Evening star., 1925-01-29
COMM|TTEEENDS
D. c. RENT HEARING
Tenants and Owners Given
Last Words on Questions
of Fair Rates.

The final hearing on the proposed
rent legislation was held before the
joint committee of Congress last night
In the Senate once building. The time
was occupied by the unorganized ten
ants and unorganized property own
ers, the latter having half an flour,
in accordance with arrangements pre-
viously made.
Testimony by the tenants generally
was to the effect that 1T was impos-
stble for them to find suitable living
quarters at rentals that persons of
moderate means, particularly Govern
ment employees, could afford to pay.
Mrs. r. U. Compton Of Clifton Ter
race, who described her case to the
committee as typical" said that in
1914 she rented an apartment, four
rooms, kitchen and bath. for $3.50 a
month, located on Grant road and
East Capitol street. She left Washing
ton in 1917 and returned a year later.
She could not get her old apartment
back, but went finally to Clifton Ter
race into an apartment renting for
$50, with four rooms, kitchen and BATH
This rent, she said, was raised to SIS,
and then to s95. She paid, she said
because 1t seemed about the amount
fixed by the Rent Commission for
similar space in apartment houses.
She could not afford to pay so much,
she said, and had tried everywhere
to find other quarters.
Mrs. Compton said that she applied
for three-room and bath apartment
which had been renting for $50 in
Clifton Terrace. She was told the
rent would be 500. Then she gave
notice she was going to move out, and
in the end was informed she could
have the three-room apartment at $50.
"A clerk at an average salary
should have a chance to get a place
in which to live at less than so per
cent of her salary" said Mrs. Comp
ton.
Colored Tenant Representative Heard.
Rev. c. A. De Vaughn, colored, who
said that he represented some 5000
colored tenants in the District, at
tackled the real estate owners and
brokers generally, though admitting
he knew rs as honest as a good time
piece
Others, he declared, were guilty of
first degree murder on the pocket
books OF the people, white and black"
The witness criticized particularly
conditions in the alley dwellings,
which are rented in many cases to
colored
In Shows row, he said, rents have
been increased from 81 to $25. and
not 81 worth of repair done on the
houses. Phillips court and Logan
place were other sections which he
criticized.
IT wish I could take the committee
to Logan Place" said Mr.. De Vaughn.
IF Gen. Logan could come back and
see the place that is named after him
he would never rest"
The witness declared that a col
ored runner" was being used by a
real estate dealer to get possession of
houses from other colored people, so
that the rents could be increased.
This man, he said, had been located
in a number of houses at the same
time.
Mr.. De Vaughn told Of the Difficult
ties which colored people have in
finding places to rent in Washington,
and said that the property owners
took advantage of them.
o. A. Reed of Clifton Terrace took
the stand to reply to testimony given
at an earlier hearing by Joseph Low,
representative of the owner OF Clifton
Terrace. He produced The Evening
Star of December 20, 1915, to show
that Clifton Terrace had been sold in
an exchange of property for $S93,O00,
at that time. The wages of the en-
ployes at Clifton Terrace, he said,
were far below those indicated to the
committee by Mr. Low.
J. l.. Creel, who said he was in the
industrial insurance business and had
many opportunities to see the homes
and know the trials of people of mod
est means, insisted that commission
to control the rental situation in
Washington was needed.
Mrs. F. w. Pearson of the Fontanet
Courts described to the committee her
experiences in the Vista, at 141o
Euclid street. She said that origi-
nally about 10 years ago she had paid
s2S a month rent. This was raised to
$35, and finally a demand was made
for s65.
I'VE went to the Rent Commission"
she said, and the landlord brought
around a lease for $3.50, which we
signed. The Rent Commission later
fixed the rent at $3.50"
Mrs. Pearson testified that they had
continued to pay S42.50 under their
lease, Notwithstanding the rent fixed
by the commission.
The told the committee that one or
the rent commissioners had advised
her husband to stick to the rent in
the lease-s42.50-and not pay the ad-
fixed the rent az S47.50.
You didn't pay what the Rent Com
mission decided should be the rent?"
asked Senator Ball.
NO" replied Mrs. Pearson. She said
that her husband, who had handled
the matter, had since died, and she
could not tell the committee which
Commissioner had advised him to
continue to pay the rent at $3.50.
The Commissioners at that time, she
said, were A. L. Sinclair, Capt. James
F. Oyster and Mrs. Clara Sears Tay-
lor.
Justice for Both Sides
Senator Ball declared that the rent
law was intended to do justice to
landlord as well as tenant and that
II a rent commissioner had advised a
tenant to continue to pay the low rent
after the commission had increased 1t
he should have been kicked out.
A l. Matheny testified that he had
sought aid from John A. Petty. sec
retary of the Real Estate Board, in an
effort to fnd place in which to live,
that he had been given a number of
addresses, and that some of them he
had found to be rented, one a janitors
suite In the cellar of an apartment and
one apparently located in the river
since there was no such street num-
Der. He had been unable, he said, to
fnd anything in which he could live.
His testimony was given to show that
there is a scarcity Of low rental prop
erty, which people OF small incomes
can obtain.
E. F. Harris, colored, secretary of
the Federated Civic Associations, IS
colored associations, which, he said,
represented SO per cent of the colored
population, presented resolutions