have cut the extention TO one year.
were asked at the last minute, the
District committee reported the meas
ure exactly aS it passed the House
This will eliminate the necessity O.
sending the bill to conference If u
passes the Senate in the same form !.
which the House approved 1t.
Nature of Date withheld.
1t is understood that Senator Bt
had a conference with District al!
torney Gordon at which he placed n
the latter'S hands the material gath
cred by those employed by the COM
nlittee to make study of the rental
and real estate situation in Wash
ington. The exact character Of the
contents OF the confidential report
apparently will not be revealed unttl
Chairman Ball gets the rent reSoiu-
tion before the Senate.
Next to the rent extension resolu-
ton, the two measures which the
Senate District committee is most
anxious to put through are the salary
bill for the school teachers and mem
bers of the police and fire depart
ments. Both these bills have passed
the House and are now on the Sen
ate calendar, and Senator Ball is
confident he can get action on them
after the important tax reduction bill is
out of the way.
o. X. Teachers' Bill.
The District committee yesterday
afternoon ordered a favorable report
on the Keller bill for increasing
school teachers salaries, with one
change increasing the salary OF
superintendent of schools from $500
a year in the House bill to a minimum
of $4,000, with a maximum of $4,000
after two years.
The Keller bill gives the teachers
more of an increase than the Reed
bin recommended by the bureau OF
the budget.
The Senate District committee also
reported out yesterday the bill TO
safeguard the milk supply in Wash
ington and to require the tubercu,in
test for cattle.