Evening star., 1925-01-28

that towels are thrown into hoppers.
clogging up the plumbing. windows are
broken and lights are smashed. Then,
he said, anonymous persons call up city
departments and complain or conditions
in the apartment houses He said on
one occasion seven towels were pulled
out of hoppers in Clifton Terrace
If legislation is to be enacted deal
ing with rents, severe penalties
should be provided such alleged
sabotage by tenants, Mr.. Low told
the committee.
r. L. Mckeever, representing the
Association of Builders and owners,
was asked a direct question by SEN
ator Ball. chairman of the committee.
rs there any black list or tenants
kept by the landlords?
There is none in our organiZa-
tion," replied Mr.. keever.
Denies 1t Is Black List.
Mr.. McKeever explained that his
association does keep list OF all
our tenants" he said that mem
Der of the organization could call the
central office and learn whether
person seeking to rent an apartment
was on that list and obtain informa-
ton regarding him. He insisted that
all the tenants are placed on this list
and that IL was not a. black list
Senator Ball pressed the witness TO
learn whether those tenants who ap-
piled to the Rent Commission for re-
duction in rents had been listed as
undesirables.
Il understand" said Senator Ball, !
that your organiza ton had this list,
but l was also given to understand
that IL the tenants made application
to the Rent Commission they Were |
held to be undesirable"
The Department Of Justice went
over our files" replied Mr.. McKeever, |
"and their representatives. will tell
you that such is not the case, and l
tell you so now
Rent Decreases shown.
A list of dwelling units upon which
rents have been reduced In the last
six months was presented to the
committee by John A. Petty, secre-
tary of the Real Estate Board. Mr..
Petty explained that the list COM
prised 200 houses and 1906 apart
ments. The list was submitted at the
request of the committee made after
receiving from the Rent Commission
a list of houses and apartments on
which increased rentals had been de-
manded.
Representative Blanton of Texas.
in which Chairman Ball was conduct
ing the investigation of witnesses,
particularly Joseph Low, left the
hearing.
The hearing last night was set for
unorganized owners of properties in
the District. Both property owners
and tenants were heard, however, and
tonight at a final hearing on the
rent bill unorganized tenants will
l. =
property owners half an hour. The
hearing will be held at 8 o'clock in
the caucus room of the Senate Office
Building.
No Raises in Two Years.
Stacey NJ Reed. representing C. A.
Snow & Co., testified that his COM
pany, which owns and manages 13I
apartment houses with 526 dwelling
units, had not raised the rent Of a
tenant in two years." He said, how
ever, that his company had secured
an Injunction against the Rent Com
mission.
If the Rent Commission is continued
it will merely encourage Washington
to become a city of contract break |
ers, said Mr.. Reed. He said where
tenants had gone out his company
had rerented the apartments at rates
which were being charged. He said
that they had had no ca ses before |
the Rent Commission in the. last three |
years.
Mr., Low went over in detail much |
of the testimony given before tt !
committee by tenants in Clifton Ter
race, denying many of the statements |
made to the committee by these ten
ants. He said that charts presented |
by the Tenants League to the COM
mittee purporting to show increases |
in rents demanded in Clifton Terrace, |
the Plaza and other apartments We're |
not correct. He defended the condi- |
tion of the service rendered at Cliff
ton Terrace. which had been attacked |
by the tenants
Increase I'm Employees.
"The only thing lacking" said Mr.. |
Low, was livery doormen." He
said that the number of employees at
Clifton Terrace had been increased /
and not reduced since Mr. Baskin |
bought the property four months ago. |
Mr.. Low laid much stress on the
fact that the District Court Of APP
peals had reversed the Rent Com |
missions order regarding rents at
Clifton Terrace. The court, he said, |
had found that the ruling of the |
Rent Commission amounted to con- |
hscation. The value fixed by the |
court for Clifton Terrace was
S2,363.000.
When our firm took over the
apartment house about four months
ago we found a chaotic condition as
far as the rents were concerned
owing to the decisions by the Rent |
Commission. Some of the apartments
were bringing about half as much as
others, although they were the same
size. Some of the tenants came to US
and asked that either their rents be
lowered or the rents of others be
raised to conform to theirs. The first |
thing I did was to lower some of the
rents"
Finds Most Renters Pleased
Mr.. Low said that out of 1000 |
come before the committee to COM
plain about his firm. He said that
large majority of the tenants do not
care to be associated with the Tenants
League. AT the Chastleton a meeting |
was held in the interest OF tha
Tenants League, but not a tenant |
there could be found to join. He told
the committee that in a number of
cases tenants rent apartments at
reasonable rates and then sublet them
at exorbitant rates. He mentioned |
the case of one woman who had II |
apartments, IL of which she was
subletting at two or three times the
rent she was paying.
I'VE are lowering more rents than |
we are raising said Mr.. Low. IT
offer 40 apartments of three to four