The Washington times., 1924-11-14
VITAL Ely SCORED.
FOR RENT ACT
STAND
n obbied" Extension as Per-
sonaI Grudge. McKeever
Asserts at City Club
CONTINUED from Page ~.

boards survey also showed that IN
these eighty-nine offices. only sew
enty.eight notices to vacate have.
been served, and that they have
made 347 increases in rents but
that during the same period there
have been LIZA voluntary rent re.
auctions In other words there
have been In these eighty nine
offices over three times as many
reductions or decreases In rent as
there have been increases.
Some Unfairness.
Il do not attempts to dodge tho
fact that there are some few cases
Of unjust and unfair increases or
raises In rent, but the percentage
Of owners who treat their tenants
in this manner is very, very small.
From my own personal observation
I would say that only about one
owner in q hundred treats his ten
ants unfairly. Probably the per-
centage Of owners who treat their
tenants unfairly is no greater than
the percentage of tradesrnen or
other business men, who cheat their
customers. and / don't believe this
is SO great. ] have no sympathy
with this class of owners or land
lords. and am willing and anxious,
and I know that the Real Estate
Board and the Washington Assoc
citation of Building Owners and
Managers would be- willing to CO.
operate with and help the tenants
drive this type Of landlord out OF
Washington.
''If we were completely rid Of the
Rent Commission and Mrs. Taylor's
lnsidious, extravagant, exaggerated
propaganda which is evidently de-
signed to stir up i'll feeling and
strife between the landlords and the
tenants 1t is quite likely that the
landlords and tenants could get to-
gether, and when they did get to,
gether they would find good, decent
people in both groups who could
adjust their differences in q friendly
manner, satisfactory to all parties.
al board OF arbitration made up of
tenants and landlords which could
consider the extreme cases would
not only save the expenses OF httga-
ton but would probably bring about
much better understanding and feel
ing between landlords and tenants.
Court Record Cited
Last week in speaking before
this forum, one Of the Rent Com
ulissioners spoke of 1000 eviction
notices, having been served as a
result Of the recent court decisions,
which held that no emergency ex.
lists and that the rent law is UNI
constitutional. Inasmuch as the
record of our Municipal Court from
whom judgment for possession
must be had before an eviction can
be secured, shows no great in
crease in the number Of cases be.
fore it, over previous months. and
inasmuch as the Commissioner has
failed to prove the charges in this
respect when requested to do so, n
does seem as though the public
ought to take this statement with
q grain of salt
Tents on the Ellipse" is a fair
sample of the length some people
will 20 in their exaggeration and
righteousness.
this forum that rentals and houy-
ing in the District o. Columbia
showed an increase all out Of pro-
COllAILtOuAtlGSs
refutation Of this statement. 1
the Bureau of Labor Statistics Of
the u, s. Department OF Labor in
which it is stated that the increase
In housing (rentsl from December
1914 to June 1924 is 35 percent,
while during the same period food
has increased 43 percent, clothing
"A q
cent, house furnishing 124 percent.
These being the figures for the Dis
trict OF Columbia. From the fact
that the percentage Of increase in
the cost OF housing lrents) is less
IN washington than in many other
large cities, the inference might
be drawn that rent control has
been effective were 1t not for the
fact that in New York. where they
also have rent control the increase
has been 64 percent, or nearly twice
as great as In Washington and in
three cities where there has been
no control the increase has been
less than in washington.
THE bureau Of statistics, Depart
ulent Of Labor, shows III its release
OF October 90, 1924, that out Of
nineteen principal cities in this
country, only three have lower cost
Of living than in Washington, while
In fifteen cities the cost Of living Is
higher than in washington. From
these figures, 4 think we can safe.
ly infer that. Washington has not
gone to the dogs yet, and that con.
ditions are really not quite as bad
as the Rent Commission propa-
gandists would have you believe.
Much has been said by the
agahdists as to, the Government
Interest In the housing Of its clerks
and to the effect that the shortage
in housing has been brought about
by the great influx Of clerks, during
the war. In, analyzing these state.
ments will give you the United
States Civil Service Commission fig.
ures as to the number of clerks
here before the war, DURING the war
and now, and draw therefrom GER
tain deductions. Z According to the
Civil Service Commissions figures
there were S9,442 employees in Fed
eral service on June 80, 1916. Due
to the war this number had in
creased to l17,76O by November IL,
1918, and this rapid increase had abb
soEbed all of the available dwelling
places, the demand had become
greater than the supply, and, per-
haps, under these conditions some
kind of a rent control was neces.
sary. At any rate most landlords
and owners made little protest,
from patriotic reasons, to the pas
sage of the law at that time.
"It is generally conceded now,
however, that conditions would
lave more quickly adjusted them
selves, II there had never been any
Rent Commission.
Since November. 1918, the num-
Der OF employees Of the Federal
GinvaTrl r1aerif A., The INinA riot ,R fNrh