The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-02-22
SUPREME COURT
USED TO EXCUSE
RENT LAWLAPSE
Legislators to Hide Be-
hind Judges Robes

hind Judges Robes
Enter the big wigs of the state su-
preme court into the city housing sit
uation. They are ready to declare the
housing law unconstitutional,
Hiding behind the black skirts of
that august body, the legislature is
going to let the rent law expire June
1st.
Neither republican nor Tammany
representatives from New York City
dare to allow the rent law to lapse,
as it would mean political suicide at
the next election But they can more
or less gracefully back out Of the en-
barrassing predicament by saying
that as the supreme court would rule
out any extension Of the makeshift
rent law, there's no use Of extending
it.
Rent Lobby Active.
This is the l0wdown from Albany
where worried assemblymen are try
ing to serve their landlord friends
while saving their faces with the
voters. The real estate lobby is US
ing the argument as a trump card in
their plea for unrestrained profits.
Some democrats favor extending
the laws, but lowering the limit from
$40 room to So a room. AT present
tenements renting at more than $40
are not subject to rent control.
Last week republican machine lead
Wn.l- (Nitxr ae tho
guests of the landlord and real estate
interests. They were personally con-
Quoted through the workers districts
and shown a dozen or so empty
places-empty because the rents were
too high.
Visibly impressed, they returned
and obligingly paid off their debt for
the pleasant jaunt by issuing state
ments declaring that the emergency
Ia over" Assemblyman Edmund
Ks led the chorus.
Jeh Al Quiet On Housing.
Governor Al Smith is not pressing
x housing bank BILL Under this
tatute, the state would furnish
money to build workers tenements if
private capital does not come to the
rescue. The alleged philanthropists
who were to "give" a few hundred
millions at 6 per cent interest having
failed to dig up, the buck has been
slipped back to Al, but he's too busy
with his presidential politics to do
anything about the state housing
bank
Bob Rust, publicity agent for Au
gust Hecksher. who appealed in vain
recently for $5OO,OO0,OO0 from mil
lionaires-at per cent-to erect
workers tenements, declares now that
municipal housing is the only solu-
ton.
What Hecksher's Agent Says.
"The entry of the city into the
housing field may be deeried, but how
can the problem be otherwise solved, y
Rust asks. "There are builders who
are willing to undertake construction
Of apartments renting from SIS to $50
room per month if they can secure
tax exemption, but there is no eager
ness on the part of capital to under
take the erection of tenements to rent
at S12 a month even with the aid Of
the present housing laws.
Fitzpatrick says that tenants can
pick and choose today, which may be
true with high and medium priced
apartments, but it is not the fact
where low-priced tenements are con-
cerned, and it is this class of build
ings which it is proposed to construct.
"Those who have developments like
the Metropolitan Life group at Long
Island City and similar structures in
Manhattan are confronted by ire
mendous demand for rooms and have
long waiting lists. The present de-
mand is one that must be supplied by
city and state"
Fitzpatrick, the real estate sharks
representative, calls Rust crazy in his
proposal for municipal housing at So
room. Nothing less than S12 room
will put up warrens for the workers,
he claims. At this figure, private
capital cannot be obtained, as there
is more money in apartment hotels
for the wealthy. Fitzpatrick derides
the entire city housing scheme as
silly and impractical"
The only conclusion for workers is
that New York's housing is a hope
less mess in which capitalism has
failed miserably and can do nothing
to retrieve its failure.