Evening star., 1925-01-06

situation in Washington would be
materially remedied
Dfspossession by the Government
OF the buildings now occupied by its
agencies would make them available
for private rental and would clear
up the housing situation here to a
large degree, Mr.. Hoover said.
Carrying through of Senator Smoot's
| building program would be one of
the soundest pieces of legislation ever
put over for the District Of Column
bia," Mr.. Hoover declared. The Com
merce Secretary said the contracts
under which the Department of Com
| merce building is rented are due to
expire soon, adding that the Depart
ment OF Justice. he understands is
now engaged in a controversy over
the rental TO be paid for the apart
mept building it now occupies
Mr.. Hoover would not comment on
whether the Government was forced
TO pay eXhorbitant rentals for the
use of the apartment buildings now
occupied by several of the depart
ments, but was inclined to believe
that If the buildings were rented to
the Government on competitive
basis the situation might be made
worse instead of better.
Government Pays Heavily.
The Government pays a large sum
or money every year to private own
ers for the rental of buildings oc-
cupied by its departments and bu-
reaus in the District of Columbia.
This would all be done away with
under Senator Smoot's measure and
each department would be housed in
a building of its own. At present the
Ib9Da 81 iS
the only homogeneous unit housed in
Government owned building The
department of Agriculture, for ex-
ample, Is scattered all over the cfty
with Offices in rented quarters. while
the treasury Department also rents
great deal Of Office space
Mr.. Hoover, commenting on fhe
Fine Arts Commission plan for the
location of Government Office buiId-
lngs along the Mall, took the view
that the plans drawn up about Is
years ago were probably out of date
now and that additional floor spacA
would be needed in the BUILDINGS
contemplated south of PENNSYLVANIA
avenue.
The National Association Of Real
Estate Boards, representing more
than 10000 active and associataS
members throughout the United
states, today released a statement m
the press from its headquarters in
chicago, and forwarded a telegram 70
its entire membership of 500 boards
opposing the contemplated rent con-
troll bill in Washington.
Danger to Rights.
The statement points out to the
members that "a new legal principIe
would be established which would
endanger private property rights in
real estate everywhere, and would
teho 10 drive capital out of this field
of investment"
Every effort, it is stated. will he
made by the National Association to
hight the bill nationally Similar
action is now in process by the Ma
tional Association of Building Own
ers and Managers.
The telegram sent out from Chicago
to members and released to the press
reads as follows:
THE proposal that the Government
shall assume through a commission
control over all residential property
in the city of Washington of a char
acter more far-reaching than sny
hitherto enacted in this country is
contained in measures introduced into
both the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives recently
The National Association OF Real
Estate Boards is necessarily deeply
interested and profoundly concerned
in possibilities of such legislative en-
actment, due to the wide publicity
and prestige which measures affect
ing the Capital City obtain.
Emergency Called Past.
Heretofore legislation of this
character has been limited to rent
control during periods of national
emergencies, but in times of peace
TO take control of private property
permanently out of the hands of the
owners and place it in the hands of
Government bureau is a step which
this country has never yet taken
The Court of Appeals of the District
of Columbia has held that the hous-
ing emergency created by the war no
longer exists.
Owners of real estate in Washington
therefore, are confronted with the nos
sibility of permanent Government con-
troll of their property in time of peace
and in the absence of any emergency.
IF the regulation of rentals and the
control Of the character, terms and
duration of occupancy of residential
properties were to pass from the hands
of individual owners and investors into
those of the Government in the CITY of
Washington permanently, as it Is pro-
posed in the pending bill, a new legal
principle would be established which
would endanger private property rights
in real estate everywhere and would
tend to drive capital out of this field Of
investment" .-r
COOLIDGE AFFIRMS UTEw