Evening star., 1925-02-04
Extends Board Two Years,
Provides Licenses and Bans
Fraudulent Deals.
D. C. COMMITTEE IN UPPER
BRANCH O.K.'S MEASURE
United States Right to Guard
Workers Comfort Stressed-Pen-
alties for Violation Provided.

A comprehensive rent bill. extend
ing the life of the Rent Commits sion
for two years, preventing fraudu-
lent transactions in real estate, and
establishing a real estate commission
to license real estate dealers. was
introduced in the Senate and House
today and was fayorably reported to
the Senate, and placed on the Senate
calendar.
The bill was introduced in the Sem
ate by Senator Ball, and in the House
by Representative Lampert of Wis
consin. The joint congressional COM
mittee, which has been investigating
the rental situation in the District
for several weeks, at a meeting to-
day approved the draft of the bill
Imme ediately afterward the Senate
District committee authorized its re-
port to the Senate, and the report
was made by Senator Copeland of
New York
Bill Has Three Titles.
The bill has three titles. The first,
providing for the extension of the
rent law, reads as follows:
Section l. That title of the food
control and the District of Columbia
rents act as heretofore amended is
re-enacted. extended and continued
two years until May %, 1927, notwith-
standing any provisions of existing
law as to a different date of termina-
tion for such title.
section 2. That section of title
122 of the food control and the Dis
trict of Columbia rents act as re-
enacted in section l is amended to
read as follows:
Section 122. Inasmuch as
"(a) Rental property and apart
ments in the District of Columbia are
affected with the public interest;
"(b1 Suitable shelter in the District
is "a matter of vital consequence to
ts1e health, comfort and general well
fare of the officers and employees of
the Federal Government and of other
persons whose activities are essential
to the health, comfort and general
welfare of such officers and employees;
and
"tc) All rents and charges for such
rental properties and apartments.
services in connection Herewith and
other terms and conditions of the
use or occupancy thereof. should be
fair and reasonable if suitable shell
ter is to be available for such officers,
employees and other persons-it is
hereby declared by the Congress that
the provisions of this title as re-
enacted, extended and continued are
necessary in order that the Congress,
in pursuance of its power to exercise
exclusive legislation over the seat OF
Government of the United States, can
adequately fulfill its duty Of guarding
the health, comfort and general well
! fare of such officers and employees
and other persons, and are thereby
preventing interference with the Fed
eral Government in the transaction of
the public business.
Effective in May.
"(d) The provisions of said section
| 122 of the existing law shall remain
| in effect until May %, 1925. upon
which date such section as herein
amended shall take effect.
| Section 3, subdivision A, Of section
102 of the food control and the Dis
trict of Columbia rent act, re-
enacted in section 1. is hereby amend
ed by striking out May %, 1925, and
| inserting in lieu thereof May %, 1921. =
The second title of the bill, designed
| to prevent fraudulent transactions re-
specting real estate, provides that the
| real consideration shall be stated in
! every deed, deed of trust OF other
! conveyance of real property situated
| It provides also that it shall be un-
! lawful for any person or corporation
| to enter into or become party to a
contract or understanding or any way
combine with another for the pur-
pose of lessening or preventing full
and free competition in the renting
of real estate or to fix rents.
Trusts Must be Numbered.
1t further provides that when plac-
! ing trust liens upon real property in
| the District, these trusts shall be
numbered consecutively in the instru-
ment creating the same, as the first,
second or third trust, ETC., and each
of such trust instrument shall recite
the full amount of Indebtedness
against the property that is secured
! by prior trust Instruments.
1t makes 1t unlawful for ASy per-
| son or corporation to combine with
another in executing a deed convey
| ing real property in the District that
is not a bona-flde sale, but is a simu-
flated sale executed for the purpose of
| increasing the value of this property
and designed to mislead and defraud
! others.
Penalties Fixed.
Penalties for violation of these pro-
visions are fixed in the bill. A fine
of not more than $1,000, or imprison-
ment for a term of not to exceed one
| year or both, in the discretion of the
court, is the punishment in case OF
violation by a person; in the case OF
a corporation a fine of not more than
$4,000 would be imposed.
Provides for Commission.
Title three Of the bill provides for
the creation of real estate COM
| mission of seven members, two MEM
bers of which shall be appointed by
the President of the United States,
! and each of whom shall have been
a resident of the District for at least
10 years, and whose vocation for a
period of at least 10 years prior to
| the reappointment shall have been
| that of a real estate broker or real
| estate salesman. The appointments
| will be made from a list of as many
as six names submitted to the Presi-
| dent by the Federation of Citizens
| Associations, and one of them shall
be chairman of the commission, and
the other secretarytreasurer of the
commission. The latter must give
his entire time to the business of the
commission. and shall receive COM
| pensation at the tate of $500 a
year Two other meL,bers are to be
appointed from list of six submit
| bx Wa n in ctn ~