Evening star., 1925-03-19
New York's Rent Problems.

New York, like Washington, has
been trying to solve its housing prob
lem through arbitrary governmental
restrictions. The report Of the New
public, indicates that the attempt mas
been failure; that the housing prob
lem in New York continues, and that
conditions are growing steadily worse
instead of better.
With the failure of the Ball bill to
extend the life of the Rent Commits
sion Of the District of Columbia,
Washington is returning to the pre-
war situation, when the economic
law. the law of supply and demand,
will be the sole check upon prices
and rentals. The District Rent Com
mission, whose activities have been
restricted through court decisions,
ceases to exist May %, next.
In New York the housing problem
has angles which do not exist here,
yet nevertheless there are points Of
similarity which make the report of
the New York Housing Commission
Of much interest. Arguments put
forward by supporters of rent regu-
lation in the two cities are similar
as are the arguments of the op-
ponents. New York went a step fur
ther than Washington in its effort to
solve the problem. 1t provided for
remission OF taxes on new construc-
ton OF houses and apartments for
rental purposes, and relieved such
new construction from the appli-
cation of the rent-regulation law
But, while there has been much
new building in New York, it is not
of such a character as to meet the
demands Of the people who have
moderate earnings and small sized
pocketbooks. Capital will not engage
in such building operations because
OF the regulation OF rents. The same
has been found true to considera BILE
extent in Washington
To meet this situation, it is now
proposed in New York that the State
provide funds for constructing homes
which may be occupied by the near
poor and the poor But such a step
would, it seems, remove the proba-
bility for a long time TO come of
having private capital engage in this
field. A vicious circle is threatened
In which the building of moderate
priced homes becomes the job Of the
government for an indefinite period.
The New York State Housing Com
mission has shown in it's report the
poor are being driven into the old
tenements, undesirable in every way
except price. Pre-war apartment
houses are not being kept up; repairs
are neglected by landlords, who feel
that they are not permitted to obtain
a fair return on their money In
short, living conditions and the COM
fort of the very people whom the law
aims to assist are growing worse.
Under such circumstances the al
ternatives seem to be further and
more drastic control by the govern
ment. with the government actually
entering the field of construction,
rental, etc, or complete abandon
ment of government control, so that
the economic laws may again hold
sway. In New York, as in Washing
ton, the demand from some Of the
tenants is for additional government
control. Here in Washington the de-
mand arose for a permanent Rent
Commission as embodied in the
Whaley bill-and for more drastic
laws dealing with the landlords in be-
half Of tenants. In New York it is
now proposed that the government
itself enter the real estate business
Opposition to the continuance of
Government control of housing in
Washington, while the congressional
committee was struggling with the
problem few weeks ago, was argued
along two lines. First, that housing
conditions had improved in Washing
ton 80 as to warrant the abandon
ment of Government control. Second
that Government control as long as
il is maintained would prevent the in
Nestment of capital in the needed field
OF building operations. In the end the
congressional committee compromised
A bill was reported extending the life
OF the Rent Commission for two years
providing for the licensing of real
estate operators and dealers, and
penalfzing pyramiding of values
through fake sales. But in the leg
fslatUe jam at the close of the last
Congress the bill failed to be brought
up for consideration in either Senate
or House.
In other cities of the country-in-
Guiding Chicago and Philadelphia, and
our neighbor, Baltimore--there was
the same cessation of building opera
tons during the war as in Washing
orally got far behind in meeting the
requirements of it's people for homes.
But in those other cities the law of
supply and demand has been permitted
to operate-working temporary hard
ships to individuals, it is true, but
with the result that conditions have
bettered instead of growing worse.